Thembi Nwedamutswu

Thembisile Ellen Nwedamutswu (née Mkhumane; 17 December 1960 – 9 January 2015) was a South African politician and civil servant who served as Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council for Education from May 2014 until her death in January 2015. She was first elected to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in the 2014 general election, which took place shortly after she was elected Provincial Treasurer of the Limpopo branch of the African National Congress. Before the 2014 election, she was chief executive officer of the Independent Development Trust for ten years, and she also formerly worked in national and provincial public administration.

Thembi Nwedamutswu
Member of the Limpopo Executive Council for Education
In office
21 May 2014 – 9 January 2015
PremierStan Mathabatha
Preceded byDikeledi Magadzi
Succeeded byIshmael Kgetjepe
Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature
In office
21 May 2014 – 9 January 2015
Provincial Treasurer of the African National Congress in Limpopo
In office
February 2014 – 9 January 2015
ChairpersonStan Mathabatha
Preceded byPinky Kekana
Succeeded byDanny Msiza
Personal details
Born
Thembisile Ellen Mkhumane

(1960-12-17)17 December 1960
Swaziland
Died9 January 2015(2015-01-09) (aged 54)
Pretoria, Gauteng
South Africa
CitizenshipSouth Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress
SpouseMamabolo Nwedamutswu

Early life and career

Nwedamutswu was born on 17 December 1960 in Swaziland.[1] She was the fourth child of Gilbert and Ntoni Mkhumane, who were South Africans from Natal province.[1] She was educated in Swaziland[1] and also spent time in Mozambique and Tanzania, where she was involved in activities of the exiled African National Congress (ANC), including as a manager at the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College.[2] She returned to South Africa in 1991.[1]

For two decades after the end of apartheid in 1994, she held various positions in public entities: she was director of human resource development at the Public Service Commission from 1995 to 1999, the head of the Mpumalanga Department of Social Development from 1999 to 2000, and the Deputy Director-General of the national Department of Social Development from 2000 to 2003. In November 2003, she was appointed chief executive officer of the Independent Development Trust, a national development agency.[1]

Political career

Nwedamutswu remained a member of the ANC and, at a party elective conference in February 2014, she was elected to a four-year term as Provincial Treasurer of the ANC's Limpopo branch, serving under newly elected Provincial Chairperson Stan Mathabatha.[3] Later that year, she left the Independent Development Trust ahead of the 2014 general election, in which she was elected to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature, ranked 21st on the ANC's provincial party list.[4] After the election, Mathabatha, in his capacity as Premier of Limpopo, appointed Nwendamutswu to the Limpopo Executive Council as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education.[5]

Personal life and death

She was married to Mamabolo Nwedamutswu, whom she met when he joined Umkhonto weSizwe in exile in Swaziland.[1] They had four children together – Manu, Mpile, Leko, and Aluwani – and grandchildren.[6][2] On 9 January 2015, she died in hospital in Pretoria after a brief illness.[2][7][8] Zweli Mkhize and national ministers Angie Motshekga and Edna Molewa were among those who spoke at her funeral.[6]

References
  1. "Tribute in Memory of Thembisile (Sis Thembi) Nwedamutswu, former CEO of the IDT" (PDF). Independent Development Trust. 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  2. "MEC for Education to be buried tomorrow". Limpopo Mirror. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  3. Import, Pongrass (20 February 2014). "Limpopo ANC elects their new leaders". Lowvelder. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  4. "Thembisile Ellen Nwedamutswu". People's Assembly. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  5. "Limpopo's Dickson Masemola runs out of lives". News24. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  6. Import, Pongrass (21 January 2015). "MEC risked her life and family for ANC freedom". Polokwane Observer. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  7. Sapa (13 January 2015). "ANC wants official funerals for MEC, veteran". IOL. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  8. "Limpopo Premier pays tribute to Education MEC". South African Government News Agency. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
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