The African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape has announced the death of Dr Nondumiso Maphazi, a senior member of the ANC Women’s League and former mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay. She passed away on Monday, 9 June, following a short illness.
Dr Maphazi served in various leadership roles within both the party and government over the past two decades, including as Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality from 2006 to 2009 and as a commissioner, later acting chair, of the Commission for Gender Equality.
In a statement, the ANC Eastern Cape branch described her death as a significant loss. “Death has robbed our movement and the people of South Africa of a humble, dependable and dedicated servant,” the party said.
Dr Maphazi held multiple qualifications in public administration and municipal governance, including a PhD from Nelson Mandela University focusing on accountability and good governance in local government. She was also a graduate of the Executive Leadership Programme in Municipal Development from the University of Pretoria and completed further studies in municipal finance at the University of the Witwatersrand.
She began her political career in local government in 2000, when the ANC deployed her as a PR councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay. She subsequently held several senior roles in the municipality, including as Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Health and for Infrastructure and Engineering, before assuming the mayoralty. She later served as political adviser to the Premier of the Eastern Cape and was appointed to the Commission for Gender Equality in 2012.
Her advocacy for gender equality and her involvement in initiatives to combat gender-based violence were frequently acknowledged by her peers. “Comrade Maphazi will be best remembered for her unrelenting commitment to the fight against gender based violence and her resolute belief in the ANC and the ANC Women's League as reliable tools in the hands of our people to effect fundamental and far-reaching transformation,” the party stated.
Until her death, Dr Maphazi was serving on the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC Women’s League in the Eastern Cape. She also chaired the South African Tourism Board from October 2022 and held a leadership role at the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency.
The ANC expressed its condolences to her family, colleagues and friends, saying: “It is our hope that they can find some solace during this very difficult time in the knowledge that their loss is shared by us, the comrades and friends she worked tirelessly with in the ANC Women’s League and the Congress Movement.”
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.