Richard Themba Mthembu was born on 1958 and is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature from 2009 until 2024.
12 Facts About Themba Mthembu
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Themba Mthembu was formerly KwaZulu-Natal's Member of the Executive Council for Agriculture and Rural Development from June 2016 to May 2019.
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Themba Mthembu has served as Provincial Secretary of the South African Communist Party in KwaZulu-Natal since 2002.
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Themba Mthembu's mother was a domestic worker and his father was a dock worker.
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Themba Mthembu went to school in KwaMashu and then qualified as a chemical engineering technician at the Mangosuthu University of Technology; while a student, he was active in anti-apartheid youth politics.
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Themba Mthembu became active in the trade union movement through the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union, which he joined while working in the private sector as an engineering technician.
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Themba Mthembu became active in the African National Congress after it was unbanned in 1990.
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In 2002, Themba Mthembu was elected Provincial Secretary of the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the South African Communist Party, the ANC's close ally.
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Themba Mthembu left his private-sector job to take up the seat, which he held in parallel with his SACP office.
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When Mchunu was finally removed as Premier in May 2016, he was replaced by Willies Mchunu, who, shortly after taking office, announced a cabinet reshuffle in which Themba Mthembu was appointed to the KwaZulu-Natal Executive Council as Member of the Executive Council for Agriculture and Rural Development.
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Themba Mthembu asked to be given 24 hours to consider the promotion, but ultimately, with the SACP's endorsement, accepted; he was sworn in as MEC on 8 June 2016, a day after the other new MECs.
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In May 2018, Themba Mthembu caused controversy by inviting Zuma to be his special guest during his budget vote speech in the provincial legislature; opposition legislators staged a walkout in protest of Zuma's presence.