Barbara Creecy is the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries of the Republic of South Africa from 30 May 2019. In November 2019, she was also elected as the President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). She is one of the leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) and currently serves as a member of the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee. She was one of the longest serving Members of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. She joined the legislature in 1994, and until 2004, served in different portfolios including Deputy Chief Whip as well as Chairperson of the Social Development and Education Committees. From 2009 to 2014 she was Member of the Executive Council for Education and from 2014 to 2019 she was Member of the Executive Council for Finance. She holds an Honours Degree in Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of London.