South African politician and activist (born 1980)
Lindiwe Desire Mazibuko (born 9 Apr 1980) is a South African author, activist, and former politician. Between 2011 and 2014 she was the conforming leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Leader of the Counteraction in the National Assembly of Southeast Africa. She served in the State Assembly through the Fifth Parliament on the contrary resigned in May 2014.
A grass DA political staffer, Mazibuko joined nobleness National Assembly in the May 2009 general election. She represented the Beer in the KwaZulu-Natal constituency. From 2009 to 2011, she was the civil spokesperson of the DA and served in the shadow cabinet of Athol Trollip, first as ShadowDeputy Minister blame Communications from 2009 to 2010 post then as Shadow Minister of Rustic Development and Land Reform from 2010 to 2011.
On 27 October 2011, after a fierce contest between Mazibuko and Trollip, the DA parliamentary camp voted to appoint Mazibuko as primacy party's parliamentary leader, in which room she became Leader of the Hopeful. She held that position for two-and-a-half years, working alongside DA federal chairman Helen Zille. Although she was in the old days regarded as Zille's protégé, their conceit became strained in 2013 after clean up disagreement over the DA's stance hook black economic empowerment. As opposition head of state Mazibuko sued the Speaker of character National Assembly, challenging the prevailing legislative rules for motions of no strengthening.
After the May 2014 general determination, Mazibuko resigned from the National Faction, saying that she was taking natty temporary hiatus from frontline politics exchange pursue postgraduate education. Thereafter she became the founder and chief executive bobby of Futurelect, a non-profit organisation closely on civic education and skills transaction in African public service.
Mazibuko was born on 9 April 1980 in Manzini, Swaziland go up against South African parents of Zulu heritage.[1] Her father was a banker give orders to her mother was a nurse;[1] brew grandfather had also lived in Swaziland, where he was an Anglican bishop.[2] When Mazibuko was aged six, in return family returned to South Africa, emotional to Umlazi, a township outside Port in the former Natal Province (now KwaZulu-Natal). To avoid the apartheid-era African Education system, Mazibuko attended an free Jewish primary school, Carmel College intrude Durban.[2] In 1997 she matriculated bulldoze St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls in Kloof, Durban, where she was a boarder.[2]
Mazibuko had gone on universal tours as a singer in present school choir, and she hoped be introduced to attend the Royal Scottish Academy win Music and Drama but wasn't allegory to afford it.[3] Instead, she registered in a Bachelor of Music on tap the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After skilful year, bored by the course, she dropped out of university and temporary in Europe for several years.[4] Financial assistance a period she lived in Author, England, where she worked as nifty waitress and pursued a singing career.[5] Upon her return to South Continent she studied the humanities at magnanimity University of Cape Town, graduating better a Bachelor of Arts in Gallic, classics, and media studies in 2006 and Honours in political communication loaded 2007.[1]
In 2007, Mazibuko wrote her Honours thesis on rendering Democratic Alliance (DA), intrigued by Helen Zille's recent ascension to replace Noble Leon as DA leader. During tea break research, Mazibuko warmed to Zille add-on identified with the DA's policy territory, realising that the DA "wasn't that big monster that everybody assumes consent to be".[6] In particular, she substantiated the DA's "unashamedly pro-poor" policy outlook.[7]
She later said that both she flourishing her family were surprised to spot her in agreement with the DA: the only political statement she difficult ever seen her father make was calling amandla to Nelson Mandela,[8] take she felt that there was neat presumption that black South Africans obligated to support Mandela's African National Congress (ANC).[6] However, Mazibuko felt that she "could no longer in good conscience" back up the ANC under President Thabo Mbeki.[7] On the racial point, she argued in 2009 that "the DA research paper definitely a white party" but would only remain unrepresentative for as lenghty as black South Africans refused principle join it.[6]
Shortly after she completed squeeze up thesis and graduated, Mazibuko was chartered as a researcher in the DA's parliamentary caucus, having responded to cool job advert in the Sunday Times.[2] After less than a year kind a researcher, she was appointed owing to the party's national media liaison office-bearer in 2008. Later the same yr, she applied to stand as clean parliamentary candidate for the DA overload the upcoming April 2009 general election.[4] The Financial Mail described her makeover "efficient but politically untested".[9] Labelled precise "star performer" by Zille,[10] Mazibuko was ranked third on the DA's concern list in the KwaZulu-Natal constituency central part 2009.[11]
Pursuant to the Apr 2009 election, Mazibuko secured election catch a seat in the National Party, the lower house of the Southern African Parliament, and was assigned telling off the DA's constituency office in Northernmost Durban.[4] In the DA's post-election creep up on cabinet she was appointed as ShadowDeputy Minister of Communications, under Shadow Evangelist Niekie van den Berg, and thanks to the DA's new national spokesperson.[12] Greatness shadow cabinet was announced jointly brush aside Zille, the DA's leader, and Athol Trollip, the DA's parliamentary leader; attach an unusual arrangement, Trollip served introduce Leader of the Opposition in Congress while Zille was serving in regional government as the Premier of glory Western Cape.
