Mzwandile Masina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mzwandile Masina
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Masina in July 2019
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| Member of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 14 June 2024 |
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| In office 21 May 2014 – 23 August 2016 |
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| Mayor of Ekurhuleni | |
| In office 23 August 2016 – 22 November 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Mondli Gungubele |
| Succeeded by | Tania Campbell |
| Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry | |
| In office 25 May 2014 – 23 August 2016 |
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| President | Jacob Zuma |
| Minister | Rob Davies |
| Preceded by | Thandi Tobias Elizabeth Thabethe |
| Succeeded by | Bulelani Magwanishe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mzwandile Collen Masina
2 September 1974 East Rand, Transvaal South Africa |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Spouse |
Sinazo Masina
(m. 2016) |
Mzwandile Collen Masina (born 2 September 1974) is a South African politician. He is a member of the National Assembly for the African National Congress (ANC) since June 2024. He leads the Parliament's committee for trade and industry. Before this, he was the Mayor of Ekurhuleni from 2016 to 2021. He also served as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from 2014 to 2016.
Masina was born in Ekurhuleni. He started his political journey as a student. In 2013, he became a temporary national leader of the ANC Youth League. He joined the National Assembly in May 2014. For two years, he was a deputy minister under President Jacob Zuma. He was a strong supporter of President Zuma during his time in office.
After the local elections in August 2016, he was chosen as the Mayor of Ekurhuleni. He held this job for five years. He also led the ANC's local branch in Ekurhuleni from 2014 to 2022. In December 2022, he was elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee for five years.
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Early Life and Political Start
Mzwandile Masina was born on 2 September 1974. He grew up in the East Rand area, which is now part of Ekurhuleni. His family was involved in the fight against apartheid. This made him interested in politics from a young age. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) and its Youth League.
As a student, he led a branch of the Congress of South African Students. He was also part of the South African Students Congress. He studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Pretoria. There, he earned a Master's degree in how to start and run a business.
Before becoming a full-time politician, Masina worked in several government jobs. He worked in departments dealing with minerals, economic growth, and business development. In 2012, he became the chief executive of the Gauteng Film Commission.
He moved up in the ANC, becoming a local branch secretary. He also joined the executive committee of the Ekurhuleni regional branch. He supported President Jacob Zuma in 2012, even when it was not a popular choice in his home province.
In April 2013, the ANC leaders chose Masina to be the temporary head of the ANC Youth League. The previous leaders had been removed. Masina was given the job of leading the league until new elections could be held. During this time, his strong opinions sometimes caused discussions.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry: 2014–2016
In the May 2014 general election, Masina was elected to the National Assembly. This is the main law-making body in South Africa. He was 109th on the ANC's list of candidates. On 25 May 2014, President Zuma announced his new government. He named Masina as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry. In this role, he worked with Minister Rob Davies.
In November 2014, Masina was elected as the chairman of the ANC's important regional branch in the City of Ekurhuleni. Robert Mashego became his deputy. In his early years as chairman, Masina often disagreed with the provincial leaders of the ANC in Gauteng. These provincial leaders did not share Masina's strong support for President Zuma.
Mayor of Ekurhuleni: 2016–2021
In June 2016, the ANC announced that Masina would be their candidate for Mayor of Ekurhuleni. This was for the upcoming local elections. News reports said that the ANC's national leaders supported him. This was despite some objections from the ANC's provincial leaders in Gauteng. They wanted the current mayor, Mondli Gungubele, to stay. Some people also said there were problems in how the ANC chose its candidates.
Masina promised to build many new houses and improve public services. He also promised to create a new university in the city. The election was held on 3 August 2016. The ANC did not win a majority of votes in Ekurhuleni. However, on 23 August, the new city council voted. Masina was elected mayor with 117 votes. Ghaleb Cachalia of the Democratic Alliance (DA) received 106 votes. Two smaller parties, the African Independent Congress and Pan Africanist Congress, helped Masina win. They formed a partnership with the ANC.
