Hlengiwe Mkhize
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Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize (6 September 1952 – 16 September 2021) was a South African politician who served as
Minister of Higher Education and Training The Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology is a Minister (government), Minister in the Cabinet of South Africa, with the responsibility of overseeing the higher education and training components of the Department of Education (South Af ...
and Minister of Home Affairs under President
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) 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 name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...
. A member of the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
and national executive since May 2009, she was Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities when she died in September 2021. Mkhize trained in clinical psychology and spent over a decade in academia at the
University of Zululand The University of Zululand or UniZulu is the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education ...
and
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...
, until in 1995 she was appointed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She chaired the commission's Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee. She went on to serve as South African Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2005 to 2008 before she was elected to the National Assembly in the 2009 general election. Between 2009 and 2017, Mkhize served Zuma's administration as a deputy minister in four different portfolios: she was Deputy Minister of Correctional Services from 2009 to 2010, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training from 2010 to 2012, Deputy Minister of Economic Development from 2012 to 2014, and Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services from 2014 to 2017. After that, she was promoted to Zuma's second-term cabinet, first as Minister of Home Affairs in 2017 and then as Minister of Higher Education and Training from 2017 to 2018. In February 2018, she was sacked by Zuma's successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and she retreated briefly to the chairmanship of the
Portfolio Committee on Communications The Portfolio Committee on Communications is a portfolio committee of the National Assembly in the Parliament of South Africa. The role of the committee is to oversee the work of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and other r ...
. She was appointed to her deputy ministerial position in the Presidency after the 2019 general election. A longserving member of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
(ANC), Mkhize was the national treasurer of the
ANC Women's League The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is an auxiliary women's political organization of the African National Congress, African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa. This organization has its precedent in the Bantu Women's League ...
from July 2008 to August 2015. She was a member of the party's National Executive Committee from December 2017 until her death.


Early life and education

Mkhize was born on 6 September 1952. In 1976, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, social work, and sociology from the
University of Zululand The University of Zululand or UniZulu is the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education ...
, where she was involved in student activism. She went on to complete two postgraduate degrees at the University of Natal: an Honours in psychology in 1978, and a Master's in
clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...
in 1981.


Career in academia and activism

Mkhize spent over a decade in academia: she was a senior lecturer at the University of Zululand from 1984 to 1990 and then a senior lecturer at the
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...
from 1990 to 1995. During that period, she was also a visiting professor at the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
and
University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...
. After leaving teaching, she held a series of varied posts in civil society and non-profit organisations. Most notably, from 1995 to 2003, she was a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the chairperson of the commission's Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee. She also established the National Children and Violence Trust, worked as a
reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for reparation * Acts of reparation, prayers for repairing the damages of sin History *War reparations **World War I reparations, made from G ...
officer in the President's Fund in the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...
, chaired the board of the South African branch of Transparency International, and chaired the council of the University of Zululand. Mkhize also had various business interests; by the time that she joined the government in 2009, she was a director in 15 private companies, including Aerosud. Through much of her career in civil society, Mkhize was also an active member of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
(ANC), the post-
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
governing party. From 1991 to 2004, she served continuously as a member of the executive of her local ANC branch – from 1991 to 1995 in Diepsloot; from 1995 to 2000 in Sandton; and from 2001 to 2004 in Havana City,
Fourways The area referred to as Fourways (which is a collection of suburbs, including the traditional suburb of Fourways) is the fastest-developing commercial and residential hub in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, South Africa. The main access routes to ...
, where she was branch secretary as well as chairperson of the local
ANC Women's League The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is an auxiliary women's political organization of the African National Congress, African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa. This organization has its precedent in the Bantu Women's League ...
.


Ambassador to the Netherlands: 2005–2008

In 2005, President Thabo Mbeki appointed Mkhize as South African Ambassador to the Netherlands, a post she held until 2008. In this capacity, she chaired the executive council of the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member ...
during the early 2000s and was vice-president of the Member States at the
International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
from 2006 to 2008.


Treasurer of the ANC Women's League: 2008–2015

On 6 July 2008 in Bloemfontein, Mkhize was elected as National Treasurer of the
ANC Women's League The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is an auxiliary women's political organization of the African National Congress, African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa. This organization has its precedent in the Bantu Women's League ...
. She served under Angie Motshekga, who was elected as league president at the same elective conference. She remained in the treasury for a single extended term, which lasted until August 2015 due to delays in holding the next elective conference. She said that she raised more than R40-million in funds for the ANC Women's League during her tenure. In 2015, she did not stand for re-election, and she was succeeded as treasurer by
Maite Nkoana-Mashabane Maite Emily Nkoana-Mashabane (born 30 September 1963) is a South Africa, South African politician who is the Minister of Women in the Presidency (South Africa), Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. She was Minister of Rural Dev ...
.


