Mighty Madasa Explained

Party:African National Congress (since September 2005)
Office1:Member of the National Assembly
Termstart1:13 June 2009
Termend1:1 September 2010
Citizenship:South Africa
Birth Name:Zwelethu Lukanyiso Madasa
Birth Date:20 February 1960
Otherparty:African Christian Democratic Party (until September 2005)
Termend2:May 2009
Termstart2:June 1999
Constituency2:Gauteng

Zwelethu Lukanyiso "Mighty" Madasa (born 20 February 1960) is a South African politician and lawyer who served in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2010, excepting a month-long hiatus in 2009. He represented the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) until September 2005, when he crossed the floor to the African National Congress (ANC). He resigned from the National Assembly in September 2010 and became the Clerk of the Pan-African Parliament.

Early life

Madasa was born on 20 February 1960.[1]

South African Parliament

Madasa was first elected to the National Assembly in the 1999 general election as a representative of the ACDP in Gauteng and was elected to a second term in his seat in the 2004 general election.[2] Shortly after the 2004 election, the National Assembly nominated him as one of its five representatives at the Pan-African Parliament.[3] [4]

He resigned from the ACDP and joined the governing ANC on 8 September 2005 during that month's floor-crossing window.[5] The ACDP said that he and his fellow defector, Selby Khumalo, were "respected and valued members of the ACDP" but that their decision did not "reflect the will of the voters".[6] Madasa served the rest of the legislative term under the ANC banner, and in October 2008, in a reshuffle of the ANC's caucus, the party nominated him to chair the Portfolio Committee on International Relations.[7]

However, he held the chairmanship for less than a year, because he was not re-elected to his legislative seat in the 2009 general election. He was restored to his seat just over a month after the election, on 13 June 2009; he was sworn in to fill the casual vacancy in the ANC's caucus that had arisen after Mandisi Mpahlwa's resignation.[8]

Pan-African Parliament

On 1 September 2010, Madasa in turn resigned from the National Assembly and took up a full-time position as head of the Secretariat of the Pan-African Parliament.[9]

He is a lawyer by profession and in June 2016 was one of 73 candidates nominated to succeed Thuli Madonsela as Public Protector,[10] though he was not shortlisted.

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. 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.
  3. Web site: 2004-06-25 . DA left out of delegation to Pan African Parliament . 2023-04-26 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
  4. News: List of Members of the Pan African Parliament . dead . 24 November 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110518171107/http://www.africa-union.org/organs/pan%20african%20parliament/List%20of%20Members%20pap.pdf . 18 May 2011.
  5. Web site: 2009-01-15 . National Assembly Members . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090514071402/http://www.pmg.org.za/parlinfo/nalist#_ftnref87 . 14 May 2009 . 2023-04-08 . Parliamentary Monitoring Group.
  6. Web site: 2005-09-08 . ‘The opposition created this monster’ . 2023-04-26 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
  7. News: 24 October 2008 . Travelgate trialist named chief whip . IOL . 26 April 2023.
  8. Web site: Members of the National Assembly . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140209085913/http://www.pmg.org.za/node/30336 . 9 February 2014 . 2 March 2023 . Parliamentary Monitoring Group.
  9. Web site: 13 October 2012 . How Mighty has fallen from favour . 2023-04-26 . News24 . en-US.
  10. Web site: Davis . Gaye . 28 June 2016 . Madiba’s former legal advisor up for esteemed Public Protector post . 2023-04-26 . EWN . en.