Panyaza Lesufi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Panyaza Lesufi
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Lesufi in 2014
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| 7th Premier of Gauteng | |
| Assumed office 6 October 2022 |
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| Preceded by | David Makhura |
| Chairperson of the African National Congress in Gauteng | |
| Assumed office 27 June 2022 |
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| Deputy | Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko |
| Preceded by | David Makhura |
| Gauteng MEC for Education | |
| In office 31 May 2019 – 6 October 2022 |
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| Premier | David Makhura |
| Preceded by | Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko |
| Succeeded by | Matome Chiloane |
| In office 23 May 2014 – 29 May 2019 |
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| Premier | David Makhura |
| Preceded by | Barbara Creecy |
| Succeeded by | Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko |
| Acting Gauteng MEC for Social Development | |
| In office 5 November 2019 – 19 June 2020 |
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| Premier | David Makhura |
| Preceded by | Thuliswa Nkabinde-Khawe |
| Succeeded by | Nomathemba Mokgethi |
| Gauteng MEC for Finance and e-Government | |
| In office 30 May 2019 – 31 May 2019 |
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| Premier | David Makhura |
| Preceded by | Barbara Creecy |
| Succeeded by | Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko |
| Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature | |
| Assumed office 21 May 2014 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Andrek Lesufi
4 September 1968 Edenvale, South Africa |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Other political affiliations |
South African Communist Party |
| Alma mater | University of Natal |
| Occupation | Politician |
Andrek "Panyaza" Lesufi (born 4 September 1968) is a South African politician. He became the seventh Premier of Gauteng in October 2022. The Premier is like the head leader of the Gauteng province.
Before becoming Premier, he was the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in the Gauteng provincial government. This means he was in charge of education for the province from May 2014 to October 2022. For a short time in 2019, he was also the MEC for Finance. He also acted as the MEC for Social Development from November 2019 to June 2020.
Panyaza Lesufi was an activist against apartheid, which was a system of racial separation in South Africa. He started his political journey in government jobs, working in communications for the Ekurhuleni government and later for the national government. He worked in the Department of Basic Education from 2009 to 2014. In 2014, he was first elected to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, which is like the provincial parliament.
He is a member of the African National Congress (ANC), a major political party in South Africa. He has been part of the ANC's leadership in Gauteng since 2007. In June 2022, he became the leader of the ANC in Gauteng. He is also a member of the South African Communist Party.
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Early Life and Activism
Andrek Lesufi was born on 4 September 1968 in Edenvale, South Africa. His family was forced to move to Tembisa because of the apartheid-era Group Areas Act. This law made people move based on their race.
He got the nickname "Panyaza" because he loved playing football. He went to Tlamatlama Lower Primary School and Tshepisa Higher Primary School. He finished high school at Boitumelong Senior Secondary School in Tembisa. There, he became involved in student politics. He later studied at the University of Natal and earned a Master's degree in business administration.
While at university, Lesufi was elected president of the student representative council. He was part of many student groups that worked against apartheid. These included the Congress of South African Students (COSAS). He also helped community groups like the Community Policing Forum. These groups were linked to the United Democratic Front (UDF), which fought against apartheid.
During the political violence of the 1980s and early 1990s, he was active in UDF-aligned Self-Defence Units. He was arrested twice for his activism. Once in 1989 for going against emergency rules, and again in 1995.
When the African National Congress (ANC) was allowed to operate again in 1990, he helped rebuild its local groups. He became the secretary of his local ANC branch in Tembisa.
Early Government Career
After apartheid ended in 1994, Lesufi took on several roles in the new government.
Working for Local and National Government
When the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality was created in 2000, he became the spokesperson for its first mayor. He also worked as a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority.
He helped set up the South African Social Security Agency in 2005. He also worked with the Minister of Police to create the Hawks, a special police unit, in 2008.
After the 2009 general election, he became an advisor to Angie Motshekga, who was the new Minister of Basic Education. In 2011, he became the head of communications for the Department of Basic Education. He was even named Media Liaison Officer of the Year in 2012. For a short time in 2014, he was the acting director-general in the department.
Moving to Gauteng Provincial Government
In the 2014 general election, Lesufi was elected as a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. This meant he became a representative for the Gauteng province. He was then appointed as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education by Gauteng Premier David Makhura.
He was re-elected in the 2019 general election. After this election, Premier Makhura first appointed Lesufi as MEC for Finance. However, just one day later, Makhura changed his mind. He put Lesufi back as MEC for Education and Youth Development. This was because many people, including the public and education experts, wanted Lesufi to continue leading the education sector.
From November 2019 to June 2020, Lesufi also served as the acting MEC for Social Development.
Rise in the Gauteng ANC
During this time, Lesufi also became more important in the ANC in Gauteng. He spent eight years as a deputy regional secretary for the ANC. In 2007, he was elected to the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC in Gauteng.
Becoming Deputy Chairperson
In June 2018, he was elected Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the ANC in Gauteng. He won this position by a small number of votes.
Becoming Chairperson
The previous ANC Provincial Chairperson, David Makhura, did not run for re-election in 2022. Lesufi decided to run for the top position. On 27 June 2022, Lesufi was elected Provincial Chairperson of the Gauteng ANC. This made him the main leader of the ANC in the Gauteng province.
As of 2021, Lesufi was also a member of the South African Communist Party (SACP). This party works closely with the ANC.
Premier of Gauteng
On 4 October 2022, David Makhura announced he was stepping down as Premier. Some groups within the Gauteng ANC wanted Lesufi to take over. This would avoid having "two centres of power," meaning the same person would lead both the province and the ANC in the province.
On 6 October, the Gauteng provincial legislature elected Lesufi to become the new Premier. He won against Solly Msimanga, who leads the opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Lesufi was re-elected as the Premier of Gauteng on 14 June 2024. This happened after different political parties agreed to work together in a Government of National Unity. After his election, Lesufi announced his new cabinet. He chose members from various opposition parties, but not the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance. This was because the two parties could not agree on how to govern Gauteng together.
