Kwazikwenkosi Innocent Mshengu (born 10 November 1984) is a South African lawyer and

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 ...

politician who served as the

Member of the Executive Council In South Africa, the Executive Council of a province is the cabinet of the provincial government. The Executive Council consists of the Premier and five to ten other members,''Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996'', Chapter 6: "Pro ...

(MEC) for Education in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

until 11 August 2022 when he was replaced with Mbali Frazer by the new

Premier

Nomusa Dube-Ncube Nomusa Dube-Ncube is a South African politician and former diplomat who has been the 9th Premier of KwaZulu-Natal since August 2022. A member of the African National Congress, she is the first woman to hold the office. Previously, she served as ...

, and has also been a member of the

KwaZulu-Natal Legislature The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is unicameral in its composition and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the leading party or coalition members i ...

since May 2019. Mshengu is the provincial chairperson of the

African National Congress Youth League The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NW ...

Early life and education

Mshengu was born on 10 November 1984 in Mooi River in the former

Natal Province The Province of Natal (), commonly called Natal, was a province of South Africa from May 1910 until May 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. During this period rural areas inhabited by the black African population of Natal were organized into ...

. He attended farm schools in the area for his primary education. In 2001, he matriculated at Dabulamanzi Combined School. In 2002, Mshengu started university at the

University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is a university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville. ...

and graduated with a bachelor of laws (LLB) degree. He also obtained an honours degree in policy and development studies at the university. In 2017, Mshengu received a master of laws (LLM) degree, also from the university.

Career

From 2006 to 2008, Mshengu served as the president of UKZN's SRC. He was then the regional secretary of the ANC's Moses Mabhida region from 2007 to 2009. Mshengu was elected as the provincial chairperson of the

in 2017. The following year, he was elected to the ANC's provincial executive committee and the provincial working committee. He was also elected chair of the ANC's subcommittee on communications. Additionally, Mshengu was employed as the commissioner for the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Commission in 2008. He was appointed as a deputy manager for skills development in the provincial Department of Health in 2009. Soon after, Mshengu worked for the ANC caucus in the provincial legislature from 2011 to 2013. Mshengu was the head of ministry at the provincial Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs from June 2016 until his election to the

in May 2019. The newly elected premier,

Sihle Zikalala Sihle Zikalala (born 6 August 1973) is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2023, representing the African National Congress. Before his redeployment to the National P ...

, named him

(MEC) for Education. Teachers unions welcomed his appointment. After the death of

Bheki Ntuli Muntukayise Bhekuyise Ntuli (24 December 1957 – 16 January 2021) was a South African politician. A member of the African National Congress, he served as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from 1999 to 2003, when he resigned amid ...

, the MEC for Transport Community Safety and Liaison, in January 2021, Mshengu was appointed as the acting MEC for the portfolio. He served until 9 March, when

Peggy Nkonyeni Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni (born 8 September 1961) is a South African politician and educator. A member of the African National Congress, she has been the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance in KwaZulu-Natal since 2022. In November 20 ...

was appointed to the position as part of a cabinet reshuffle done by premier Zikalala. Prior to the ANC's provincial elective conference from 22–24 July 2022, Mshengu was on provincial chairperson Zikalala's "Ankole" slate, a group of candidates allied to party president

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...

, as his preferred candidate for deputy provincial chairperson. On 23 July 2022, Mshengu was defeated by Health MEC

Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu (born 22 August 1976) is a South African lawyer and African National Congress (ANC) politician who has been serving as the KwaZulu-Natal MEC (Member of the Executive Council) for Health since May 2019. She became a Member o ...

in the election for deputy provincial chairperson. Mshengu managed to receive only 661 votes, while Simelane-Zulu received 930 votes. On 11 August 2022, Mshengu resigned as Education MEC ahead of the newly elected premier

's cabinet announcement. He was replaced by the former chairperson of the public works portfolio committee Mbali Frazer.

Personal life

Mshengu is married to Nneileng, and they have two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mshengu, Kwazi Living people 1984 births People from Mpofana Local Municipality Zulu people University of KwaZulu-Natal alumni Members of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature African National Congress politicians 21st-century South African politicians