James Mahlangu
James Mahlangu | |
---|---|
Chief Minister of KwaNdebele | |
In office 1 May 1990 – 26 April 1994 | |
Preceded by | Jonas Mabena |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Senzangakhona James Mahlangu 3 February 1953 eMthambothini, Weltevrede Gauteng, South Africa |
Political party | African National Congress |
Other political affiliations |
|
University of the North | |
Prince Senzangakhona James Mahlangu (3 February 1953 – 19 August 2005) was a South African politician and Ndebele prince of the Ndzundza royal family. He served as the last Chief Minister of the KwaNdebele bantustan between May 1990 and April 1994 and founded the bantustan's Intando Yesizwe party in 1990.
The son of Ndebele king Mabusabesala II and the brother of Mabusabesala's successor,
After KwaNdebele was dissolved, Mahlangu briefly represented the ANC in the post-apartheid National Assembly between 1994 and 1995. He later represented the opposition United Democratic Movement in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature from 1999 until 2000, when he returned to the ANC and took up a position in the Mpumalanga provincial government. He was granted formal status as Inkosi of the Ndzundza Mabusa Tribal Authority in Mpumalanga in late 2001 and held that position until his death in 2005.
Early life and education
Mahlangu was born on 3 February 1953 in eMthambothini in Weltevrede in the former
Mahlangu matriculated in 1974 and the following year enrolled at the
KwaNdebele homeland
Opposition to independence: 1981–1989
In 1981, the
From around 1986, KwaNdebele was engulfed in a civil conflict between political elites who supported independence and anti-independence royalists. Mahlangu was viewed as a leader of the so-called "Comrades" movement, which was generally allied with the anti-apartheid United Democratic Front and which often clashed violently with Imbokodo, a pro-government vigilante group, and with KwaNdebele police forces.[2][4][5] Mahlangu himself came under questioning for his own role in the comrades' use of violence against Imbokodo, including through alleged necklacings;[6] he was later questioned on this subject at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.[1] Mahlangu was also a founding member of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) in 1987 and he sent an envoy as part of Contralesa's delegation to a meeting with the anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC).[1]
In November 1986, the incumbent
The KwaNdebele government had withdrawn its recognition of the Ndzundza royal family in July 1985,
Government: 1989–1994
However, following the
Post-apartheid career
Parliament: 1994–1995
In the 1994 general election, Mahlangu was elected to an ANC seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of the new South African Parliament.[10] According to Jeff Peires, Mahlangu joined Parliament "under the impression that then President Nelson Mandela had promised him a seat in the national cabinet", but he was disappointed.[4] His attendance record was notably poor: in one period, he missed almost 40 consecutive days of parliamentary sittings.[11]
He resigned just over a year after his election, in May 1995, citing health reasons – he said that Cape Town was bad for his asthma.[12] However, it was widely reported that he was expelled for his absenteeism.[11][13]
Defection to the UDM: 1999–2000
In 1999, Mahlangu joined the United Democratic Movement (UDM), a breakaway from the ANC, and became its provincial leader in Mpumalanga.[12] In the general election of that year, he was elected as the UDM's sole representative in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature.[1][14]
He resigned from the UDM and from the legislature less than a year later, in April 2000, again citing health reasons.
Return to the ANC and chieftaincy: 2000–2005
However, soon after leaving the UDM, Mahlangu rejoined the ANC.[12] In May 2000, he announced that he would be appointed director of traditional affairs in the provincial government of Mpumalanga, serving under Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu, a fellow member of the royal family and Mahlangu's former Deputy Chief Minister in KwaNdebele.[12][13]
In 2001, Ingwenyama Mayitjha III, Mahlangu's brother, approached Premier Mahlangu to request that Mahlangu should be installed as the Inkosi of a new tribe.[15] The tribe was established in terms of South African law on 28 September, called the Ndzundza Mabusa Tribal Authority and holding jurisdiction over Klipplaatdrift, Waterval and KwaMagula, rural areas in Mpumalanga province.[15] Mahlangu became the traditional leader of the tribe with effect from 3 October 2001.[1]
Personal life and death
Mahlangu was married and had two children.[1] He died on 19 August 2005 at Louis Pasteur Hospital in Pretoria.[1] His eldest son, Sipho Mahlangu, also served in the Ndzundza Mabusa Traditional Council and chaired the National House of Traditional Leaders.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Prince Senzangakhona James Mahlangu". South African History Online. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ ISSN 0257-2117.
- ^ a b c "Homeland leader faces torture probe". The Mail & Guardian. 22 May 1987. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ ISSN 1991-3877.
- ISSN 0305-7070.
- ^ "Independence spells exile for the black 'homelands' of South Africa". Chicago Tribune. 15 June 1986. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Mahlangu, Senzangakhona James". Truth Commission Special Report. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ISBN 0-86982-355-8. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Minutes of proceedings of the Constitutional Assembly" (PDF). Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 24 May 1994. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Truants have to pay up". The Mail & Guardian. 1 September 1995. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "ANC recruits 'brain-damaged' MPL". The Mail & Guardian. 26 May 2000. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Top Mpumalanga job for dethroned prince". IOL. 14 May 2000. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 408, no. 20203. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 11 June 1999. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Speech by Premier". Mpumalanga Provincial Government. 21 October 2001. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Sigcau, Stella (19 July 2021). "A gallant, visionary and progressive Traditional Leader leaves a legacy". The Diplomatic Society. Retrieved 19 April 2023.