Naledi Chirwa

Last updated

The Honourable
Naledi Chirwa-Mpungose
MP
Naledi Chirwa in 2024.jpg
Chirwa-Mpungose in 2024.
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
Assumed office
22 May 2019
Personal details
Born
Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa

(1993-07-22) 22 July 1993 (age 30)
Vosloorus, East Rand, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Political party Economic Freedom Fighters (2015–present)
Children2
Alma mater University of Pretoria
OccupationMember of Parliament
ProfessionPolitician

Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa-Mpungose (born 22 July 1993) is a South African feminist, legislator and former student activist serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa. A member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), she was sworn in as an MP on 22 May 2019. She is one of the youngest MPs of the 6th Parliament. Chirwa was involved in the #FeesMustFall student protests that occurred at the University of Pretoria between 2015 and 2016.

Contents

Early life and education

Chirwa was born on 22 July 1993 in Vosloorus, East Rand, in the former Transvaal Province. [1] She was raised by her grandmother in Mamelodi, Pretoria. [1] In 2009, she served as the deputy president of the Tshwane North College FET (now known as the Tshwane North College TVET). [1] She was only 15 years old at that time. [1] Chirwa earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Honours degree in Drama and Film Studies at the University of Pretoria. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Theatre and Performance at the University of the Witwatersrand. [2]

Political career

She joined the Economic Freedom Fighters in 2015 and became a member of the party's Student Command at the University of Pretoria. She was appointed as the command's communications officer. [1] In August 2016, during former president Jacob Zuma's speech at the IEC election centre following the 2016 municipal elections, Chirwa and three other student activists disrupted his speech while holding up signs reading "Khanga", "Remember Khwezi", "I am 1 in 3" and "10 yrs later", in reference to Zuma's rape trial of the mid-2000s. [3] [4]

Also in 2016, Chirwa was involved in student protests relating to the #FeesMustFall movement. She was later arrested and suspended on campus as part of her bail conditions. [5] In 2017, she was one of the Mail & Guardian's 200 Young South Africans. [6]

Parliamentary career

In May 2019, she was elected to the National Assembly and became the youngest EFF MP. Chirwa serves alongside other student activists, including Peter Keetse, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa and Vuyani Pambo. [7] On 25 June 2019, she delivered her maiden speech at the debate of the State of the Nation Address. She was forced to withdraw a comment about the government being complicit in the murders of #FeesMustFall activists. [8] [9] Chirwa serves on the Portfolio Committee on Health in parliament. [10]

In January 2022, Chirwa was criticised for calling President Cyril Ramaphosa "toothless" and a "weak little boy". [11]

In March 2024, Chirwa was absent from parliament in order to care for her unwell child. She was forced to apologise, and to buy two branded EFF gazebos, costing R5000 each. Chirwa was subsequently demoted to last position on both national and Gauteng lists for the 2024 general election, meaning it is highly unlikely that she will return to parliament. [12] [13]

Personal life

Chirwa has one child. [1] In October 2022, Chirwa announced that she is married. [14]

Nationality

Since becoming an MP, Chirwa's nationality has been questioned. In January 2022, Chirwa responded to the allegations that she is not a South African by tweeting: “You can lie to yourselves about my nationality until you turn green in the buttocks. It will not make your lies the truth and neither will it ever silence me. I didn’t buy my voice. I’m not renting it either. Rest assured, I will always speak and there’s nothing you can do about it." [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Zuma</span> President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a former anti-apartheid activist, member of uMkhonto we Sizwe, and president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 2007 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naledi Pandor</span> South African politician (born 1953

Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor is a South African politician, educator and academic serving as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since 2019. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the African National Congress (ANC) since 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoko Didiza</span> South African politician

Angela Thokozile Didiza is a South African politician who is currently serving as Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development since May 2019. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), she was the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs from June 1999 to May 2006 and Minister of Public Works from May 2006 to September 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blade Nzimande</span> South African politician

Bonginkosi Emmanuel "Blade" Nzimande is a South African politician, sociologist, philosopher, educator, anti-apartheid activist and Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology. He was Minister of Transport from 2018 to 2019, and Minister for Higher Education and Training from 2009 to 2017. He was the General Secretary of the South African Communist Party from 1998 up until 2022.

Gwen Malegwale Ramokgopa is a South African politician who was elected the Treasurer-General of the governing African National Congress (ANC) in December 2022. She was formerly the Deputy Minister of Health under President Jacob Zuma from October 2010 to May 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zweli Mkhize</span> South African doctor and politician

Zwelini Lawrence Mkhize is a South African medical doctor and politician who served as the Minister of Health from May 2019 until his resignation on 5 August 2021. He previously served as the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2018 to 2019. Before that, he was the fifth Premier of KwaZulu-Natal from 2009 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic Freedom Fighters</span> Far-left political party in South Africa

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African Marxist–Leninist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) President Julius Malema, and his allies, in 2013. Malema is President of the EFF, heading the Central Command Team which serves as the central structure of the party. It is currently the third-largest party in both houses of the South African Parliament. The party is also the official opposition in three of South Africa's nine provincial legislatures.

