Nompendulo Mkhatshwa

Last updated

Nompendulo Mkhatshwa
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
In office
22 May 2019 –28 May 2024
Personal details
Born
Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa

(1993-08-20) 20 August 1993 (age 31)
NationalitySouth African
Political party African National Congress
Alma mater University of the Witwatersrand (BSc)
ProfessionPolitician

Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa (born 20 August 1993) is a South African politician, former student leader and former #FeesMustFall activist who served as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the African National Congress (ANC).

Contents

In August 2021 she was elected chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology.

Early life and education

Mkhatshwa was born on 20 August 1993. She has two younger sisters. In 2015, she graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in geography. [1] She is currently enrolled for a post-graduate certificate in education from the University of South Africa. [2]

Political career

Mkhatshwa became involved in student politics while a student at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 2013, she was elected as the deputy chairperson of the South African Students Congress (SASCO) branch at Wits University. The following year, she was elected chairperson of the SASCO branch. [2] Mkhatshwa became the deputy chairperson of the African National Congress Youth League branch at the university in 2015.

SRC presidency and #FeesMustFall activities

She was also elected president of the student representative council (SRC) that same year for 2015/2016. [2] Mkhatshwa was one of the leaders of the #FeesMustFall movement at Wits and the subsequent national shutdown of South African universities. [3] In October 2015, she and outgoing SRC president, Shaeera Kalla, led a march to the ANC’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg against fee increases. The day after the Luthuli House march, 20 000 students marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Hours later, president Jacob Zuma announced that there would not be a fee increase for 2016. [3]

Her leadership soon became controversial when she called for the national shutdown to end. The call was made by the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) of which she was a leader. It was rejected by Wits student because they wanted the university to employ all outsourced workers. There was then a stalemate between students. [3] In December 2015, she appeared on the cover of the magazine Destiny wearing ANC regalia. This served to tarnish her credibility among students. She played a much more silent role for the remainder of her term. [3] Mkhatshwa was a Wits representative at the fees commission and made appearances at local police stations and courts in Johannesburg to help secure the release of arrested students. She also negotiated with university management on the SRC's demand for free tertiary education. [3]

Parliament

In 2019 she was elected to the National Assembly on the ANC national list. [4] She was one of the youngest ANC MPs elected. [1] She serves alongside other #FeesMustFall activists including Naledi Chirwa, Vuyani Pambo, and Peter Keetse, all from the Economic Freedom Fighters, an opposition party. [5]

Mkhatshwa was a member of the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology. [6] She was also whip of the ANC's Study Group on Higher Education, Science and Technology. [7]

On 26 August 2021 Mkhashwa was announced as the ANC's candidate to replace Philly Mapulane as Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology. She was elected to the role on 31 August. [8]

Mkhatshwa was ranked 152nd on the ANC's national list for the 2024 general election which was too low to secure re-election. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FeesMustFall</span> 2015–2016 student movement in South Africa

#FeesMustFall was a student-led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in South Africa. The goals of the movement were to stop increases in student fees as well as to increase government funding of universities. Protests started at the University of Witwatersrand and spread to the University of Cape Town and Rhodes University before rapidly spreading to other universities across the country. Although initially enjoying significant public support the protest movement started to lose public sympathy when the protests started turning violent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buti Manamela</span> South African politician

Buti Kgwaridi Manamela is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology since October 2017. He was formerly the Deputy Minister in the Presidency from 2014 to 2017, and he has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly since May 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mmamoloko Kubayi</span> South African Minister of Tourism

Mmamoloko Tryphosa Kubayi is a South African politician who is the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and a Member of the National Assembly for the African National Congress (ANC). She is also the current head of the African National Congress's economic transformation subcommittee in the national executive committee (NEC). She was the Minister of Energy in 2017, the Minister of Communications from 2017 to 2018, the Minister of Science and Technology from 2018 to 2019, Minister of Tourism from 2019 to 2021, and Minister of Human Settlements from 2021 to 2024.

Vuyani Pambo is a South African politician and former student activist. He has represented the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the National Assembly since May 2019 and serves as the head of the EFF presidency. He rose to political prominence as a leader of the Fees Must Fall movement at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he was the head of the EFF Student Command. A member of the EFF Central Command since December 2019, he also served as the party's national spokesperson between February 2020 and February 2022.

