18 Facts About Jerry Ndou

Azwindini Jeremiah "Jerry" Ndou is a South African politician and diplomat who has served as a Delegate to the National Council of Provinces since October 2022.

Formerly an activist in the ANC Youth League, Ndou was a Member of Parliament in South Africa's first democratic Parliament from 1994 to 1999.

Jerry Ndou failed to gain re-election as ANC Deputy Chairperson in 2018 but was re-elected to his legislative seat in the 2019 general election and became Deputy Speaker of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature.

Jerry Ndou left that office, and the provincial legislature, in October 2022, when he filled a casual vacancy in the NCOP.

Jerry Ndou was active in South African student and youth politics during apartheid and served as the president of the student representative council while at the University of Venda in present-day Limpopo province.

Jerry Ndou was later elected to the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress Youth League and served as the league's secretary for international affairs.

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Jerry Ndou was elected as a Member of Parliament, representing the ANC.

Jerry Ndou served in his post in Harare until 2005 and during that time served as a mediator in talks between Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

Jerry Ndou vacated the High Commission in mid-2005 to prepare for reassignment and was replaced by Mlungisi Makalima.

However, when the party's provincial elective conference was held, Jerry Ndou did not run for the Deputy Chairperson position.

In February 2014, at the party's provincial elective conference, Jerry Ndou was elected as Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the Limpopo ANC, serving under newly elected Provincial Chairperson Stanley Mathabatha.

Jerry Ndou reportedly had a particularly strong political base in Limpopo's Vhembe region.

Jerry Ndou ascended to the Limpopo Executive Council, appointed by Mathabatha in his capacity as Limpopo Premier; he served as Member of the Executive Council for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, a newly created portfolio.

In October 2017, in a cabinet reshuffle by Mathabatha, Jerry Ndou was appointed MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs.

However, Jerry Ndou was elected to a four-year term as an ordinary member of the Limpopo ANC's Provincial Executive Committee and he served the remainder of his term in the Executive Council.

Jerry Ndou was not reappointed to Mathabatha's Executive Council but instead was elected Deputy Speaker of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature, deputising Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya.

In October 2022, in a reshuffle of the Limpopo government by Mathabatha, Jerry Ndou was succeeded as Deputy Speaker by Tshitereke Matibe.

Immediately after he was removed as Deputy Speaker in October 2022, Jerry Ndou was "re-deployed" as a member of the Limpopo delegation to the National Council of Provinces, the upper house of the national Parliament.