Alpha Shelembe
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Alpha Shelembe is a South African politician who represented the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC) in the
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is unicameral in its composition and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the leading party or coalition members ...
from 2014 to 2019. Between 2006 and 2011, he was a local councillor in
Msunduzi Local Municipality Msunduzi Municipality () is a local municipality within the Umgungundlovu District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It encompasses the city of Pietermaritzburg, which is the capital of KwaZulu-Natal and the main economi ...
, where he was Speaker from 2006 to 2010 and Deputy Mayor for a brief period in 2011. He resigned from the council in June 2011 after prolonged protests calling for his removal. He is also known for his activities as a local ANC leader in the party's Moses Mabhida branch in
Umgungundlovu uMgungundlovu was the royal capital of the Zulu King Dingane (1828–1840) and one of several military complexes () which he maintained. He established his royal kraal in 1829 in the eMakhosini valley against Lion hill (''Singonyama''), just ...
, including as the branch's regional chairperson between 2012 and 2014.


Early life

Shelembe is from KwaShifu near Howick in present-day
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
(formerly
Natal province The Province of Natal (), commonly called Natal, was a province of South Africa from May 1910 until May 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. During this period rural areas inhabited by the black African population of Natal were organised int ...
). Shelembe's father, Prophet Bhekinduna L. Shelembe, was the leader of EKuphumuleni Nazareth Baptist Church which is one of the factions of the Shembe Church. Bhekinduna was married several times and Shelembe was the eldest of several siblings, including a twin brother, Omega, who reportedly later worked at the
National Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state ...
and Ithala Bank. According to the ''
Witness In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jur ...
'', Shelembe was an Inkatha activist in the 1980s and 1990s.


Local government

After the end of
apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English:  , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
in 1994, Shelembe defected to the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC), Inkatha's main rival in KwaZulu-Natal, and was elected to represent the ANC as a
local councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a Municipality, muni ...
. Among other positions, he served in the Mayoral Committee in
Umgungundlovu District Municipality uMgungundlovu is one of the 11 district municipalities ("districts") of KwaZulu-Natal province. The seat of uMgungundlovu is Pietermaritzburg. The majority of its 1 million+ residents speak Zulu (2001 Census). The district code is DC22. Geogr ...
.


Msunduzi Council: 2006–2011


Speaker

In the 2006 local elections, Shelembe was elected to an ANC council seat in
Msunduzi Local Municipality Msunduzi Municipality () is a local municipality within the Umgungundlovu District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It encompasses the city of Pietermaritzburg, which is the capital of KwaZulu-Natal and the main economi ...
, where he was elected
Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...
. During his tenure as Speaker, Msunduzi was
bankrupted Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
and placed under administration; amid claims that he was among those responsible for the turmoil, Shelembe was demoted from the Speaker's office in 2010, becoming an ordinary councillor for the rest of the council's term. He was also active in the ANC's Moses Mabhida regional branch in Umgungundlovu: having formerly served as Regional Secretary of the branch, he was elected as Regional Treasurer in August 2008.


Deputy Mayor

In the 2011 local elections, Shelembe was re-elected as a councillor and was appointed Deputy
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Msunduzi. His appointment was strongly opposed by a group of constituents, some from within the ANC and its
Tripartite Alliance The Tripartite Alliance is an alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). The ANC holds a plurality in the South African parliament, ...
partners, who said that the ANC had promised not to re-appoint any of the councillors who had been involved in the municipality's near-collapse in 2010. He was also accused of misconduct in his capacity as ANC Regional Treasurer by ANC members who alleged that he and Super Zuma, then ANC Regional Secretary, had improperly interfered in the process by which the party had selected its election candidates ahead of the 2011 elections. After Shelembe was sworn in as Deputy Mayor in June, disgruntled ANC members staged extensive protests, calling for his removal; the demonstrations included a weeks-long
sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
at the ANC's regional headquarters and a
Tripartite Alliance The Tripartite Alliance is an alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). The ANC holds a plurality in the South African parliament, ...
march through
Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...
.
Makhosi Khoza Makhosi Busisiwe Khoza is a South African politician who was the ActionSA candidate for Mayor of eThekwini in the 2021 municipal elections. She was previously an ANC Member of Parliament (MP) who served as chairperson of the Portfolio Committ ...
was among the ANC politicians who called for him to resign. The protests also coincided with Shelembe's arraignment in two separate criminal trials . On 21 June 2011, after less than a month in office as Deputy Mayor, Shelembe announced that he would retire from the council, although he continued to deny allegations of misconduct. He also resigned as ANC Regional Treasurer.


