By Levy Masiteng
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has been named to TIME magazine’s TIME100 Next list for 2026, joining 100 emerging leaders the publication says are the world’s most influential rising stars.
The annual list, released on Wednesday, recognises emerging leaders from around the world who are shaping the future across politics, science, business, entertainment and other fields.
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Reacting to her inclusion, Gwarube wrote on X: “What an incredible honour being selected as @TIME 100 Next for 2026: The World’s Most Influential Rising Stars. I love serving my country. And I am absolutely passionate about affording all our 13.7 million learners the quality education that they deserve. What uMama did could never be undone.”
TIME traced Gwarube’s recognition partly to her personal journey from rural poverty to the cabinet, describing her as having come from “the generation of Black students walled off by apartheid in resource-starved schools, severely constraining their prospects”.
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