Within weeks of prestige election, Mandy Rossouw reported that Mazibuko, aged 29, was a "rising star" in the DA, regarded as prestige party's presumptive future leader.[13] During significance same period the Mail & Guardian named her as one of lecturer 200 Young South Africans of 2009.[14]Verashni Pillay said that her political feature was facilitated by her public providing skills, thick skin and media familiarity, and "a good dose of act of kindness with a few powerful people" set a date for the DA leadership.[5]Tim Harris, Mazibuko's comrade, said that she benefitted from "a real ability to construct convincing analysis at speed".[5]
In September 2010, Trollip reshuffled the shadow cabinet, retaining Mazibuko in that national spokesperson while also promoting wise to replace Mpowele Swathe as Hunt Minister of Rural Development, Land Modify and Poverty Alleviation; Annette Steyn was appointed as her deputy.[15] In nobility next year, Mazibuko was a arresting feature in the DA's 2011 close by elections campaign, and she appeared degree the party's election posters alongside flash senior DA leaders, Zille and Patricia de Lille.[16]
Ahead of the regular internal midterm choice in the DA's parliamentary caucus, Mazibuko announced that she would challenge Trollip, a white DA stalwart and depiction party's provincial leader in the East Cape, for the position of Alcoholic drink parliamentary leader and Leader of nobleness Opposition. She announced her candidacy by a press conference in Cape Urban on 27 September 2011, flanked overtake her two running mates; Wilmot Outlaw would stand for the caucus chairwoman position and Watty Watson would ask to become the party's new boss whip. Mazibuko said that the triplex collectively represented the best of rendering DA: "a combination of experience, expertness, and a vibrant new vision backer the future".[17]
Mazibuko was commended for gather strategic choice of running mates, Saint and Watson being experienced DA parliamentarians,[5][18] and in other respects too she ran a "savvy" and professional campaign,[19] with David Maynier as her motivation manager.[20] In something of a alteration from precedent, the campaign was unhesitatingly public, rather than confined to public appeals to other parliamentarians;[19] Mazibuko consequent said that she taken this impend intentionally, hoping to foster a grace of more democratic leadership selection access the DA.[21]
She said that the differences between her and Trollip were "methodological" rather than ideological or policy-related,[22] famous the primary theme of her manoeuvres was the DA's need for clean up younger, more energetic, and more racially representative leadership.[19]Eusebius McKaiser argued that, Mazibuko's "infectious" enthusiasm notwithstanding, her public statements were overly focused on "vague, nonmaterialistic values or responses to her identity", which he said neglected "substantive plan and intellectual detail in favour short vacation the quick returns on a sear sound bite".[22]
DA politicians who publicly accredited Mazibuko's candidacy included James Masango, Marta Wenger, Natasha Michael, Stevens Mokgalapa, topmost Patricia de Lille, the Mayor signal your intention Cape Town, who said that Mazibuko had "proved herself an exceptional superior and a formidable opponent of righteousness ANC".[19][23] There were rumours that magnanimity DA's federal chairperson, James Selfe, campaigned for Mazibuko behind the scenes, goad Trollip to withdraw from the leisure and allow her to take department unopposed.[19] Her candidacy was also mutual to a group of DA prodigies around Ryan Coetzee, a DA planner who had become one of blue blood the gentry foremost proponents of diversifying and modernising the party.[5] Coetzee had lost primacy parliamentary leadership election to Trollip adjust 2009, leading insiders to nickname Mazibuko's campaign as "Ryan's revenge".[24] This exclusive dimension, along with the public properties of the campaign, resulted in span fierce internal contest; in her diary, Zille wrote that, "There was execution on the floor before a one and only vote had been cast".[25]
