Zilindile Vena MPL | |
|---|---|
| Provincial Chairperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters | |
| Assumed office 6 November 2022 | |
| Deputy | Mlamli Makhetha Nokuthula Mlokoti |
| Preceded by | Yazini Tetyana |
| Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature | |
| Assumed office 28 February 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Economic Freedom Fighters |
| Profession | Politician |
Zilindile Vena is a South African politician who has been a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 2023. He is the provincial chairperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters.
Vena was elected as a councillor for the Economic Freedom Fighters in Nelson Mandela Bay in 2016. In October 2018,Vena unsuccessfully stood for provincial chairperson of the EFF at the party's provincial conference. [1] He was elected to the EFF's Central Command Team at the party's National Peoples Assembly in December 2019. [2]
Vena resigned as a councillor of Nelson Mandela Bay and was suspended from party activities in February 2020 after he was accused of raping a Nelson Mandela University student. [3] Vena pleaded not guilty in February 2021,and he was acquitted of the charge in July 2022. [4] [5]
Vena was elected provincial chairperson of the EFF in November 2022,defeating incumbent Yazini Tetyana by 33 votes. [6] He was sworn in as a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature on 28 February 2023,succeeding Tetyana who resigned in January. [7]