Geoffrey Bhengu Explained

Party:Inkatha Freedom Party
Office1:Member of the National Assembly
Termstart1:June 1999
Termend1:August 2002
Citizenship:South Africa
Birth Date:25 August 1940
Birth Name:Geoffrey Bongumusa Bhengu
Office2:Delegate to the National Council of Provinces
Termstart2:May 1994
Termend2:June 1999
Constituency Am2:KwaZulu-Natal
Constituency1:KwaZulu-Natal

Geoffrey Bongumusa Bhengu (born 25 August 1940)[1] is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal. He represented the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in the national Parliament from May 1994 until August 2002, when moved to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.

Legislative career

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Bhengu was elected to represent the IFP in the Senate (later the National Council of Provinces), serving the KwaZulu-Natal constituency.[2] In the next general election in 1999, he was elected to an IFP seat in the National Assembly, again from the KwaZulu-Natal list.

However, midway through the term, the Mail & Guardian reported that Bhengu was likely to be transferred to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, where the IFP hoped to stack its seats with party loyalists in order to minimise the losses of the upcoming floor-crossing window.[3] Bhengu was indeed sworn in to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature on 13 August 2002.[4] He was re-elected to a full term in the provincial legislature in the 2004 general election.[5]

Notes and References

  1. 11 June 1999 . General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures . . Pretoria, South Africa . . 408 . 20203 . 26 March 2021.
  2. Book: South Africa: Campaign and Election Report April 26–29, 1994 . . 1994 . 13 April 2023 . Yumpu.
  3. Web site: 2002-06-20 . Paranoia ‘rife’ in Inkatha . 2023-05-20 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
  4. News: 13 August 2002 . IFP in bid to strengthen its KZN team . IOL . 11 May 2023.
  5. 20 April 2004 . General Notice: Notice 717 of 2004 - Electoral Commission – List of Names of Representatives in the National Assembly and the Nine Provincial Legislatures in Respect of the Elections Held on 14 April 2004 . . Pretoria, South Africa . . 466 . 2677 . 4–95 . 26 March 2021.