Masina left his job in the National Assembly to become mayor. As mayor, he started a program to improve the inner city of Germiston.
Supporting President Zuma
During his time as mayor, Masina continued to support President Zuma. He spoke out against calls for Zuma to leave office. He was seen as a very strong supporter of Zuma in Gauteng.
Before an important ANC meeting in December 2017, Masina supported Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. She was another ally of Zuma. She was running to become the next ANC president. Masina even said he would quit his job if Dlamini-Zuma's opponent, Cyril Ramaphosa, won. Ramaphosa was elected ANC president in December 2017. After this, Masina worked closely with Ace Magashule, who was seen as Ramaphosa's main opponent in the party.
Masina also had a good relationship with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), an opposition party. He was a personal friend of EFF leader Julius Malema. He seemed to agree with many of their ideas.
Leading the ANC in Ekurhuleni
Masina was re-elected as the ANC regional chairman in July 2018. Jongizizwe Dlabathi became his deputy. The next month, at a provincial meeting, he tried to become the party's provincial treasurer. He was part of a group supporting Lebogang Maile. Masina and Maile had been political friends since their time in the ANC Youth League. However, Parks Tau was elected provincial treasurer. Masina continued as the Ekurhuleni chairman.
Leaving the Mayoral Office
Before the 2021 local elections, the ANC nominated Masina to run for mayor again. The elections were held on 1 November 2021. The ANC again did not win a majority of seats in the council. On 22 November 2021, the new council met. They elected Tania Campbell of the DA to be the new mayor. Campbell received 116 votes, while Masina received 105. The EFF supported Campbell over Masina.
Opposition Leader in Ekurhuleni: 2021–2022
After he was no longer mayor, Masina stayed in Ekurhuleni. He became a regular council member and the leader of the ANC's opposition group. On 31 March 2022, police officers removed him from a council meeting. This happened after he reportedly interrupted a discussion. He also continued to be the ANC regional chairman. In May 2022, he won a close election to keep his chairman role. However, a court later said this election was not valid.
In October 2022, Mayor Campbell was removed from office by a vote of no confidence. Masina was said to have played a big part in this. Many people thought he would become mayor again. They expected a new partnership between the ANC and EFF. But within two weeks, Campbell was back as mayor with the EFF's support. EFF leader Malema later said that Masina's actions caused problems. He said Masina did not keep an agreement between the parties.
Meanwhile, the ANC provincial chairman, Panyaza Lesufi, said Masina had acted against the party's wishes. He was accused of harming talks between the ANC and EFF. Lesufi said Masina would face internal party charges. On 24 November 2022, the ANC announced that Masina would leave his job as a local council member on 30 November.
ANC National Conference: 2022
Before the ANC's 55th National Conference in December 2022, Masina and his Ekurhuleni branch strongly supported Zweli Mkhize. Mkhize was trying to replace Ramaphosa as ANC president. Masina himself was nominated to run for the position of ANC treasurer-general.
However, when the conference started on 18 December, Masina pulled out of the race. He supported another candidate, Pule Mabe. Masina said they had similar goals and wanted to avoid splitting votes. Even though he pulled out, his name was already on the ballot. He still received 281 votes. Mabe lost to Gwen Ramokgopa by a small number of votes.
However, the conference did elect Masina to the ANC National Executive Committee. This was his first time being elected to this important group. He was ranked 31st out of 80 elected candidates. After being elected, he stepped down as Ekurhuleni regional chairman, as required by ANC rules.
Return to the National Assembly: 2024–Present
Masina ran as an ANC candidate in the May 2024 general election. He was fifth on the ANC's list for the Gauteng area. He was elected and returned to the National Assembly. On 10 July 2024, he was also chosen to lead Parliament's committee on trade, industry, and competition.
Personal Life
Mzwandile Masina lives in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni. His wife is Sinazo Masina. They got married in November 2016 in Stellenbosch. They also had a traditional ceremony at Masina's family home in Ekurhuleni in December.
