Sizwe Petrus Yende (born 29 August 1977 in Daggakraal) is a South African journalist and the author of Eerie Assignment. He is a former [City Press (South Africa)|City Press]] chief correspondent in [[Mpumalanga] and is now a podcaster and founder of online publication, The People's Eye(https://peopleseye.co.za). He is an investigative journalist, based in Mpumalanga province, and The People's Eye covers news, politics, climate change and many other topics in South Africa, and internationally. [1] [2] [3]
Sizwe Sama Yende | |
---|---|
Born | Sizwe Petrus Yende August 29, 1977 |
Nationality | South African |
Occupation | Journalist |
Organization | City Press |
His Eerie Assignment memoir details his journalistic journey in the province of Mpumalanga while uncovering corruption under constant intimidation in a province that has become notorious for politically motivated assassinations. [4] [5] [6]
Mpumalanga is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares borders with the South African provinces of Limpopo to the north, Gauteng to the west, the Free State to the southwest, and KwaZulu-Natal to the south. The capital is Mbombela.
Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, the city lies about 110 km (68 mi) by road west of the Mozambique border, 330 km (210 mi) east of Johannesburg and 82 km (51 mi) north of the Eswatini border. Mbombela was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Constitution of South Africa protects all basic political freedoms. However, there have been many incidents of political repression, dating back to at least 2002, as well as threats of future repression in violation of this constitution leading some analysts, civil society organisations and popular movements to conclude that there is a new climate of political repression or a decline in political tolerance.
There have been many political assassinations in post-apartheid South Africa. In 2013 it was reported that there had been more than 450 political assassinations in the province of KwaZulu-Natal since the end of apartheid in 1994. In July 2013 the Daily Maverick reported that there had been "59 political murders in the last five years". In August 2016 it was reported that there had been at least twenty political assassinations in the run up to the local government elections on the 3rd of August that year, most of them in KwaZulu-Natal.
David Dabede Mabuza is a South African politician who served as deputy president of South Africa from February 2018 to February 2023. He was the deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018, throughout the presidency of his former political ally Jacob Zuma. Mabuza served as a Member of Parliament from 2018 until his resignation in 2023.
Refilwe Maria Tsipane, known as Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, is a South African politician and a party member of the African National Congress (ANC), who has served as the 7th Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces since 2024. Prior to serving in parliament, she served as the 5th Premier of Mpumalanga between 2018 and 2024. She succeeded former Premier David Mabuza after he was appointed Deputy President of South Africa. Mtsweni-Tsipane was also a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature and previously served as the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The South African National Congress of Traditional Authorities (Sancota) is a South African political party formed in February 2019.
Busisiwe Paulina "Busi" Shiba is a South African politician who was the Mpumalanga MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs from 2022 to 2024. She previously served as the Mpumalanga MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2021 to 2022, as the Speaker of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature from 2019 to 2021 and as the MEC for Social Development from 2016 to 2019. Shiba is a member of the African National Congress (ANC).
Vusumuzi Robert Shongwe is a South African politician who is currently serving in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature. He formerly served in the Executive Council in Mpumalanga province. Between September and November 2015, Shongwe served as acting Premier of Mpumalanga while Premier David Mabuza was on sick leave. He is a member of the African National Congress and was formerly treasurer of the party's provincial executive committee in Mpumalanga, previously the chairperson of the ANC in the Gert Sibande region.
Leonah Lindiwe Ntshalintshali is a South African politician who has been Deputy Minister of Correctional Services and a member of the National Assembly of South Africa since July 2024, representing the African National Congress. She was previously Mpumalanga's Member of the Executive Council for Arts, Sports, Culture and Recreation from 2019 to 2021 before serving as the MEC for Social Development from 2021 until 2024. Ntshalintshali was Mayor of Witbank's Emalahleni Local Municipality from 2015 to 2018.
Tsietsi Peter Nyoni is a South African politician and a member of the African National Congress (ANC) who currently serves as the Deputy Director-General for the Mpumalanga Provincial Government. He previously served as one of the executive directors for the Mpumalanga Human Settlements Department until he was removed in 2013 from the position by then Premier David Mabuza. He was appointed to head the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the province in August 2016 until February 2020 when current Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane made him the provincial government's Deputy Director-General.
Eerie Assignment is a memoir written by South African journalist Sizwe Sama Yende. It was released by Lesedi House Publishers in May 2017.
Violet Sizani Siwela was a South African politician from Mpumalanga. She was a Member of the National Assembly, where she chaired the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, and a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC). She served in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature until May 2019.
The Executive Council of Mpumalanga is the cabinet of the executive branch of the provincial government in the South African province of Mpumalanga. The Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are appointed from among the members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature by the Premier of Mpumalanga, an office held since June 2024 by Mandla Ndlovu.
Norah Mahlangu-Mabena is a South African politician who is currently representing the African National Congress (ANC) as a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature. She previously served in the Executive Council of Mpumalanga as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Culture, Sport and Recreation from 2014 to 2018 and MEC for Human Settlements from 2018 to 2021.
Michael Collen Sedibe is a South African politician who is currently a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature and the provincial leader of the legislature's official opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). He joined the EFF in 2013 after he was expelled from the African National Congress and he was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 2014 general election. In September 2022, he was elected to a third term as the EFF's Provincial Chairperson in Mpumalanga.
Michael "Ngrayi" Ngwenya is a South African politician from Mpumalanga. He was Regional Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) in Ehlanzeni, Mpumalanga from 2011 to 2019, in which capacity he was an influential ally of Premiers David Mabuza and Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane. In July 2021, he was suspended from the party for five years because of his role in organising a political rally in support of former President Jacob Zuma. Nicknamed 'Lomdzala', Ngwenya joined the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in June 2023. Immediately after Joining EFF, the ANC offices in Drikoppies, Mpumalanga rebranded from the traditional ANC colours to EFF colours and logo.He has successfully established EFF at Nkomzazi by influencing longtime ANC supporters.
Thulasizwe Simon Thomo is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport. He has been a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature since March 2023 and the provincial chairperson of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) since August 2022 until the disbandment of the structure in August 2023. Thomo is also a regional deputy chairperson for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the Gert Sibande region.
Cecilia Sylvia Nxumalo is a South African politician from Mpumalanga. She has represented the African National Congress in the National Council of Provinces since June 2024.