Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa-Mpungose (born 22 July 1993) is a South African feminist, legislator and former student activist serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa. A member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), she was sworn in as an MP on 22 May 2019. She is one of the youngest MPs of the 6th Parliament. Chirwa was involved in the #FeesMustFall student protests that occurred at the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 ...

between 2015 and 2016.

Early life and education

Chirwa was born on 22 July 1993 in

Vosloorus Vosloorus is a large township situated south of Boksburg and just east of Katlehong in Ekurhuleni, just 30 kilometres south-east of Johannesburg, Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana la ...

East Rand The East Rand is the urban eastern part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation in South Africa. The region extends from Alberton in the west to Nigel in the east, and south down to Nigel. It includ ...

, in the former

Transvaal Province The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...

. She was raised by her grandmother in

Mamelodi Mamelodi, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township set up by the then apartheid government northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Etymology "Mamelodi" is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix b ...

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

. In 2009, she served as the deputy president of the Tshwane North College FET (now known as the Tshwane North College TVET). She was only 15 years old at that time. Chirwa earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

and a Honours degree in Drama and Film Studies at the

. She is currently pursuing a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in Theatre and Performance at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

Political career

She joined the Economic Freedom Fighters in 2015 and became a member of the party's Student Command at the University of Pretoria. She was appointed as the command's communications officer. In August 2016, during former president Jacob Zuma's speech at the IEC election centre following the 2016 municipal elections, Chirwa and three other student activists disrupted his speech while holding up signs reading "Khanga", "Remember Khwezi", "I am 1 in 3" and "10 yrs later", in reference to Zuma's rape trial of the mid-2000s. Also in 2016, Chirwa was involved in student protests relating to the #FeesMustFall movement. She was later arrested and suspended on campus as part of her bail conditions. In 2017, she was one of the Mail & Guardian's 200 Young South Africans.

Parliamentary career

In May 2019, she was elected to the National Assembly and became the youngest EFF MP. Chirwa serves alongside other student activists, including

Peter Keetse Phuti Peter Keetse is a South African politician who served as a Member of the National Assembly for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from 2019 to 2020. He was the president of the party's student organisation and a FeesMustFall activist. Ba ...

Nompendulo Mkhatshwa Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa (born 20 August 1993) is a South African politician, former student leader and former #FeesMustFall activist currently serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the African National Congress (A ...

and

Vuyani Pambo Vuyani Pambo (born 12 August 1989) is a South African politician and former student activist. He has represented the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the National Assembly since May 2019 and serves as the head of the EFF presidency. He rose ...

. On 25 June 2019, she delivered her

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

at the debate of the State of the Nation Address. She was forced to withdraw a comment about the government being complicit in the murders of #FeesMustFall activists. Chirwa serves on the

Portfolio Committee on Health The Portfolio Committee on Health is a National Assembly of South Africa committee established to oversee the work of the Department of Health (South Africa), Department of Health (DOH) as well as the following related entities: the Allied Health ...

in parliament. In January 2022, Chirwa was criticised for calling 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 ...

"toothless" and a "weak little boy". In March 2024, Chirwa was absent from parliament in order to care for her unwell child. She was forced to apologise, and to buy two branded EFF gazebos, costing R5000 each. Chirwa was subsequently demoted to last position on both national and Gauteng lists for the 2024 general election, meaning it is highly unlikely that she will return to parliament.

Personal life

Chirwa has one child. In October 2022, Chirwa announced that she is married.

Nationality

Since becoming an MP, Chirwa's nationality has been questioned. In January 2022, Chirwa responded to the allegations that she is not a South African by

tweeting Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

: “You can lie to yourselves about my nationality until you turn green in the buttocks. It will not make your lies the truth and neither will it ever silence me. I didn’t buy my voice. I’m not renting it either. Rest assured, I will always speak and there’s nothing you can do about it."

References

External links

Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa – People's Assembly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chirwa, Naledi Living people 1993 births Economic Freedom Fighters politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa People from Mamelodi People from Vosloorus People from Pretoria People from Gauteng University of Pretoria alumni South African feminists