Mzwandile Collen Masina was born on 2 September 1974 and is a South African politician from Gauteng who has represented the African National Congress in the National Assembly since June 2024.
27 Facts About Mzwandile Masina
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Mzwandile Masina is the chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition.
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Mzwandile Masina was formerly the Mayor of Ekurhuleni from 2016 to 2021 and the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from 2014 to 2016.
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Mzwandile Masina rose to prominence in 2013 when he was appointed as the interim national leader of the ANC Youth League.
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Mzwandile Masina was a staunch political ally to Zuma throughout Zuma's presidency.
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Mzwandile Masina was the chairperson of the ANC's regional branch in Ekurhuleni between 2014 and 2022.
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Mzwandile Masina's family were active in the anti-apartheid movement, and he became politically active as a teenager, joining the African National Congress and its Youth League.
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Mzwandile Masina reportedly supported President Jacob Zuma's bid for re-election at the ANC's 53rd National Conference in December 2012; at the time this was an unpopular position in Gauteng.
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The league's elected leadership, previously headed by Julius Malema, had been disbanded for ill-discipline and Mzwandile Masina was tasked with leading the league until fresh elections could be held.
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Mzwandile Masina was ranked 109th on the ANC's national party list.
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In June 2016, the ANC announced that Mzwandile Masina would be the party's candidate for election as Mayor of Ekurhuleni in the upcoming local elections.
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Mzwandile Masina's election was supported by two minor parties, the African Independent Congress and Pan Africanist Congress, which had signed a coalition agreement with the ANC.
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Mzwandile Masina was described as "a 'Zuma hardliner'" and as "Zuma's point person" in Gauteng.
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Ahead of the ANC's 54th National Conference in December 2017, Mzwandile Masina backed Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, another Zuma ally, in her campaign to succeed Zuma as ANC president.
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Indeed, in October 2017, Mzwandile Masina told News24 that he would resign as ANC regional chairperson rather than serve under Dlamini-Zuma's opponent, Cyril Ramaphosa.
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Ramaphosa was nonetheless elected to the ANC presidency in December 2017, and thereafter Mzwandile Masina aligned himself with Ace Magashule, the newly elected ANC secretary-general who was regarded as Ramaphosa's foremost antagonist in the party leadership.
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Mzwandile Masina was noted for his close relationship with the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters : he was a personal friend of EFF leader Julius Malema and appeared sympathetic to many of the party's political and policy positions.
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In 2020 Mzwandile Masina was sanctioned by his own party after he Tweeted support for Malema's proposal that the "white economy should be allowed to collapse".
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Mzwandile Masina was re-elected to his second term as ANC regional chairperson in July 2018, now with Jongizizwe Dlabathi as his deputy.
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Mzwandile Masina stood on a slate of candidates aligned to presidential challenger Lebogang Maile; Masina and Maile had been political allies since their time in the ANC Youth League.
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The conference elected Parks Tau as provincial treasurer, and Maile failed to gain election to a leadership position; Mzwandile Masina continued as Ekurhuleni chairperson instead.
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Ahead of the 2021 local elections, the ANC nominated Mzwandile Masina to stand for re-election as mayor.
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Mzwandile Masina continued to serve as ANC regional chairperson: at an elective conference in May 2022, he narrowly defeated a challenge to his incumbency, receiving 163 votes against Doctor Xhakaza's 151 in a contest marred by disruptions and allegations of electoral improprieties.
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Meanwhile, ANC provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi said that Mzwandile Masina had brought the motion of no confidence in defiance of the wishes of the party leadership; on these grounds he was accused of having undermined negotiations between the ANC and EFF, and Lesufi said that he would face internal disciplinary charges for bringing the ANC into disrepute.
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On 24 November 2022 the ANC announced that Mzwandile Masina would resign as a local councillor with effect from 30 November.
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Mzwandile Masina stood as an ANC candidate in the May 2024 general election, ranked fifth on the ANC's regional party list for the Gauteng constituency.
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Mzwandile Masina was elected to return to the National Assembly.