ANC Regional Chair: 2012–2014

Shelembe made a political comeback in March 2012 when he was elected Regional Chairperson of the ANC's Moses Mabhida branch. Mthandeni Dlungwana was elected his deputy on a
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
which also included Super Zuma and Thulani Xulu; they defeated an opposing slate backed by Mervyn Dirks and led by Bheki Nzimande, the outgoing Deputy Regional Chairperson. Although Shelembe's election caused some controversy – especially because he was still facing criminal charges – the incumbent ANC Provincial Secretary,
Sihle Zikalala Sihle Zikalala (born 6 August 1973) is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2023, representing the African National Congress. He was Minister of Public Works and Infr ...
, defended him and pointed out that he had never been found guilty of any wrongdoing. Shelembe served only one two-year term in the chairmanship; in 2014, he dropped his re-election bid, leaving Zuma to succeed him unopposed.


Criminal charges


Umgungundlovu property sale

On 7 June 2011, shortly after he was sworn in as Deputy Mayor, Shelembe appeared in court in Pietermaritzburg in connection with an allegedly
corrupt Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
property deal conducted while he was a councillor at Umgungundlovu District Municipality. Among those charged alongside him were his wife, Joyful; his sister, Nelisiwe; and his former colleague in the Umgungundlovu council, Lucky Moloi. The
National Prosecuting Authority The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is the agency of the South African Government responsible for state prosecutions. Under Section 179 of the South African Constitution and the National Prosecuting Authority Act of 1998, which establi ...
(NPA) alleged that, in 2003, Shelembe, Moloi, and another councillor had persuaded the municipality to buy a property at the inflated price of R6.85 million. According to the NPA, they had then received a R1-million
commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...
from the former owners of the property, which they had allegedly shared with four other people, including a property agent and Shelembe's wife and sister. The NPA charged Shelembe with corruption and
fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...
, for his role in the property deal and the alleged receipt of R200,000 commission, and with
money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
, for his involvement in distributing the commission. He pled not guilty to all charges. After the trial was postponed several times, Shelembe and his wife were acquitted in March 2013, though Moloi was found guilty of corruption.


Moses Mabhida arson attack

On 11 June 2011, during the sit-in by disgruntled members, the ANC's Moses Mabhida regional headquarters in Pietermaritzburg were set alight. Themba Dumisani Mabona, who was employed by the ANC as Super Zuma's driver, confessed to committing the arson attack, but claimed that Shelembe had asked him to start the fire in exchange for R500,000 and a full-time job in the ANC's offices. Shelembe was charged with arson in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court, with prosecutors alleging that Shelembe had intended for the fire to destroy documents, stored in the offices, which could have incriminated regional leaders, in particular by providing evidence of irregularities in the candidate selection process ahead of the 2011 local elections. However, Mabona was the state's only witness against Shelembe and the NPA dropped the arson charge in November 2011.


Provincial legislature

In the 2014 general election, Shelembe was elected to an ANC seat in the
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is unicameral in its composition and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the leading party or coalition members ...
, ranked 40th on the ANC's provincial
party list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can c ...
. He served only one term in the legislature and did not stand for re-election in the next general election in 2019. A longtime ally of
Zweli Mkhize Zwelini Lawrence Mkhize (born 2 February 1956) is a South African medical doctor and politician who served as the Minister of Health from May 2019 until his resignation on 5 August 2021. He previously served as the Minister of Cooperative Govern ...
, in 2017 Shelembe was viewed as the "main foot soldier" in Mkhize's campaign to be elected ANC President at the party's 54th National Conference. Although that campaign was not successful, Shelembe continued to support Mkhize after he resigned from the legislature, and he was among the first to endorse Mkhize's next presidential run in 2022.


Personal life

Shelembe is
polygamous Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more than one h ...
and, as of 2011, had three wives. After his father, Bhekinduna L. Shelembe, died in 2005, he and his siblings became engaged in a prolonged feud over control of the EKuphumuleni Nazareth Baptist Churchbr>
formerly led by Bhekinduna L. Shelembe, especially over control of the assets owned by the church and by Bhekinduna.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shelembe, Alpha Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature African National Congress politicians 21st-century South African politicians People from Umgungundlovu District Municipality