Nqaba Bhanga

Bennet Mzwenqaba Bhanga (born 28 August 1977), known as Nqaba Bhanga, is a South African politician. He is the current Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape and the Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay. He is also the former Leader of the Official Opposition in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, a former Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, a former member of Parliament, and the DA's former Shadow Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).[2]

The Honourable

Nqaba Bhanga
Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay
Assumed office
4 December 2020
Preceded byTshonono Buyeye (acting)
Mongameli Bobani
Leader of the Opposition in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature
In office
22 May 2019 – 4 March 2020
PremierOscar Mabuyane
Preceded byBobby Stevenson
Succeeded byBobby Stevenson
Eastern Cape Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance
Assumed office
6 May 2017
Preceded byAthol Trollip
Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature
In office
22 May 2019 – 4 March 2020
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
In office
1 December 2011 – 6 August 2016
Personal details
Born
Bennet Mzwenqaba Bhanga[1]

(1977-08-28) 28 August 1977
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Political partyDemocratic Alliance

Biography

He was born in KwaZakhele, Port Elizabeth on 28 August 1977. It was at the KwaZakhele High School that he first got involved in student politics. He was elected the regional chair of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas).[3]

Bhanga joined the African National Congress and became the party's Nelson Mandela Bay Youth Leader,[4] and SRC President of the Port Elizabeth Technikon where he obtained his first qualification in Public Administration. He later on achieved a postgraduate qualification in Maritime Studies.[5][6] Bhanga served as the national secretary general of the South African Student Congress (SASCO), and also as the youth leader of the Congress of the People (COPE) [7] and its member of Parliament from 2011 to 2014, prior to him defecting to the DA.[8][9] He served as an MP for the DA from 2014 to 2016. He was the party's Ngqura constituency leader.

In 2016, he was elected as a councillor and was appointed the Mayoral Committee Member (MMC) for Human Settlements of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality under mayor Athol Trollip,[10] whom he succeeded as Party Provincial Leader in 2017.[11][12]

Bhanga was the DA's candidate for Eastern Cape Premier in the 2019 general elections. Following the elections, he became a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature and consequently assumed the title of Leader of the Opposition.[13]

On 4 March 2020, Bhanga resigned from the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. The DA had nominated him as their mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay.[14] He was elected unopposed as mayor on 4 December 2020.[15]

References
  1. 2019 LIST OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE - GAZETTE – Eastern Cape
  2. "'Zuma will do to Ramaphosa what Mugabe did to Mujuru'". Bulawayo24 News. 2015-02-18. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  3. "Former Cope MP Nqaba Bhanga is DA's pick as Eastern Cape premier candidate". DispatchLIVE. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  4. Sobuwa, Yoliswa (2016-11-21). "Leaders swap insults after Pityana storm". The Herald Live. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  5. Williams, Allan (2014-03-11). "COPE MP crosses over to the DA: The Herald". The Herald Live. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  6. "COPE MP crosses over to the DA: The Herald". 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  7. "Cope ready for elective conference". OFM. 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  8. "DA elects Nqaba Bhanga as E Cape's new leader", SABC Digital News, 2017-05-06
  9. Koyana, Xolani. "Nqaba Bhanga 'shocked' after winning DA EC leader post". Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  10. Maclennan, Sue (2017-03-06). "Fighting talk from the DA". Grocott's Mail Online. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  11. Mngxitama-Diko, Avuyile (2017-04-07). "Probe into revamp of old-age homes". The Herald Live. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  12. Ford, Simthandile (2017-05-05). "DA pair set their sights on youth". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  13. Nkosi, Nomazima (22 May 2019). "Bay DA men off to Bhisho, parliament". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  14. Maliti, Soyiso (4 March 2020). "DA EC leader Nqaba Bhanga resigns from legislature". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  15. https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/politics/2020-12-04-just-in-das-nqaba-bhanga-elected-nelson-mandela-bay-mayor/
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