Thembinkosi Rawula | |
|---|---|
| Member of the National Assembly of South Africa | |
| In office 31 October 2015 –10 April 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thembinkosi Rawula |
| Nationality | South African |
| Political party | ActionSA (2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (2019–2023) Economic Freedom Fighters (Until 2019) |
| Alma mater | Nelson Mandela University University of Johannesburg University of South Africa |
| Profession | Politician |
Thembinkosi Rawula is a South African politician. He was a senior member of the Economic Freedom Fighters and a Member of Parliament for the party until he resigned in April 2019 after accusing party leaders of financial mismanagement.
Rawula is from the Eastern Cape. He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from Nelson Mandela University, a post-graduate diploma in labour law from the University of Johannesburg and an honours degree in Public Administration from the University of South Africa. [1]
He was the labour coordinator of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) in the Eastern Cape between 2003 and 2006. From 2014 to 2015, he was employed as a human resource and capacity building advisor. [1]
Rawula served on the Central Command Team of the Economic Freedom Fighters as the member responsible for the party's labour and trade union relations. He was sworn in as a Member of the National Assembly for the party on 31 October 2015. [2] He replaced Kgotso Morapela, who was redeployed to the Free State Provincial Legislature. [1] During his tenure as a parliamentarian, he was a member of the following portfolio committees: tourism, mineral resources and labour. [2]
On 5 April 2019, Rawula accused party leader Julius Malema and his former deputy Floyd Shivambu of abusing party funds to fund their lifestyles. [3] On 7 April, he said that Malema's lawyers had demanded that he retract the accusations. [4] On 10 April, Rawula resigned from the EFF and automatically ceased to be a member of parliament. [5] He then joined NUMSA's political party, the Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party, on 16 April. [6]
On 21 May 2019, Malema filed a defamation lawsuit against Rawula. The case was heard in November and the Eastern Cape division of the High Court ruled in favour of Rawula. [7]
On 9 October 2023, Rawula was announced as a member of ActionSA during a press conference held in Gqeberha. [8] [9]