Cheryl Gillwald

Cheryl Ellen Gillwald (13 December 1956 – 27 July 2010) was a South African politician. A member of the African National Congress, she was elected as a member of the Senate of South Africa in 1994. In 1997 she became a member of the South African National Assembly where she served until her resignation from public office in 2006. Gillwald was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice in 1999 before becoming Deputy Minister of Correctional Services in 2004.

Early life and education Gillwald was born on 13 December 1956 in Welkom in what was then the Orange Free State Province of the Union of South Africa. She attended Roedean School for Girls in Johannesburg, matriculating in 1974. After a year as an American Field Service exchange student at Washington High School in Wisconsin, Gillwald started studying at the University of the Free State, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1979. Career Gillwald was involved in community work in the Intabazwe township outside Harrismith where she also helped found the Fundisanani Community Trust, built a centre for street children, and organised winter schools to assist matric students in the township with their mathematics and science. She also worked for multiple companies as a public relations officer as well as director of finance and administration. In her new position, Gillwald spoke out against the overcrowding of South African prisons in June 2004, calling it entirely unstainable and unacceptable.

Mbeki informed the first cabinet meeting of 2006 held on 25 January that he had granted Gillwald's request to vacate her position in government to attend to family commitments at the end of the month. She resigned from the government and tendered her resignation as a Member of Parliament on 31 January 2006. Loretta Jacobus was appointed to succeed Gillwald. Death Gillwald was married to Charles Cousins. She had one son, Dane.