Mhlabunzima Hlengwa Explained

Party:	Inkatha Freedom Party
Office1:	Member of the National Assembly
Termstart1:	May 1994
Termend1:	April 2004
Citizenship:	South Africa
Office:	Deputy Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature
Termstart:	23 April 2004
Termend:	16 March 2005
1Blankname:	Speaker
1Namedata:	Willies Mchunu
Premier:	S'bu Ndebele
Birth Date:	13 March 1945
Death Place:	KwaThoyana, eThekwini KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Children:	Mkhuleko Hlengwa
Constituency1:	KwaZulu-Natal

Inkosi Mhlabunzima Wellington Hlengwa (13 March 1945 – 16 March 2005) was a South African politician and Zulu traditional leader who served as Deputy Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature until his death in March 2005. Before assuming that office in 2004, Hlengwa represented his political party, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2004. He was also the chief of KwaThoyana Tribal Authority near Umbumbulu in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, a position to which he was appointed in 1988.

Life and career

Hlengwa was born on 13 March 1945.^[1] He was the traditional leader of the KwaThoyana Tribal Authority near Umbumbulu on the South Coast of the former Natal province, a rural area that later became part of KwaZulu-Natal's eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.^[2] He assumed the chieftaincy, a hereditary life-long position, on 13 April 1988 after his father, Charles Hlengwa, died.

In the 1994 general election, South Africa's first under universal suffrage, Hlengwa was elected to represent the IFP in the National Assembly, the lower house of the post-apartheid South African Parliament.^[3] He served two terms in the assembly, gaining re-election in 1999,^[4] and represented the KwaZulu-Natal constituency. In the next general election in 2004, he was elected to an IFP seat in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature, where he was appointed as Deputy Speaker;^[5] he remained in that office until his death.^[6] He was particularly involved in HIV/AIDS advocacy during South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Personal life and death

Hlengwa was married and had children. One of his sons, Nhlosoyesizwe McMillan Hlengwa, took over his chieftaincy; another, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, is also an IFP politician.^[7] One of his wives was Andile Gumede, who is known for her role in reviving the practice of virginity testing in KwaZulu-Natal in the early 1990s.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Hlengwa died in his sleep on 16 March 2005, days after his 60th birthday.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 17 March 2005 . IFP mourns death of Inkosi Hlengwa . 2023-04-15 . Inkatha Freedom Party.
2. Mathonsi . N. M. . 2021 . The role of traditional leaders in service delivery challenges in rural areas in Kwa-Thoyana district: Ethekwini Municipality . Nelson Mandela Bay University . en . 4.
3. Web site: 24 May 1994 . Minutes of proceedings of the Constitutional Assembly . 2 April 2023 . Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
4. 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.
5. Web site: 2004-04-24 . IFP withdraws from KZN cabinet . 2023-04-15 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
6. Web site: 22 March 2005 . Memorial service/funeral of Inkosi Mhlabunzima Wellington Hlengwa . 2023-04-15 . Inkatha Freedom Party.
7. Web site: 23 June 2012 . ‘I’m a youth ambassador’ . 2023-04-15 . News24 . en-US.
8. Kaarsholm . Preben . 2006 . Culture as cure: Civil society and moral debates in KwaZulu‐Natal after apartheid . Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa . en . 18 . 2 . 82–97 . 10.1080/1013929X.2006.9678249 . 1013-929X.
9. Web site: Isa . Mariam . 31 December 2000 . Virginity testing sweeps SA . 2023-04-15 . News24 . en-US.
10. Web site: Murphy . Dean E. . 1999-07-15 . A Time of Testing for Virginity . 2023-04-15 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
11. News: 17 March 2005 . KZN legislature loses two key members . IOL . 16 April 2023.