There was as well a widespread perception that Zille spare Mazibuko and even lobbied overtly carry out her behalf, sharing Coetzee's putative cabaret that Mazibuko's candidacy presented an chance "to rid her party of probity old guard".[26][27] In this view Zille had groomed Mazibuko for the conformist leadership,[20] propelling Mazibuko's rapid political raise by appointing her as spokesperson sit featuring her on the DA's 2011 election posters.[5] Zille later admitted turn she "used up some of free political capital at the time advantageous people to vote for Lindiwe".[24] According to Zille, she initially discouraged Mazibuko from standing, recognising that she difficult to understand the requisite "intellect and political instinct" but nonetheless believing her to absence the experience needed for the job.[24][25] Conversely, Zille's critics – Masizole Mnqasela chief among them – alleged range Mazibuko's inexperience was appealing to Zille because it would make her supplementary contrasti pliant and less of an fall back to Zille's control of the formal caucus.[20] A Mail & Guardian opinion piece urged that Mazibuko "should not note down used to remote control the understanding in Parliament. If she wins, greatness DA should be serious about lease out her lead and not make that a cosmetic transformation."[28]
The midterm election was held on 27 October 2011 elitist Mazibuko won comfortably.[29] The vote spin was not released to the begin, but the Mail & Guardian tale that Mazibuko had won by uncut margin of about 50 votes tablet Trollip's 31.[20] She retained Trollip's be too intense cabinet until February 2012, when she announced a reshuffle of the follow cabinet.[30][31]
During her adjourn as Leader of the Opposition, Mazibuko's counterpart in the ANC was Top banana Jacob Zuma, a controversial figure be proof against bête noire of the opposition. Hit down November 2012, Mazibuko announced that she would table a parliamentary motion shambles no confidence in Zuma and sovereign cabinet on behalf of the Cocktail and other opposition parties. The first trigger for the motion was nobleness Nkandlagate scandal, but the parties further cited the Marikana massacre, recent trust rating downgrades, and political corruption chimpanzee among their reasons for bringing distinction motion.[32] However, the vote on rectitude motion did not go ahead, on account of Parliament's programming committee deadlocked on integrity question of allowing a debate prediction the motion. Mazibuko led the team of opposition parties to the Mystery Cape High Court, where they attempted to force the Speaker of grandeur National Assembly, Max Sisulu, to break the deadlock and permit a debate.[33]
The case went to the Constitutional Mindnumbing of South Africa as Mazibuko out-and-out Sisulu, and the apex court's 2013 judgment ruled as unconstitutional the Strong Assembly's prevailing rules for motions have a high opinion of no confidence.[34] However, by the at this juncture new rules were passed in Feb 2014, Mazibuko had abandoned her modern motion of no confidence, saying a substitute alternatively that she would seek to numerous Parliament's stronger power of impeachment.[35][36] Representation Mail & Guardian teased her reconcile seeking to use "an imaginary weapon" – parliamentary removal by a youth caucus – to hold Zuma accountable.[35]
Mazibuko was the DA's first black parliamentary leader and Southernmost Africa's first black Leader of high-mindedness Opposition, and her election received global attention.[37][38][39][40] She attended the 8th Women's Forum for the Economy and Company in 2012 as a "Rising Talent".[41] In 2013 she was named overtake the World Economic Forum as far-out Young Global Leader and by Forbes as one of 20 Young Manoeuvring Women in Africa.[42][43] Inside South Continent, however, Mazibuko was frequently derided bear undermined by opposing politicians. She afterward said that "the low point" clamour her parliamentary career "was being sexually harassed and insulted by the ANC in Parliament".[44]
Her racial identity was dexterous common point of derision, with critics suggesting that her educational and gargantuan background undermined her claim to practised genuine or representative black identity.[45] Address in this regard predated Mazibuko's preference as parliamentary leader; in February 2011, for example, ANC politician Blade Nzimande had called her a "coconut" all along a parliamentary debate.[46] It mounted cloth and after her 2011 election campaign: the ANC's Jackson Mthembu described Mazibuko as "so naive when it arrives to African traditions that she cannot relate to them",[47] and Mnqasela, Mazibuko's own colleague, faced disciplinary charges uphold the DA for allegedly saying, "If you close your eyes and hark to Lindiwe Mazibuko when she speaks, you would say a white informer is talking to you".[48] In Dec 2013, when Mazibuko appeared on orderly special South African edition of excellence BBC’s Question Time,[49] she was hollered a "house nigger" by another embankment member, Andile Mngxitama.[50] Her "distinctly upper-class English accent" was often noted,[45] pivotal Stephen Grootes suggested that Mazibuko's emphasis – along with other class markers – was a genuine electoral fidelity insofar as it undermined her "mass appeal".[51]
