Zukiswa Ncitha

Zukiswa Veronica Ncitha is a South African politician who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Council of Provinces since June 2015. Before that, she was the inaugural Executive Mayor of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality between May 2011 and June 2015. The ANC removed her from the mayoral office after she was charged with fraud and corruption in a scandal involving the alleged misappropriation of public funds designated for former President Nelson Mandela's funeral. A former union activist in the Eastern Cape, Ncitha served on the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP) from 2007 until 2012.

The Honourable
Zukiswa Ncitha
MP
Delegate to the National Council of Provinces
Assumed office
17 June 2015
Mayor of Buffalo City
In office
31 May 2011 – June 2015
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlfred Mtsi
Personal details
BornNew Brighton, Cape Province
South Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress
Other political
affiliations		South African Communist Party

Early life and career

Ncitha was born in New Brighton in Port Elizabeth in the former Cape Province.[1] She rose to political prominence through the trade union movement as a regional leader of the ANC-allied Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). In 1990, she was elected as Cosatu's convenor on gender issues in the Border region, and in 1994 she was seconded to the Office of the Eastern Cape Premier to help establish the provincial government's Office on the Status of Women.[2]

She was elected to the executive of the Women's National Coalition in 1999 and was a founding member of the Progressive Women's Movement in 2006.[2] She also served one term as a member of the Central Committee of the SACP from 2007 to 2012.[3]

Mayor of Buffalo: 2011–2014

Until 2011, Ncitha represented the ANC as a local councillor and council speaker in Amathole District Municipality.[4] On 31 May 2011, following the 2011 local elections, she was elected as Executive Mayor of the newly established Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.[2] She served in that office until June 2015.

In June 2014, Ncitha was arrested in connection with an investigation by the Hawks into the alleged misuse of public funds that had been designated for the funeral of former President Nelson Mandela, who died in December 2013. She and several other Buffalo City officials, including her deputy Themba Tinta, were charged with fraud and money laundering.[5] In June 2015, while the charges against her were pending, the ANC removed Ncitha from her post as Buffalo Mayor; she was succeeded by Alfred Mtsi.[6]

Parliament: 2015–present

Directly after removing Ncitha from the mayoral office, the ANC deployed her to a seat in the National Council of Provinces, where she was sworn in on 17 June[2] to fill a casual vacancy.[7] She was re-elected after the 2019 general election.[2]

After the ANC codified its step-aside rule, Ncitha volunteered to step aside from her parliamentary seat, meaning that she would recuse herself from her party duties and would not represent the ANC in parliamentary proceedings. However, in June 2021, the Sowetan reported that Ncitha continued to chair committee meetings and participate in plenaries.[8] As of 2022, her fraud trial was ongoing.[9]

References
  1. "Previous Mayor Profile". Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  2. "Zukiswa Veronica Ncitha". People's Assembly. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  3. "Previous Central Committee Members". South African Communist Party. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  4. "ANC chooses Eastern Cape mayors". South African Government News Agency. 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  5. "Top officials held over Madiba burial saga". IOL. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  6. "Buffalo City mayor finally takes office". News24. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  7. Makhanya, Mondli (14 June 2015). "'Redeployment' rewards failure". City Press. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  8. "ANC MP Zukiswa Ncitha has stepped aside – but not quite". Sowetan. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  9. "Nelson Mandela funeral fraud trial postponed". News24. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
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