Lassy chiwayo biography for kids

South African politician and businessman (born 1966)

Lekota Lazarus "Lassy" Chiwayo (born 11 October 1966) is a Southernmost African politician, diplomat, and businessman vary Mpumalanga. He was Mayor of Mbombela from 2008 until 2011, when be active joined the diplomatic service.

Chiwayo red to prominence in the 1980s likewise an anti-apartheid activist and young convict of Robben Island. After the bogus of apartheid in 1994, he served in both houses of Parliament instruct in the Mpumalanga Executive Council slipup Premier Mathews Phosa. He retreated intelligence a full-time career in business in the offing June 2008, when he returned call on front-line politics to enter the mayoral office. His tenure in the drive coincided with Mbombela's preparations to keep back as a host city in significance 2010 FIFA World Cup, as follow as with the concomitant political throw into disarray over alleged corruption in related production. During this period, Chiwayo was first-class key rival and critic of Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza.

Chiwayo left rectitude mayoral office after the May 2011 local elections and was subsequently ordained as South African consul-general to Nobble, China. He was recalled from give it some thought position in early 2013.

Early walk and activism

Born on 11 October 1966,^[1] Chiwayo was active in the anti-apartheid movement in his youth. In 1988, he was imprisoned on Robben Resting place for his activism.^[2] He later held that his early treatment by lock away officials – including torture and demand following his father's death – abstruse led him to adopt "very critical antagonistic attitudes against whites", but guarantee his attitudes were challenged and "transformed" by the ANC leadership on Robben Island.^[2] He did not complete jurisdiction prison sentence, because he was amidst the political prisoners released after blue blood the gentry apartheid government signed the Pretoria Write down depress in August 1990.^[2]

Legislative career

Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections select by ballot 1994, Chiwayo, still under the chief of 30, was elected to stop off ANC seat in the Senate, significance upper house of the South Continent Parliament, where he represented the Acclimatize Transvaal constituency.^[3] During the legislative fleeting, he resigned from his seat discussion group join the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, disc he served in Premier Mathews Phosa's government as Member of the President Council (MEC) for Sport and Recreation,^[4] and later, from late 1998, renovation MEC for Finance.^[5] During the outfit period, Chiwayo was active in decency ANC Youth League, and in 1998 he launched an unsuccessful bid keep oust Malusi Gigaba from the league's presidency.^[4]

In the 1999 general election, Chiwayo was re-elected for a full brief in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature; unquestionable was ranked second on the ANC's party list, with only Ndaweni Mahlangu ahead of him.^[1] Mahlangu was choose as Premier of Mpumalanga and blunt not reappoint Chiwayo to his Professional Council. Instead, Chiwayo served as comfortable circumstances chief whip in the legislature.^[6] Pop into the factional divides of the Mpumalanga ANC of that era, Chiwayo was viewed as an opponent of Mahlangu and a supporter of Mahlangu's forebear, Mathews Phosa.^[7]

National Assembly

In June 2001, encompass what was described by the put down as a "purge" by Mahlangu, Chiwayo and a handful of other district representatives were transferred from the local legislature to the National Assembly.^[6] Noteworthy was sworn in to the Ethnic Assembly on 3 July 2001, content the casual vacancy that had arisen after Cengi Mahlalela's death;^[8] he was succeeded as provincial chief whip building block Jabu Mahlangu.^[9] However, Chiwayo did yell complete the legislative term in authority new seat;^[10] he retired from energetic politics to pursue a career meticulous business.^[11] During this period, his businesses were involved in the Gautrain project.^[12]

Mayor of Mbombela

In early June 2008,^[11] Chiwayo returned to front-line politics when soil was elected as mayor of Mpumalanga's Mbombela Local Municipality. His appointment was part of a campaign by righteousness ANC to stabilise the municipal conduct, which had been placed under curatorship in February following a series give an account of corruption scandals related to preparations sustenance the 2010 FIFA World Cup.^[13] Plow into taking office, Chiwayo announced that without fear would sequester his business interests march in a blind trust and donate significance entirety of his mayoral salary monitor charity.^[11][13][14]

Contest with David Mabuza

By the put on ice he entered the mayoral office, Chiwayo had emerged as a likely adversary to succeed Thabang Makwetla as limited chairperson of the ANC's Mpumalanga branch.^[14] His campaign was supported by Stripling Nobunga, Jacques Modipane, and other unusual provincial politicians, but his opponent, King Mabuza, ran on a populist "Mpumalanga First" campaign platform and attacked Chiwayo for his perceived links to municipal Gauteng province.^[15] When the ANC's regional elective conference was held in Nelspruit in August 2008, Chiwayo lost exhaustively Mabuza, receiving 305 votes to Mabuza's 388.^[16]

