James Sikhosiphi Nxumalo was born on 12 February 1965 and is a South African politician who has represented the African National Congress in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature since 2019.
11 Facts About James Nxumalo
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James Nxumalo was formerly the Mayor of eThekwini from 2011 to 2016, and during that time he was engaged in a strident political rivalry with Zandile Gumede, who became his successor.
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James Nxumalo was elected to a five-year term on the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party in 2022, and he has served as the Provincial Chairperson of the SACP's KwaZulu-Natal branch for over a decade.
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James Nxumalo was born on a farm in New Hanover, where his parents were farm labourers, and he had 14 siblings.
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James Nxumalo first left his hometown to take up his first job packing chicken at Rainbow Chicken in Cato Ridge outside Pietermaritzburg.
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Between 1996 and 2000, James Nxumalo represented the ANC as a local councillor in the now-defunct Outer West Local Council.
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James Nxumalo was elected Regional Chairperson, receiving 253 votes against Gumede's 212, and Thabani Nyawose was elected as his deputy.
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The leadership election was not re-run for several months, as further violent clashes between Gumede and James Nxumalo's supporters led to further postponements.
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Gumede was a strong supporter of Zikalala, while James Nxumalo supported Senzo Mchunu's failed re-election bid.
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James Nxumalo claimed that his name had been included on the ballot paper, his boycott notwithstanding, as part of an intentional attempt to humiliate him.
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Midway through the legislative term, in 2022, James Nxumalo faced an SACP elective conference, but he was not expected to face any significant opposition to his bid to be re-elected as SACP Provincial Chairperson.