Yusuf Suleman Bhamjee (born 10 January 1950) is a South African politician, academic, and former

anti-apartheid activist The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid, apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by ...

. He was the Mayor of uMgungundlovu District Municipality 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 ...

from 2008 to 2016. Before that, he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature and National Assembly between 1994 and 2008.

Early life and career

Bhamjee was born on 10 January 1950 in

Wolmaransstad Wolmaransstad (Afrikaans for "Wolmarans City") is a maize-farming town situated on the N12 (South Africa), N12 between Johannesburg and Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley in North West Province (South Africa), North West Province of South Africa. ...

in the former

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

. His elder brother was activist Hanef Bhamjee. While attending high school in

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 ...

, Bhamjee was an accomplished sportsman, matching the South African 100-metre sprint record at the national athletics championships. He later played

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

for as a bowler and batsman for Natal, and he was a member and later coach of Young Natalians FC. After attending university in

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...

, Bhamjee became a politics lecturer at the University of Natal. During the same period, he was active in the anti-apartheid movement through the Natal Indian Congress and United Democratic Front; he was particularly active in campaigning for sports boycotts of South Africa. In 2019, Andrew Mlangeni awarded him the Andrew Mlangeni Green Jacket for his contribution to non-racial sport.

Legislative career: 1994–2007

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Bhamjee was elected to represent the ANC in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature. Later the same year, he was the only Indian to win election to the Provincial Executive Committee of the KwaZulu-Natal ANC. He was elected to a second term in the legislature in the 1999 general election. In the 2004 general election, Bhamjee was elected to an ANC seat in the KwaZulu-Natal caucus of the National Assembly. However, midway through the term, on 10 August 2007, he resigned from his seat and returned to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature; his seat in the National Assembly was filled by Ntombikayise Sibhidla.

Mayor of uMgungundlovu: 2008–2016

On 23 April 2008, Bhamjee was elected as mayor of uMgungundlovu District Municipality, with Tu Zondi as his deputy. His election followed the ousting of Bongi Sithole, whom the ANC removed in a vote of no confidence due to allegations of mismanagement and maladministration. Bhamjee was retained in the mayoral office after the 2011 local elections. In addition, he was co-opted onto the ANC Provincial Executive Committee in 2012. As the end of his second mayoral term approached, the ANC announced that Bhamjee would not stand for another term as mayor. After the 2016 local elections, he was succeeded as mayor by the ANC's Thobekile Maphumulo but was re-elected to the council and was elected as its speaker.

Personal life

Bhamjee married Sabera Bhamjee in 1977 after seven years of courtship. They had two daughters, Suhayfa and Sameera. Sabera was the only woman gynaecologist in Pietermaritzburg at the time of her death. Sabera died on 2 June 2006 in her consulting room at St Anne's Hospital after being stabbed more than 60 times in her neck, head, and chest. There were no witnesses and no forensic evidence and the motive for the killing was unclear. As of 2017, the police had not found any leads in the murder investigation.

References

Living people 1950 births People from Maquassi Hills Local Municipality South African politicians of Indian descent Anti-apartheid activists African National Congress politicians 21st-century South African politicians 20th-century South African politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa Members of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Mayors of places in South Africa {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhamjee, Yusuf