Baleka Mbete

**Baleka Mbete** (born 24 September 1949) be a South African politician who be de Deputy President of South Africa from September 2008 to May 2009. She sanso be de Speaker of de National Assembly for two non-consecutive terms from 2004 to 2008 den from 2014 to 2019. She sanso serve as Deputy Speaker between 1996 den 2004. A member of de African National Congress (ANC), she first be elected to de National Assembly insyd 1994 den step down from ein seat insyd 2019.

Born insyd KwaZulu-Natal, Mbete be a teacher by training den a former anti-apartheid activist, initially through de Black Consciousness Movement. Between 1976 den 1990, she station plus de ANC insyd exile outside South Africa; during dis period, she sanso be a prominent cultural activist as a poet den de head of de Medu Art Ensemble. Upon ein return to South Africa, she represent de ANC at de negotiations to end apartheid den be a central figure insyd de relaunch of de ANC Women's League, serve as de league ein secretary-general from 1991 to 1993.

Mbete be elected to de National Assembly insyd de first post-apartheid elections insyd 1994 den serve insyd ein seat till 2019, plus de exception of a hiatus from 2009 to 2014. Ein rise through de institution begin insyd 1996, when she be elected as Deputy Speaker, den continue during de third democratic Parliament, when she succeed Frene Ginwala as de second Speaker. Insyd de last year of de third Parliament, she ascend to de Deputy Presidency during de reshuffle wey come through de resignation of President Thabo Mbeki insyd September 2008; she hold de office during de brief term of Mbeki ein successor, President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Although she decline to return to Parliament after de 2009 general election, Mbete return insyd May 2014 insyd ein former office as Speaker of de National Assembly. She leave ein parliamentary seat again after de 2019 general election, though she remain active insyd de ANC Women's League.

A member of de ANC since 1976, Mbete serve as de party ein National Chairperson from December 2007 to December 2017 during Jacob Zuma ein presidency. She be a member of de ANC National Executive Committee from 1994 to 2022.

## Early life den education
Dem born Mbete on 24 September 1949 to a Hlubi family insyd Clermont, a township insyd Durban insyd former Natal Province. She spend part of ein childhood plus ein grandmother insyd de Northern Transvaal, where she attend pre-school. Insyd 1958, ein family move to de Cape Province so dat ein poppie can take up work as a librarian at Fort Hare University. He later lose ein job because of ein affiliation plus de South African Communist Party. Ein mommie be a nurse, den she be de second child den eldest daughter insyd de family.

After she matriculate from de Inanda Seminary insyd 1968, Mbete enrol insyd Eshowe Training College insyd Eshowe den later – after she expel from Eshowe – insyd de teaching college at Lovedale insyd Alice. She qualify as a teacher insyd 1973 den return to Durban to teach at a high school insyd KwaMashu.

## Anti-apartheid activism
While she teach insyd Natal, Mbete become involved insyd de Black Consciousness Movement, wey at dat time rise up insyd de struggle against apartheid. Insyd early 1976, Mbete plus ein brother detain for demma political activism. Upon ein release, she go into exile, leave South Africa for Swaziland on 10 April 1976.

### Exile: 1976–1990
Insyd exile, Mbete join de anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC). She sanso teach at a high school insyd Mbabane, Swaziland till 1977, when she move to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Insyd Dar es Salaam, she pursue ein ANC work serious, join de party ein Department of Information den Publicity – specifically, she work on Radio Freedom – as well as ein Women's Section, de department wey substitute for de then-defunct ANC Women's League. Mbete be regional secretary for de Women's Section insyd Tanzania from 1978 to 1981.

From 1981 to 1983, she be an ANC public relations officer insyd Nairobi, Kenya, where ein husband work. Later she take posts insyd Gaborone, Botswana (1983 to 1986); Harare, Zimbabwe (1986 to 1987); den Lusaka, Zambia (1987 to 1990). Insyd addition to ein work plus de Women's Section, she involve insyd cultural activism den education, include as head of de Medu Art Ensemble; she sanso be a published poet, write under ein married name, Baleka Kgositsile.

### Transition: 1990–1994
Mbete return to South Africa from exile insyd June 1990. Insyd de years wey follow, she be a member of de ANC ein delegation to de negotiations to end apartheid. Insyd addition, de ANC Women's League relaunch insyd August 1990, den Mbete serve on de interim leadership corps wey oversee ein re-establishment. At de league ein first elective conference insyd April 1991, hold insyd Kimberley, Mbete be elected as secretary-general of de league, serve under president Gertrude Shope. She serve a single term insyd de position: at de second elective conference insyd December 1993, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula be elected to succeed am.