Career in government


Deputy Minister: 2009–2017

She was first elected to the
National Assembly of South Africa The National Assembly is the directly elected house of the Parliament of South Africa, located in Cape Town, Western Cape. It consists of four hundred members who are elected every five years using a party-list proportional representation syste ...
in the April 2009 general election, representing the ANC. She served in the assembly until her death in 2021, gaining re-election in 2014 and 2019. In addition, after the 2009 election, she was appointed as a deputy minister under the cabinet of newly elected President
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) 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 name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...
, who named her as Deputy Minister of Correctional Services under Minister
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula (born 13 November 1956) is a South African politician who currently serves as the Speaker of the National Assembly as of 19 August 2021. She has previously held the office of Minister of Defence and Military ...
. Mkhize was viewed as a political supporter and ally of Zuma. In a reshuffle announced on 31 October 2010, Mkhize was appointed as Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, under Minister Blade Nzimande. She served in that position until 12 June 2012, when she was appointed to succeed
Enoch Godongwana Enoch Godongwana (born 9 June 1957) is a South African politician who has been serving as the Minister of Finance of South Africa in the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa since August 2021. He is also the former head of the African Nationa ...
as Deputy Minister of Economic Development under Minister
Ebrahim Patel Ebrahim Patel (born 1962 in District Six in Cape Town) is a South African cabinet minister, who holds the position of Minister of Trade and Industry (South Africa), Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. He previously served as Minister ...
. Finally, in her fourth and final deputy ministerial position in Zuma's administration, she was appointed as Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services when that portfolio was established after the 2014 general election.


Minister of Home Affairs: 2017

Late on 30 March 2017, Zuma announced another cabinet reshuffle in which Mkhize was promoted to his second-term cabinet, succeeding
Malusi Gigaba Knowledge Malusi Nkanyezi Gigaba (born 30 August 1971) is a South African politician who served as Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of South Africa appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa from 27 February 2018 until his resignation on 1 ...
as Minister of Home Affairs. Early in her tenure as minister, Mkhize attracted media attention for defending her predecessor's controversial decision to grant
South African citizenship South African nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of South Africa. The primary law governing nationality requirements is the South African Citizenship Act, 1995, which came into force on 6 October 1995. Any p ...
to members of the
Gupta family The Gupta family is a wealthy Indian-born family with business interests in South Africa, whose most notable members are brothers Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh "Tony" Gupta—as well as Atul's nephews Varun, and US-based Ashish and Amol. The family ow ...
, a decision that critics claimed amounted to unfair preferential treatment. Also controversial was Mkhize's decision to place Mkuseli Apleni, the director-general of the
Department of Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
, on precautionary suspension. Apleni said that she did not have proper grounds for the suspension and threatened to sue the ministry, while the Select Committee on Social Services raised its own doubts about the decision.


Minister of Higher Education and Training: 2017–2018

Mkhize spent less than a year in the home affairs portfolio before, on 17 October 2017, she was appointed as Minister of Higher Education and Training, succeeding her former boss, Blade Nzimande. While she was serving in this office, Mkhize attended the ANC's 54th National Conference, at which she was elected to a five-year term as a member of the party's National Executive Committee. By number of votes received, she was ranked 73rd of the committee's 80 ordinary members.


Portfolio committees: 2018–2019

On 26 February 2018, Mkhize was sacked from the cabinet by Cyril Ramaphosa, who had recently succeeded Zuma as president. She was replaced by Naledi Pandor and retreated to the backbenches of the National Assembly, where she spent several months as an ordinary member of the
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is a portfolio committee of the National Assembly in the Parliament of South Africa. The remit of this committee is to oversee the work of the Department of Basic Education, Umalusi and the South African ...
and
Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation is a portfolio committee in the National Assembly of South Africa that focuses on the Department of International Relations and Cooperation as well as the African Renaissance and I ...
. On 6 November 2018, she was elected to chair the
Portfolio Committee on Communications The Portfolio Committee on Communications is a portfolio committee of the National Assembly in the Parliament of South Africa. The role of the committee is to oversee the work of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and other r ...
after the former chairperson,
Humphrey Maxegwana Comely Humphrey Maqocwa Maxegwana is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 2014 until 2019, when he failed to gain re-election. Before that, he represented the ANC in the E ...
, became chair of the
Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interest The Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interest is a joint committee of the Parliament of South Africa that deals with the ethical conduct of Members of Parliament and the disclosure of their financial interests. Its primary function is to p ...
. She remained in the chair until after the May 2019 general election.


Deputy Minister in the Presidency: 2019–2021

Pursuant to the 2019 general election, Ramaphosa appointed Mkhize as Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. She deputised Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. She served in the office until her death in 2021, making her last parliamentary appearance on 19 August 2021 when she cast her vote to elect Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as the Speaker of the National Assembly.


Personal life and death

Mkhize was diagnosed with
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
in March 2017, and she was hospitalised on 31 August 2021. She died in hospital in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
on 16 December 2021, aged 69. President Ramaphosa granted her an official funeral. She was married to Pat Mkhize. They had four children – three daughters and a son – and a grandson. She was also the chairperson of the June and Andrew Mlangeni Foundation.


References


External links

*
Memorial service livestream
at SABC News 1952 births 2021 deaths Zulu people African National Congress politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa Ministers of Home Affairs of South Africa University of Zululand alumni University of Natal alumni Female interior ministers Women government ministers of South Africa 21st-century South African politicians {{DEFAULTSORT:Mkhize, Hlengiwe Deaths from lung cancer in South Africa Ambassadors of South Africa to the Netherlands South African women ambassadors