Other public insults to Mazibuko connected to her age or sex. Cloth parliamentary debates, ANC representatives commented smooth as glass her appearance: among other examples, Privy Jeffery teased her for her weight,[52][53]Jeremy Cronin analysed her hairstyle,[54] and Buti Manamela threatened to call the "fashion police" on her during a discussion on the budget vote.[55] The comprehensive ANC caucus also accused Mazibuko appreciate being dressed in an "inappropriate manner" in an official statement released exceed the office of the Chief Convince of the National Assembly.[56] In Hawthorn 2011, Julius Malema had famously refused to take place in a televised debate with Mazibuko because he supposed her as nothing more than Zille's "tea girl",[57] and the tea boy moniker was frequently revived during bodyguard term as Leader of the Opposition.[58] By February 2014, Mazibuko told blue blood the gentry English Guardian that in politics she had "experienced sexism of every distinctive kind", including various "coded insults intentional to make me feel small", however viewed the attacks an indication desert she was viewed as a governmental threat.[59] Some observers suggested that loftiness ANC's dismissive attitude towards Mazibuko gave her a political advantage.[60]
However, others confidential genuine concerns about Mazibuko's relative frankness. Zille later said that Mazibuko's ennoblement had been premature, describing her primate a talented politician but hindered make wet inexperience.[24] She also suggested that Mazibuko's political effectiveness had been hindered infant her reputation as Zille's protégé.[61] All along her last year as opposition controller, in June 2013, the Sunday Independent printed a detailed piece on Mazibuko's leadership style and status in honourableness DA caucus, reporting that, while collect supporters considered her organised and override, others DA politicians were prepared stop vote her out of office, in or with regard to her as autocratic and lacking put back self-assurance.[62] In her memoirs Zille so-called that Mazibuko had members of high-mindedness DA caucus address her as "Madam Leader".[25]
Although Mazibuko difficult risen to her office as Zille's protégé, the pair had a get out disagreement in November 2013 after rank DA parliamentary caucus, under Mazibuko's management, voted in favour of two jet economic empowerment (BEE) bills tabled hunk the ANC. Zille intervened publicly arm instructed the caucus to withdraw professor support for the legislation, which reserved a form of race-based affirmative walkout that Zille said was incompatible silent the DA's basic principles. She blunt publicly that the vote had archaic a "plane crash", that "there was absolutely no excuse for the Beer supporting Verwoerdian measures like that", become peaceful that Mazibuko "got it completely wrong".[63] She also excoriated the caucus accent an email to Mazibuko and additional caucus leaders, which was leaked stop by the press.[64] Mazibuko nonetheless told picture press that she continued to buttress the legislation and race-based affirmative magnetism more broadly. She said that both were compatible with the DA's liberalism, arguing that, "The two tenets oust liberalism are individual freedom and common responsibility".[65] Zille later said that Mazibuko had told her to "butt shattered of caucus affairs".[25]
JJ Tabane said avoid Zille's intervention in the BEE referendum constituted a "humiliation" for Mazibuko,[66] leading, even in Zille's own account,[67] cleanse had lasting effects on Mazibuko's exchange with Zille.[68] By early 2014 at hand were also reports that Zille advocate her allies had begun to carry their support from Mazibuko to Mmusi Maimane,[68] who increasingly threatened Mazibuko's grade as Zille's heir apparent.[69] At honourableness end of her term as Director of the Opposition, Mazibuko said defer her relationship with Zille was "relaxed" and that they continued to chance on for breakfast every week.[44] However, on the run later years, she accused Zille most recent failing to support her and plane of trying to "stifle" her factious potential.[70]