Petrus Simon "Pat" Ngomane is a South African politician. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected to the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature in May 2014. He served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Community Safety, Security and Liaison from August 2016 until May 2019, when he was appointed MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism. Ngomane served in the position until an executive council reshuffle in February 2021.

Belinda Bozzoli was a South African author, academic, sociologist, and politician. She was deputy vice-chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand for a period from 2002, having headed its school of social sciences. In 2014 Bozzoli was elected a member of the South African parliament for the Democratic Alliance. From 2019 she served as Shadow Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology.

Baxolile Babongile Nodada is a South African politician for the Democratic Alliance who has been a Member of Parliament since 2019. He served as the Shadow Minister of Basic Education and the Parliamentary Counsellor to the Leader of the Opposition in John Steenhuisen's Shadow Cabinet from 2020 until the DA entered national government in July 2024.

Mary-Ann Lindelwa Dunjwa is a South African politician from the Eastern Cape. A member of the African National Congress, she was elected to the National Assembly in 2009. After her re-election in 2014, she became the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, a position she held until 2019, when she was elected Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour. She was re-elected to Parliament in the 2024 general election and then elected to chair the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities before she was elected chairperson of the Chairperson of the Joint Multi-Party Women's Caucus.

Bhekizizwe Abram Radebe is a South African politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of South Africa from the Free State till 2024. He is a member of the African National Congress.

Claudia Nonhlanhla Ndaba is a South African politician. A member of the African National Congress, she served as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and People with Disabilities from 2019 until 2024 and a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from 2014 until 2024. She served as Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Filling of Vacancies in the Commission for Gender Equality twice during her first term in parliament. Prior to her election to parliament, Ndaba served as a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 2009 to 2014.

Nonkqubela Ntomboxolo Pieters is a South African politician and educator who has been the Eastern Cape's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism since 2024 and a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 2019, representing the African National Congress (ANC). She previously served as the MEC for Human Settlements from 2019 to 2021 and then as the MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform from 2021 until 2024. Pieters served as the speaker of the Cacadu District Municipality from 2006 to 2018.

Mathedi Asnath Molekwa is a South African politician who was a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from the North West, serving from 2019 until 2024. Molekwa is the former speaker of the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in the North West Province. She is a member of the African National Congress.

Mohlopi Philemon Mapulane is a South African politician who is the current Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and a member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the African National Congress. He previously served as Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Appointment of Board Members to the National Youth Development Agency from 2016 to 2019, as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs from 2016 to 2019, as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology from 2019 to 2021, and as Chairperson of the Powers and Privileges of Parliament Committee from 2020 to 2021.

Nomathemba Hendrietta Maseko-Jele is a South African politician who served as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa representing the African National Congress (ANC).

Terence Skhumbuzo Mpanza is a South African politician. He is a former Member of the National Assembly of South Africa. Mpanza is a member of the African National Congress.

Timothy Victor Mashele is a South African politician. He was a member of the National Assembly of South Africa. Mashele is a member of the African National Congress (ANC).

Tandi Mahambehlala is a South African politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Human Settlements since 3 July 2024. She was the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism from 2021. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), she served as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation from 2019 to 2021. Mahambehlala was Deputy Minister of Communications between 2017 and 2018. She has been a Member of Parliament since 2014.

Thlologelo Collen Malatji is a South African politician and the president of the African National Congress Youth League. He was elected to the presidency at the league's conference in July 2023. He was a Member of Parliament between 2019 and 2024.

Grace Kekulu Tseke is a South African politician who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for the African National Congress since 2009.

Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri is a South African politician who is currently serving as spokesperson of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's governing party. A former ANC Youth League activist, she was appointed as spokesperson in January 2023, shortly after her election to the ANC's National Executive Committee at the party's 55th National Conference.

References

  1. 1 2 Naki, Eric (25 May 2019). "Spotlight on Nompendulo Mkhatshwa: ANC MP at 26". The Citizen. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ms Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa". Parliament of South Africa. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Whittles, Govan (20 October 2016). "The rise and fall of Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, the Wits SRC president". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "SEE: These are the people who will represent you in Parliament, provincial legislatures". News24. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Bhengu, Cebelihle (22 May 2019). "Power to the new generation: three young MPs you need to know". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Mkatshwa, Nompendulo Thobile". ANC Parliament. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Axe finally falls on Bongani Bongo as ANC shakes up parliamentary caucus". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "The ANC`s candidate lists for the 2024 elections - DOCUMENTS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.