Shortly after the formation of South Africa's first democratic government in 1994, he was nominated by President Mandela to serve on the countries first Financial and Fiscal Commission and has served on the boards of public bodies regulating higher education, labour arbitration and economic and social policy.
His most recent tri-partite negotiations was the conclusion of the Framework for South Africa's Response to the International Economic Crises , adopted by NEDLAC in February this year, after President Mothlanthe requested the social partners to develop such a response, in December last year.
Mr Patel has been active in the trade union movement for more than two decades. He played an active role in the formation of COSATU. Until his appointment as Minister of Economic Development, he served as the General Secretary of the Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers Union (SACTWU's), one of the largest unions in the sector internationally. He started as an organiser in the National Union of Textile Workers (NUTW), one of SACTWU's founding trade unions and which emerged out of the historic 1973 Durban strikes. Before then, while he was a student, he unionised UCT, University of the Western Cape and University of Stellenbosch workers who are now part of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU).
Mr Patel was born in 1962 in Cape Town .
Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union