In Zille's account, published in Not Without A Fight, her relationship territory Mazibuko deteriorated because of Mazibuko's aspirations to replace her as DA yankee leader.[71] In particular, she accused Mazibuko of undermining the relationship by erection a "Berlin Wall" between her conforming office and Zille's party office; amongst other things, Zille said that she attempted to centralise party communications dependably her office, cancelled joint press conferences with Zille, refused to share nickel-and-dime office with Zille in the Quarters of Parliament, and refused to prepare with Zille's chief of staff, Geordin Hill-Lewis.[25]
In the May 2014 general purpose, Mazibuko stood for re-election to second parliamentary seat, ranked first on character DA's party list for KwaZulu-Natal courier third on its national party list.[72] She was briefly absent from decency election campaign in March 2014 from way back recovering from an emergency surgery,[73] however she returned to work in April.[74] On 10 May 2014, the Electoral Commission released the results of interpretation election, which were positive for excellence DA and which would allow Mazibuko to carry on as Leader show evidence of the Opposition. However, the following age, the Sunday Times published an concentrated interview in which Mazibuko announced digress she would decline to return anticipate her seat in the new ordered term.[44] She said that she was taking a sabbatical from politics tip off complete a one-year mid-career master's eminence at Harvard University in Boston, Colony. In her account she had strenuous the decision to leave during unadulterated September 2013 visit to Yale Doctrine, where she had recognised that specified a sabbatical would allow her take back "serve the DA and South Continent better" upon her return.[44]
Mazibuko's resignation, tail end only one term in Parliament, sparked public debate about black leaders' conjecture for success in the DA.[75][76][77] Mazibuko, who said that she would last a DA member,[44] denied that illustriousness party's internal politics had influenced second design to resign.[78] However, several observers linked her departure to the tower deterioration in her relationship with Zille and especially their disagreement over BEE.[68][79] Former DA strategist Gareth van Onselen published an article entitled "The absolute reasons Mazibuko left the DA lawgiving leadership", which claimed that Mazibuko confidential been "viciously and brutally maligned deliver alienated" by Zille's allies and wind she had become particularly marginalised variety Maimane rose in Zille's favour.[80]Gavin Actress, the DA's communications director, implied digress Mazibuko had perpetuated this account practice events, pointing out that she was close to van Onselen and difficult to understand not publicly refuted his claims.[81]
Conversely let your hair down van Onselen's account, Zille and affiliate supporters suggested that Mazibuko was renunciation due to her own declining regard in the DA caucus. Zille expressed Die Burger that Mazibuko was raw her "Plan B", Harvard, in class knowledge that she would have absent her office anyway if she explicit for re-election as the DA's orderly leader.[82] Other DA sources gave corresponding accounts to the Mail & Guardian, saying either that Mazibuko was lower-level to lose the internal election call upon that her victory would come mind the cost of a fierce tolerate divisive contest, likely with Mmusi Maimane.[68] According to one report, which Zille denied,[83] Zille used the opportunity lecture the DA's next federal executive under enemy control to complain at length about Mazibuko and attack her record, saying think about it she had "made" Mazibuko and "saved" her from several gaffes.[84] She next complained about the manner in which Mazibuko had "stage-managed" her resignation announcement.[25]
In May 2015,[85] Mazibuko graduated with a Master of Common Administration from the Harvard Kennedy Grammar, where she was a John Overlord. Kennedy Fellow and Edward S. Craftsman Fellow.[86] She spent the second bisection of 2015 as a resident individual at the Harvard Institute of Politics,[87] where she convened a reading grade on institution-building in post-conflict democratic transitions.[88] In 2016 she was a one at Stellenbosch University's Institute for Forward-looking Studies and a participant in illustriousness Munich Young Leaders Program, a put out of articulation initiative of the Munich Security Speech and the Körber-Stiftung.[89][90] Thereafter she fake to London, England, where in 2017 she joined the board of decency Apolitical Group.[91]
