Abraham Mzizi

Madala Abram Mzizi (born 22 April 1940), commonly spelled Abraham Mzizi, is a retired South African politician from Gauteng. He represented the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2003, in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature from 2003 to 2004, and in the National Council of Provinces from 2004 to 2009. He rose to prominence during apartheid as an IFP activist on the East Rand.

Abraham Mzizi
Delegate to the National Council of Provinces
Assembly Member
for Gauteng
In office
April 2004 – May 2009
Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature
In office
March 2003 – April 2004
Member of the National Assembly
In office
May 1994 – March 2003
Personal details
Born
Madala Abram Mzizi

(1940-04-22) 22 April 1940
CitizenshipSouth Africa
Political partyInkatha Freedom Party
SpouseGertrude Mzizi

Career in Thokoza

Born on 22 April 1940,[1] Mzizi represented the IFP as a local councillor in Thokoza, a black township in the former Transvaal, during apartheid.[2] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the township was a central venue for political violence between IFP supporters and supporters of the rival African National Congress (ANC). Mzizi's own home was burned down in a petrol-bomb attack in December 1990.[3] During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a local activist, Themba Xaba, applied for amnesty for his role in the attack, which he said had been planned by a local self-defence unit. Xaba told the commission that Mzizi had been targeted because he brought hardship and misery to the township's residents, who he said would have celebrated if Mzizi had been killed in the bombing.[2]

During later commission hearings, members of a different self-defence unit – this one aligned to the IFP – implicated Mzizi in the 1991 assassination of ANC supporter Sam Ntuli. The witnesses said that Mzizi had been involved in planning the murder, with some meetings held at Mzizi's home. Mzizi denied the allegation.[4]

Post-apartheid political career

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Mzizi was elected to represent the IFP in the National Assembly.[5] He served two terms, gaining re-election in 1999.[1]

In March 2003, Mzizi resigned from the National Assembly in order to fill an IFP seat in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature.[6][7] In the next general election in 2004, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature elected him as one of its six permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces, where he served a single term.[8][9]

Personal life

He is married to Gertrude Mzizi, who was also active in the IFP during apartheid and who later served as a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.[3][10]

References
  1. "General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 408, no. 20203. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 11 June 1999. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. "Mzizi's house set alight because he brought hardship to Thokoza". SAPA. 30 December 1998. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  3. Ottaway, David B. (25 October 1991). "In South Africa's townships, the killings continue". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  4. "'IFP taxi owners ordered Ntuli's murder'". IOL. 7 September 1999. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  5. South Africa: Campaign and Election Report April 26–29, 1994. International Republican Institute. 1994. Retrieved 13 April 2023 – via Yumpu.
  6. Segar, Susan (18 March 2003). "IFP disloyalty costs R155 000". News24. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  7. Pressly, Donwald (4 March 2003). "Musical chairs for IFP MPs". News24. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  8. "Shilowa pledges to fulfil mandate". The Mail & Guardian. 26 April 2004. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  9. "List of Members of the National Council of Provinces". Parliament of South Africa. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  10. "Mzizi, Abraham & Gertrude". The O'Malley Archives. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
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