Mr Buti Kgwaridi Manamela is the Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Science and Innovation. His previous portfolio was as Deputy Minister in the Presidency: Planning Monitoring and Evaluation, Youth Development and Administration. Deputy Minister Manamela has been a Member of Parliament since 2009, serving as Whip of the Labour Portfolio Committee; and as Chief Volunteer to parliament's Nelson Mandela Day.

Deputy Minister Manamela is a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP). He served as the National Secretary of the YCLSA from 2003 until 2014 and has also served in various roles in the ANC Youth League, South African Students Congress and various other student organisations. Deputy Minister Manamela also worked as organizer for trade union SACCAWU in 2001.

Deputy Minister Manamela completed his Matric in Phagameng High School and went on to study towards his N-Certificate in Electronics at Mamelodi College until 2001; and completed his Post-Graduate Diploma (2014) and Master of Management in Public Policy at the University of Witwatersrand (2017).