Nozibele Makanda:African Leader

Nozibele Makanda is Executive Mayor of Lukhanji Municipality located in the center of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Lukhanji is composed of Queenstown, the townships of Mlungisi, Ezibeleni and Ilinge, and surrounding rural areas of Whitlesea, Sada, Dongwe, and Hewu. Approximately 200,000 people live in this area.

Makanda was born in Mthatha, but visited her aunt who lives in Queenstown at Ezibeleni during holidays. She liked Queenstown and decided that when she qualified as a teacher she would work there. Her first offer of work was in Dordrecht, a small town outside of Queenstown. Four years later, after she married, she received a teaching post in Queenstown, Mlungisi Township and has lived there ever since.

Makanda was originally the Council Speaker/Chairperson of the Chris Hani District Municipality. Because of the challenges in the Lukhanji Municipality, the African National Congress (ANC), chose Makanda to replace the incumbent mayor. The Lukhanji Municipality is at the center of the Chris Hani District Municipality and has been identified as an important economic hub in the district developmental agenda.

She said that she accepted the position because “ANC decides on where one is deployed and I had put myself at its disposal when I agreed to be in the party’s list of councilors for the 2011 Local Government Elections.” In South Africa, party structures agree on who should be on their lists. Those lists for local councils are then distributed proportionally amongst winning parties in that council. The ruling party has a deployment committee that decides on who becomes Mayor.

Makanda’s husband, Luthando, and children Sipho, Yamkela, Qhayiya, Qhayisa, and Kuhle support her in this heavy responsibility. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.