Buyisiwe Nzimande represented the Inkatha Freedom Party in the National Assembly from May 1994 until March 2001, when she resigned to join the diplomatic service.
18 Facts About Buyisiwe Nzimande
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Buyisiwe Nzimande completed a teaching diploma at the University of Zululand in 1978 and later, in 1989, a Bachelor of Arts at the same university.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande was a teacher and school principal by profession and served as executive secretary of the Natal African Teachers' Union from 1987 to 1992.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande was a member of Inkatha and in her youth had been active in the Inkatha Youth Brigade in Umlazi.
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Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi later said that Buyisiwe Nzimande was "like a daughter to me"; they were cousins, with their paternal grandmothers both members of the Mtshali family.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande used this as an opportunity to shape future leaders and upright citizens through exemplary work ethic, dedication and full responsibility.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande then became Principal of Tholukhanya High School in Mahlabatini.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande built new school built from scratch gradually introducing pupils from grade 8 to grade 12, as classrooms were built through own initiative and leadership.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande served in that capacity for seven years 1986 to 1993.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande covered the whole of Ndwedwe, Durban North areas, Mpumalanga and parts of Pietermaritzburg.
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In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Buyisiwe Nzimande was elected to represent the IFP in the National Assembly as Member of Parliament, the lower house of the new South African Parliament.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande was re-elected in 1999, representing the KwaZulu-Natal constituency.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande served in that office until January 2001, when Mbeki announced that Musa Zondi would replace her in a reshuffle; it was reported that she would become ambassador-designate to Thailand.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande resigned from her parliamentary seat on 31 March 2001 and was indeed appointed as an ambassador.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande then became South Africa's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Thailand.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande was ambassador in these regions from 2002 - 2006.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande oversaw an outstanding promotion of Soccer World Cup 2010 leading to exceptional increase in visits to South Africa during and after the world cup.
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Buyisiwe Nzimande was married to Themba E Nzimande, an intellectual, Genealogist Researcher and Author who died in 2019.