After 30 years in exile, Dr. Ginwala returned to South Africa as a member of the African National Congress (ANC) Presidents’ Secretariat and its negotiating team. Following democratic elections, she entered parliament and became the First Speaker of the National Assembly. Prior to being elected to the National Assembly, Dr. Ginwala was actively involved in the ANC where she formed the taskforce to establish a Women’s League.
Dr. Ginwala has dedicated her entire life to addressing democracy, governance, human rights and development. She served as the co-Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, was a member of the African Union’s Audit Panel, and served as a member of the Advisory Panel of High-Level Personalities on African Development to the UN Secretary-General. Throughout her work, Dr. Ginwala has called for women’s involvement in conflict resolution and peace building and has worked with women in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Palestine and Israel.
Dr. Ginwala was a member of the Advisory Board on Corruption, which was established under the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.