Dennis Mumble was born in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 3 December 1953.

He started working at an Afrikaans language newspaper called Die Oosterlig at the age of 16 years because of his family’s economic situation.

In 1970 he became active in the Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement, an international movement fighting for the rights of workers. This activity in turn turned into strong trade union activism when he went to work for Ford Motor Company in 1972.

As Chief Shop Steward of the National Union of Motor Assembly and Rubber Workers of South Africa (NUMARWSA) at Ford Motor Company, Mr Mumble was instrumental in establishing employee grievance structures at one of South Africa’s largest employers.

At the time of his trade union activism, he continued his work with the YCW, becoming national organizer in 1975.

This combination of activities then attracted the attention of the South African security services who threatened his life after his last incarceration in 1978. He fled into exile in 1978 via Lesotho and then Mozambique and was subsequently taken to an audience with Pope Paul VI to explain the persecution of YCW members in South Africa.

Thereafter, Mr Mumble secured a bursary to study in the United States where he obtained his qualifications in Labour Studies and Labour Education. He worked for the State University of New York and then at Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey until 1996 when he decided to return to South Africa. He later pursued an MBA Degree at Milpark Business School in South Africa.

Back in South Africa, Mr Mumble was deployed to the ANC Constituency Office in Port Elizabeth until he was recruited to become the General Manager of the South African Football Association in 1997. He later became the General Manager of FNB Stadium, the main stadium for the 2010 FIFA World CupTM.

Mr Mumble is currently the Chief Competitions Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa, responsible for the following departments and units:

 The Integrated Infrastructure Department (stadiums and other infrastructure projects);
 The Transport Department;
 The Health & Medical Department;
 The Refereeing Unit;
 The Host Cities Department;
 Tournament Operations and Team Services Department;
 The Host Cities Department;
 The Organising Committee’s 10 Venue offices around the country