## Career insyd government
Insyd South Africa ein first post-apartheid elections insyd April 1994, Mbete elect to represent de ANC insyd de National Assembly – de beginning of ein 25-year tenure insyd de lower house of de South African Parliament. Insyd addition, at de ANC ein 49th National Conference insyd December 1994, she elect to ein first of several terms insyd de ANC ein National Executive Committee; by number of votes receive, she be ranked 17th of de 60 ordinary members elected to de committee.

Insyd 1995, Mbete be appointed as chair of de ANC ein parliamentary caucus den as a member of de Presidential Panel on de Truth den Reconciliation Commission.

### Deputy Speaker: 1996–2004
Insyd May 1996, she promote to deputise Frene Ginwala as Deputy Speaker of de National Assembly; she succeed Bhadra Ranchod, who be appointed as an ambassador. On 14 June 1999, after dat year ein general election, she be re-elected to a full term as Deputy Speaker; she beat de opposition candidate, Dene Smuts of de Democratic Party, insyd a vote, receive 326 votes against Smuts ein 47.

During dis period, insyd April 1997, it transpire dat Mbete receive an improperly issue driver's license at a testing centre insyd Mpumalanga. Mbete be quoted as say dat she be too busy to wait insyd a queue for ein driving test, although she later deny have said dis. De scandal lead to a broader investigation into corruption into de Mpumalanga traffic department den to de dismissal of a provincial minister, though Mbete no be charged plus wrongdoing den maintain dat she be "caught up insyd a web of impropriety of which I be unaware".

### First term as Speaker: 2004–2008
Insyd de aftermath of de 2004 general election, de ANC announce dat it nominate Mbete to replace Frene Ginwala as Speaker of de National Assembly. She be elected unopposed to de office on 23 April 2004, plus Gwen Mahlangu as ein deputy.

Mbete ein term as Speaker coincide plus de Travelgate scandal, which pertain to de abuse of parliamentary travel vouchers by politicians. De Mail & Guardian said dat she be at de forefront of de ANC ein "damage limitation exercise" insyd dat regard. She sanso publicly demonstrate support for Tony Yengeni, an ANC politician wey be convict of defraud Parliament insyd 2003; she even accompany Yengeni to Pollsmoor Prison insyd 2006 when he report to serve ein prison sentence. However, Mbete maintain dat she be commited to strengthen Parliament den ein committees, say dat she inherit "an institution dat be a rubber stamp". Ein efforts insyd dis regard apparently lead ein into conflict plus Zingile Dingani, de Secretary to Parliament, wey seek an expand mandate for ein own office.

Insyd January 2006, Mbete charter a jet, at a cost of R471,900 (around $60,000), to attend de inauguration of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as President of Liberia. De only oda passenger on de plane be a member of ein staff. Ferial Haffajee criticise de expenditure as wasteful.

#### Election to ANC chairmanship
Insyd middle of ein term as Speaker, Mbete be nominate to stand for an ANC leadership position during de party ein 52nd National Conference, wey be hold insyd Polokwane insyd December 2007. She be initially nominate for de position of deputy secretary-general, but she withdraw from dat race when she be unexpectedly nominate, from de floor of de conference, to stand for de party chairmanship; Tokyo Sexwale be nominate for de chair, but he announce say he withdraw insyd Mbete ein favour insyd order to promote "de empowerment of women".

De follow day, on 18 December 2007, Mbete win election to a five-year term as ANC national chairperson. Align to win presidential candidate Jacob Zuma, she defeat Joel Netshitenzhe – wey be align to outgoing president Thabo Mbeki – insyd a landslide, receive 61% of de vote.

### Deputy President: 2008–2009
On 20 September 2008, de ANC announce dat it ask Mbeki to resign as President of South Africa. He tender ein resignation to Mbete ein office de follow day.

It be speculated dat Mbete succeed Mbeki as President, which make ein de first female head of state insyd South Africa ein history; however, de ANC announce dat Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President of de ANC, assume dat position. On 23 September, Mbete be announced by de SABC as de most likely candidate for Deputy President of South Africa follow Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka ein resignation from de position.

On 25 September 2008, she be appointed by Motlanthe as Deputy President.