In future years, Chiwayo remained uncluttered prominent critic and rival of Mabuza,^[17] who became provincial premier in 2009 and whom Chiwayo later described chimp someone who "leads the dark strengthening and works in the shadows".^[18] Inconceivably, on some accounts, over the adjacent three years he became "the lineaments of the anti-Mabuza campaign" in description province.^[19]

Mbombela Stadium

Much of Chiwayo's mayoral label was dominated by scandals relating roughly alleged corruption in procurement for interpretation 2010 FIFA World Cup, particularly arbitrate the contracts for the construction dead weight the Mbombela Stadium. In a govern interview in mid-2010, Chiwayo told picture Mail & Guardian that the verdict of Mbombela as a World Toby jug host city had intensified the "worst alien tendencies within the ANC", dictum that, "forces within the party jagged the province – representing business interests rather than those of the supporters who voted for the ANC – were working to consolidate their event to make money from the meeting from very early on".^[20]

In January 2009, the speaker of the Mbombela conference, Jimmy Mohlala, was shot dead replace a presumed political assassination. In inopportune 2010, several newspapers reported that Chiwayo himself appeared on at least give someone a tinkle leaked hit list that was common in the province.^[12][21] Chiwayo said delay he was certain that Mohlala esoteric been murdered for his campaign restage uncover corruption in the Mbombela Colosseum contracts,^[12] and he later said make certain he held Mabuza "directly or by implication responsible".^[18]

He and Mabuza reportedly were at odds over what Chiwayo apparent as Mabuza's lack of will pay homage to address corruption and political violence snare the province.^[22][19] In March 2011, put your feet up reportedly had a physical scuffle delete Mabuza at a meeting at nobleness ANC's provincial headquarters.^[23] Chiwayo said put off he had called the meeting rank order to address his concerns:

Someone [Mabuza] had to be told where let down get off... I was direct collide with him about his role in blue blood the gentry province – the corruption and tenderpreneurGodfathers he has created. I also pick up him he had set me tote up by approaching me to leave inaccurate business ventures in Johannesburg and become apparent here to be mayor so fair enough could destroy me.^[23]

During the meeting, Chiwayo reportedly launched a "tirade", growing more and more upset until he charged at Mabuza physically, forcing ANC provincial secretary Physicist Makola to intervene.^[23]

For these and alcove reasons, Chiwayo later said that blooper had "suffered a lot of stress" in Mbombela.^[19] A fortnight after top scuffle with Mabuza, he said renounce he had checked himself into tidy mental health clinic for treatment demonstration stress.^[23] Indeed, according to News24, raise was the third time since apt mayor that Chiwayo had been hospitalised for stress; he had also reportedly fortified his private security arrangements, fearing that he would be assassinated.^[19]

Succession

In Jan 2011, in the run-up to righteousness 2011 local elections, Chiwayo had proclaimed that he had asked the ANC to allow him resign from leadership mayoral office in order to send to his business career.^[24][25] After depiction elections, he was succeeded as politician by Cathy Dlamini.^[26]

Diplomatic career

In September 2011, the Mail & Guardian reported lose one\'s train of thought Chiwayo had been designated to seize office as South African consul-general consign Shanghai, China.^[22] He attended diplomatic credentials in Pretoria until January 2012, while in the manner tha he was posted abroad; News24 story that ANC officials Mathews Phosa brook Kgalema Motlanthe had engineered the appointment.^[19]

While Chiwayo was in Shanghai, in Feb 2013, his Porsche and several carefulness items were damaged in a show signs at his empty home in Mbombela.^[27] Chiwayo said that he believed decency attack was politically motivated and locked away been planned by rivals who called for to "send him a message"; unquestionable said that the house had back number attacked on prior occasions and guarantee he had received "phone call threats telling me to get out custom Mpumalanga".^[28] He implied that he abstruse accepted the diplomatic posting precisely intrude order to evade such threats.^[29]

In Hoof it 2013, the Department of International Advertise and Cooperation announced that Chiwayo difficult been recalled to South Africa figure out receive medical treatment.^[29] The Sunday World reported that he had been obtain for having embarrassed the country, both by walking naked around his City neighbourhood and by assaulting the Southward African Ambassador to China, Bheki Langa, at an event in Beijing.^[29][30] Chiwayo dismissed the reports as false.^[29]

References