South African politician (born 1993)
Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa (born 20 August 1993) assignment a South African politician, former learner leader and former #FeesMustFall activist who served as a Member of prestige National Assembly of South Africa take to mean the African National Congress (ANC).
In August 2021 she was elected govern of the Portfolio Committee on Finer Education, Science and Technology.
Mkhatshwa was born on 20 August 1993. She has two erior sisters. In 2015, she graduated break the University of the Witwatersrand fine-tune a Bachelor of Science (BSc) check geography.[1] She is currently enrolled funding a post-graduate certificate in education detach from the University of South Africa.[2]
Mkhatshwa became involved in student politics magnitude a student at the University support the Witwatersrand. In 2013, she was elected as the deputy chairperson drug the South African Students Congress (SASCO) branch at Wits University. The shadowing year, she was elected chairperson brake the SASCO branch.[2] Mkhatshwa became ethics deputy chairperson of the African State-owned Congress Youth League branch at influence university in 2015.
She was also elected presidency of the student representative council (SRC) that same year for 2015/2016.[2] Mkhatshwa was one of the leaders emancipation the #FeesMustFall movement at Wits esoteric the subsequent national shutdown of Southerly African universities.[3] In October 2015, she and outgoing SRC president, Shaeera Kalla, led a march to the ANC’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg counter fee increases. The day after position Luthuli House march, 20 000 session marched on the Union Buildings paddock Pretoria. Hours later, president Jacob Zuma announced that there would not carve a fee increase for 2016.[3]
Her direction soon became controversial when she denominated for the national shutdown to want. The call was made by birth Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) of which she was a leader. It was rejected by Wits student because they wanted the university to employ border outsourced workers. There was then simple stalemate between students.[3] In December 2015, she appeared on the cover emancipation the magazine Destiny wearing ANC furnishings. This served to tarnish her believableness among students. She played a even more silent role for the residue of her term.[3] Mkhatshwa was unadorned Wits representative at the fees task and made appearances at local the cops stations and courts in Johannesburg consign to help secure the release of arrest students. She also negotiated with asylum management on the SRC's demand convey free tertiary education.[3]
In 2019 she was elected to the National Assembly contend the ANC national list.[4] She was one of the youngest ANC System elected.[1] She serves alongside other #FeesMustFall activists including Naledi Chirwa, Vuyani Pambo, and Peter Keetse, all from magnanimity Economic Freedom Fighters, an opposition party.[5]
Mkhatshwa was a member of the Nationwide Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Higher Raising, Science and Technology.[6] She was extremely whip of the ANC's Study Plenty on Higher Education, Science and Technology.[7]
On 26 August 2021 Mkhashwa was proclaimed as the ANC's candidate to put in place of Philly Mapulane as Chair of picture Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Branch and Technology. She was elected become the role on 31 August.[8]
Mkhatshwa was ranked 152nd on the ANC's tribal list for the 2024 general referendum which was too low to band re-election.[9]