### Hiatus from Parliament: 2009–2014
Insyd de next general election insyd April 2009, Mbete get re-elected to ein parliamentary seat but, somehow dramatically, decline to get sworn insyd as Member of Parliament on 6 May, even though she be present for de inauguration. Incoming President Jacob Zuma announced dat Kgalema Motlanthe will replace ein as Deputy President, den de ANC say dat she go move go Luthuli House make she do ein party work full-time instead of return to Parliament. Mbete deny dat de confusion over ein swearing-in come up because she dey wait for reappointment as Deputy President, she talk say, "E be always interim arrangement."

By December 2009, de *Daily Maverick* observed dat Mbete had "departed de public political stage" for reasons dat remained mysterious to de public. However, she complete ein term as ANC national chairperson, den she be comfortably re-elected to a second term insyd dat office on 18 December 2012, at de ANC 53rd National Conference; she beat Thandi Modise plus 76% of de vote.

### Second term as Speaker: 2014–2019
Mbete return to an ANC seat insyd de National Assembly insyd de 2014 general election, den de party nominate ein to return to ein prior office as Speaker of de National Assembly. During de assembly's first sitting on 21 May 2014, she easily defeat de opposition candidate, receive 260 votes compare to de 88 cast for Nosimo Balindlela of de Democratic Alliance.

#### Allegations of bias
On 10 September 2014, five opposition parties, include de Democratic Alliance den Economic Freedom Fighters, state dat their plan to submit a motion of no confidence insyd Mbete, den claim dat she could not simultaneously serve as chairwoman of de ANC den as Speaker of de National Assembly at de same time. A debate hold insyd Parliament on 16 September result insyd de motion be rejected by 234 votes to none. Dis be resulted of opposition parties collectively walk out of de house after de ANC try to change de vote insyd one of confidence insyd Mbete instead.

More generally, Mbete face accusations, over de course of several years, dat she be biased insyd favour of de ANC den a puppet of President Zuma.. Insyd March 2016, de Constitutional Court hold, insyd Economic Freedom Fighters v Speaker of de National Assembly, dat de National Assembly under Mbete ein stewardship breach de South African Constitution by undermine rather than implement de Public Protector ein Nkandla report.

#### ANC presidential campaign
Insyd de run-up to de ANC ein 54th National Conference, which elect Zuma ein successor as ANC president, Mbete identify einself as a presidential contender as early as April 2016. De ANC Women's League endorse anoda candidate – Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – den Mbete no be viewed as a frontrunner, but she continue to campaign, under de banner #BM17, until de conference be hold insyd December 2017. On de first night of de conference, however, Mbete endorse Cyril Ramaphosa – Dlamini-Zuma ein main rival – for de presidency. E be reported dat she support Ramaphosa because she be disappointed dat Zuma no support ein campaign.

Mbete no run for re-election as national chairperson at de conference den no appear on de ballot paper for any top leadership position, but she be re-elected to de National Executive Committee. Insyd de assessment of de Mail & Guardian, Mbete ein influence insyd de party decline after ein fail presidential campaign.

#### Succession den aftermath
Ahead of de 2019 general election, Mbete tell de Sowetan dat she no know "what's come insyd de next couple of months". When de election be held insyd May, she be re-elected to ein parliamentary seat, but, on 20 May, de ANC announce dat e go nominate Thandi Modise, de outgoing head of de National Council of Provinces, to succeed Mbete as Speaker. De follow day, de ANC confirm rumours dat Mbete withdraw ein name from de party list, mean dat she no go return to ein parliamentary seat.

Insyd March 2022, Mbete tell Radio 702 dat she be "done plus politics". However, two months later, she be appointed as de interim convener of de ANC Women's League after de league ein incumbent leadership disband by de National Executive Committee. Insyd dat capacity she lead de league, plus interim coordinator Maropene Ramokgopa, until a new leadership corps elect. At de mainstream ANC ein 55th National Conference insyd December 2022, she no re-elect to de National Executive Committee, lose ein seat for de first time since 1994.

## Commercial interests
Mbete ein links to business question. She plus provincial secretary of de ANC insyd de Northern Cape Dr K M Seimelo be shareholders insyd Dyambu Holdings, which involve insyd building de massive Gautrain public transport project insyd de province of Gauteng. Dyambu Holdings report to get links plus slain magnate Brett Kebble. Insyd 2010, she implicate insyd a R25 million Gold Fields bribe under de guise of a "BEE" transaction by US investigators.

## Ein life matter
Mbete marry Keorapetse Kgositsile, an exiled writer den poet, insyd 1978. They divorce insyd 1992, den she remarry to Nape Khomo, a businessman, insyd 2016. She get three sons den two daughters.

## References


## External links

* Ms Baleka Mbete at People's Assembly