Thuthukile Zuma (born 28 April 1989) is the youngest of former

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

n president Jacob Zuma's four daughters with ex-wife

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma (née Dlamini; born 27 January 1949), sometimes referred to by her initials NDZ, is a South African politician, medical doctor and former anti-apartheid activist. A longstanding member of the African National Cong ...

. She was the chief of staff to Minister

Siyabonga Cwele Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele (born 3 September 1958) is a South African doctor and politician, a long-serving member of the African National Congress. He has held various ministerial positions and served as the Minister of Home Affairs from 2018 ...

in the

Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (formerly the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services and the Department of Communications) is one of the departments of the South African government. It is responsible for ov ...

, and held the distinction of being the youngest head of a minister’s office ever appointed in South Africa. Her appointment was criticised due to her youth, her perceived lack of skills and experience for the position, and her close personal relationship with the president, raising concerns of

nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, and ...

Early life

Zuma graduated from

Westerford High School Westerford High School is a public English medium co-educational high school situated in the suburbs of Rondebosch and Newlands in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It has a campus in Rondebosch where the main school build ...

in December, 2006, and went on to complete a degree in anthropology in 2012 from the

University of Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

. She co-owns Nyenyedzi Productions with her sisters Nokuthula Nomaquawe and

Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube (born 10 October 1985) is a South African producer, actress and daughter of former President Jacob Zuma and African National Congress (ANC) politician Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and daughter-in-law to Zimbabwean Movement for Democ ...

, which production company produced

Mzansi Magic Mzansi Magic is a South African digital satellite and general entertainment channel created by Multichoice and run by M-Net's local interest division, and is broadcast on DStv. History The channel launched in mid-July 2010 on channel 107 as ...

's sitcom, It’s for Life, in 2011. Also in 2011, she and her sister Gugulethu volunteered at Luthuli House, the headquarters of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

(ANC). She then joined the State Security Agency as a public liaison officer for less than a year, and, after the 2014 national elections, moved to the position of chief of staff for the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, where she received an annual salary of almost R1 million. It was reported that the position was never advertised, contrary to proper government procurement procedures. A statement released by the Department stated that “The minister only considered her capacity to do the job and her qualifications. Her genealogy was never a consideration.” The Public Service Commission investigated the appointment after complaints were lodged. Zuma resigned from her position as chief of staff in December, 2015. She continues to be involved in the ANC, and politics on behalf of her father and mother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuma, Thuthukile 1989 births Thuthukile Zuma Living people People from King Cetshwayo District Municipality Zulu people Daughters of national leaders