2015 in South Africa saw a number of social and political protests and movements form. At President Jacob Zuma's 2015 State of the Nation Address, the president was interrupted by an opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, who demanded that he pay back the money used on his Nkandla homestead. South Africa also saw new xenophobic uprisings taking place, mainly targeted towards Africans from other countries. Foreigners were beaten, robbed and murdered during the attacks. The social protest Rhodes Must Fall started in 2015 at the University of Cape Town to protest for the removal of statues erected in South Africa during the colonial era depicting some of the well known colonists who settled in South Africa. In education, South Africa recorded a drop in its matric pass rate from 2013 to 2014. The protest #FeesMustFall was started towards the end of the year and achieved its primary goal of stopping an increase in university fees for 2016. South Africa also saw the discovery of Homo naledi in 2015. The South African national rugby union team came third in the 2015 Rugby World Cup and Trevor Noah started hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

<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.

Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi MP is a South African politician and political activist. He has been a Member of the National Assembly, representing the Economic Freedom Fighters, since 2014. He also served as the first official spokesperson for the party until his resignation in 2020. He was replaced as party spokesperson by fellow member of the Economic Freedom Fighters, youth activist Vuyani Pambo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 South African general election</span>

General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.

Hendrietta Ipeleng Bogopane-Zulu is a South African politician and activist who is currently serving as Deputy Minister of Social Development since 26 May 2014. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sindisiwe Chikunga</span> South African politician (born 1958)

Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga is a South African politician who is serving as the Minister of Transport since March 2023. A member of the African National Congress, she has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2004. Chikunga had previously served as Deputy Minister of Transport twice, from 2012 to 2019 and again from 2021 to 2023, and as Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration from 2019 until 2021. She is a midwife by profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dali Mpofu</span> South African lawyer and politician

Daluxolo Christopher Mpofu is a South African lawyer, politician, and former businessman who was the National Chairperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from 2014 to 2019. He served on the Judicial Service Commission from 2017 to 2022 and formerly served as chief executive officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation from 2005 to 2009.

The 2019 service delivery protests refers to a series of protests and civil disturbances taking place across urban areas of South Africa related to poor service delivery that started in Alexandra on 3 April 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 South African municipal elections</span> South African municipal elections which were held on 1 November 2021

The 2021 South African municipal elections were held on 1 November 2021, to elect councils for all district, metropolitan and local municipalities in each of the country's nine provinces. It is the sixth municipal election held in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, held every five years. The previous municipal elections were held in 2016. On 21 April 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the elections will be held on Wednesday, 27 October 2021. It had been recommend by Dikgang Moseneke to delay the municipal elections until 2022. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) requested the Constitutional Court to support the date postponement. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supported the date postponement while the Democratic Alliance (DA) was against the postponement of the date. The Constitutional Court dismissed the application to postpone the date until 2022, ruling that they had to take place between 27 October and 1 November. On 9 September 2021, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced that the elections would be held on 1 November.

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.

Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa is a South African politician, former student leader and former #FeesMustFall activist currently serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the African National Congress (ANC).

Aubrey Phago Ledwaba is South African judge who is currently serving as the Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa. Formerly a practising attorney in Gauteng, he joined the bench as a puisne judge in November 2005 and was elevated to his leadership position in July 2013. He was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court in 2019 and an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal between 2020 and 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Zwane, Nokuthula (4 June 2019). "Naledi Chirwa: Voice of the voiceless". Sunday World. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  2. ↑ "Ms Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  3. ↑ Makhubu, Ntando (8 August 2016). "Woman in Zuma #Khwezi protest speaks out". IOL. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  4. ↑ Ngoepe, Karabo (6 August 2016). "Anti-rape protesters disrupt Zuma's speech". News24. Pretoria. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  5. ↑ Madibogo, Julia (19 October 2016). "Who is Naledi Chirwa - Drama student‚ Zuma tormentor‚ EFF student leader and fees must fall campaigner". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Maputla, Tswelopele (23 May 2019). "#BlackGirlMagic: These female parliamentarians are only in their 20s". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  7. ↑ Bhengu, Cebelihle (22 May 2019). "Power to the new generation: three young MPs you need to know". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  8. ↑ Gerber, Jan (25 June 2019). "EFF's Chirwa forced to withdraw remark that government was complicit in 'brutal murders' of Fees Must Fall activists". News24. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  9. ↑ Davis, Gaye (25 June 2019). "Sona debate: EFF's Chirwa forced to withdraw Ramaphosa comments in maiden speech". Eyewitness News. Cape Town. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Portfolio Committee on Health - Parliament of South Africa". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  11. ↑ "The EFF's 28-year-old Naledi Chirwa called Cyril Ramaphosa a 'weak little boy' and now Twitter is divided". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  12. ↑ Ntombela, Nomzamo Portia. "NOMZAMO NTOMBELA: Naledi Chirwa's apology a disturbing reminder of patriarchy in politics". EWN. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  13. ↑ Macupe, Bongekile. "Out with the old, in with the new: Carl Niehaus sitting pretty at number 27 on EFF's list for Parliament". News24. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  14. ↑ Kahla, Cheryl (3 November 2022). "'Getting married for haters' – EFF's Naledi Chirwa ties the knot [PICS]". The Citizen. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Naledi Chirwa hits back at critics: 'You can lie about my nationality until you turn green in the buttocks'". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
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.