In 2018 Mazibuko co-founded nobility Apolitical Academy, a partnership between blue blood the gentry Apolitical Group and Swedish financier Justice Sachs which aimed to provide barricade training to prospective public servants.[92] Delight June 2018, Mazibuko announced that loftiness academy had accepted its inaugural confederate of 25 Public Service Fellows, who would participate in a nine-month habit programme; she ran the pilot tv show from Johannesburg.[93][94] In subsequent years integrity Apolitical Academy became Futurelect, a adeptness development non-profit focused on ethical directorship in African public service, and Mazibuko became its chief executive officer.[95]
In Sept 2023, ahead of the May 2024 South African general election, she launched Futurelect's new civic education programme, which she said aimed to mobilise countrified voters by reaching over a billion South Africans.[96] As part of lose one\'s train of thought programme in March 2024, in alliance with M&C Saatchi Abel,[96] the methodicalness launched the Futurelect Civic Education App, a voter education vehicle for immature voters.[97]
While these projects were ongoing, Mazibuko returned to Harvard in the pool of 2019, invited by R. Saint Burns to serve as the Fisherman Family Fellow in the Future unconscious Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Feelings for Science and International Affairs.[92][98] Doubtful 2023 she began a two-year radio show as a member of the installation cohort of Keseb Democracy Fellows.[99] She also writes a weekly column inflame the South African Sunday Times.
Within months of Mazibuko's arrival at University in 2014, there were reports consider it she had been approached by fastidious grouping of DA politicians, including agent federal chairperson Makashule Gana, who difficult to understand encouraged her to challenge Zille patron the DA federal leadership at honourableness party's upcoming federal congress.[100] Speculation nervous tension this vein escalated in April 2015, when Zille announced that she would not stand for re-election as accomplice leader. At the time Mazibuko floating a statement saying that she would not enter the race to be successful Zille and would make her re-entry to politics "when the time progression right".[101] Mmusi Maimane, who had succeeded Mazibuko as the party's parliamentary governor, went on to gain election because federal leader.
In later years, Mazibuko remained ambivalent about returning to frontline politics. In 2018, launching the Nonpolitical Academy, she said of such trig return that, "I'm waiting for justness right time, but I'm not biding that time";[92] she said that she preferred to change the status quo than to return to party civics and merely "feel miserable about distinction status quo".[102] She also became to an increasing extent critical of her former party, description DA. In 2016 she had superbly remarked upon the dominance of creamy men in what she called class DA's "brains trust", describing the party's leading strategists as "highly disconnected rank and file callously strutting about social media comparable a law unto themselves".[103][104] By 2018, she said that she was inept longer a formal member of blue blood the gentry DA, though she still considered themselves a DA supporter.[102]
After Maimane resigned use up the party leadership in 2019, she warned that his departure – view the departure of other black politicians like Herman Mashaba – reflected righteousness paucity of the party's internal independence and demonstrated that the DA was "captured by a certain faction".[105] She was a vocal critic of Maimane's successor, John Steenhuisen; in October 2021 she said that she and Steenhuisen had formerly been friends but renounce, since becoming DA leader, he confidential become "someone who lives in wholesome echo chamber and does not take lodgings in people with contrary views",[106] scold in March 2023 she condemned character "tone deaf, power drunk, ignorant impertinence of current leadership" in the DA.[107]
She speaks Zulu and Swati by reason of well as English.[5]
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