Jackson Mthembu

{{Short description|South African politician (1958–2021)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Jackson Mthembu | native_name = | native_name_lang = | honorific_suffix = | office = Minister in the Presidency | term_start = 30 May 2019 | term_end = 21 January 2021 | president = Cyril Ramaphosa | predecessor = Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma | successor = Mondli Gungubele | office1 = Chief Whip of the Majority Party | president1 = Jacob Zuma<br>Cyril Ramaphosa | term_start1 = 2 March 2016 | term_end1 = 22 May 2019 | predecessor1 = Stone Sizani | successor1 = Pemmy Majodina | office2 = Member of the National Assembly of South Africa | term_start2 = 16 May 2014 | term_end2 = 21 January 2019 | successor2 = Xiaomei Havard | office3 = National Spokesperson of the African National Congress | term_start3 = 1995 | term_end3 = 20 December 1997 | president3 = Nelson Mandela | predecessor3 = Carl Niehaus | successor3 = Carl Niehaus | term_start4 = 9 May 2009 | term_end4 = 26 May 2014 | predecessor4 = Carl Niehaus | successor4 = Zizi Kodwa | president4 = Kgalema Motlanthe<br>Jacob Zuma | birth_name = Jackson Mphikwa Mthembu | birth_date = {{Birth date|1958|06|05|df=y}} | birth_place = Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|01|21|1958|06|05|df=y}} | death_place = Johannesburg, South Africa | death_cause = COVID-19 | citizenship = South Africa | party = African National Congress | parents = Rosie Nantoni Mthembu (d. 25 February 2018) | spouse = Thembi Mthembu | children = 6 | occupation = {{flatlist| * Politician * spokesperson * anti-apartheid activist}} }}

'''Jackson Mphikwa Mthembu''' (5 June 1958 – 21 January 2021) was a South African politician who served as Minister in the Presidency of South Africa's government, and as a parliamentarian for the African National Congress (ANC). Previously, he served as the Whip of Parliament for the ruling ANC as well as the national spokesperson for the ANC.<ref>{{cite web|title=ANC names new national spokesperson|url=http://www.news24.com/elections/news/anc-names-new-national-spokesperson-20140526|publisher=news24|access-date=18 July 2014|year=2014}}</ref>

==Early life== Mthembu was born in Witbank<ref name=govza>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.za/about-government/contact-directory/presidency/jackson-mthembu-mr|title=Jackson Mthembu|access-date=21 January 2021|publisher=South African Government}}</ref> on 5 June 1958. His mother was Nantoni Mthembu.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://013.co.za/2018/03/05/mabuza-speaks-land-expropriation-gogo-nantonis-funeral/|title=Mabuza speaks land expropriation at Gogo Nantoni's funeral|publisher=013News|date=5 March 2018|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

==Political career== Mthembu served as the MEC for Transport in Mpumalanga from 1997 to 1999, during which he was criticized for spending R2.3 million on ten BMWs.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Lodge | first = Tom | title = Politics in South Africa: From Mandela to Mbeki | publisher = Indiana University Press | edition = 2nd | year = 2003 | location = Bloomington, Indiana | pages = [https://archive.org/details/politicsinsoutha0000lodg/page/38 38]–39 | url = https://archive.org/details/politicsinsoutha0000lodg | url-access = registration | isbn = 978-0-253-21587-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last = Heidenheimer | first = Arnold J. | title = Political Corruption: Concepts and Contexts | publisher = Transaction Publishers | edition = 3rd | year = 2002 | location = Piscataway, New Jersey | page = 420 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=49y50pzjAzAC | isbn = 978-0-7658-0761-8}}</ref>

Mthembu was elected to National Assembly of South Africa in 2014 where he served till his death in 2021.

On 28 November 2017, some of Mthembu's ANC colleagues criticised him for "colluding" with the DA to schedule a debate on state capture in Parliament in defiance of President Jacob Zuma and his colleagues in the ANC caucus who had already called for a more inclusive process to investigate state capture.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/mthembu-slams-anc-mps-accusations-that-he-colluded-with-da-in-state-capture-motion-20171128|title=Mthembu slams ANC MPs' accusations that he 'colluded' with DA in state capture motion|work=News24|access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref>

== Personal life and death == Mthembu was married to Thembi Mthembu. He had six children. His daughter, 25-year-old Nokhwezi Mthembu, committed suicide on 20 March 2019, at their Pelican Park parliamentary village home in Cape Town.<ref>[https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/jackson-mthembu-shares-pain-of-finding-his-daughters-body-20283325 Jackson Mthembu shares pain of finding daughter's body], IOL, 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020</ref><ref>[https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/ancs-jackson-mthembu-tweets-that-daughter-committed-suicide-19982613 Jackson Mthembu tweets that daughter committed suicide], IOL, 20 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2020</ref>

In 2014, Mthembu was shot in the cheek while using an Absa ATM on Mandela Street in the Witbank CBD. The armed man and his accomplices proceeded to Mthembu's car, where four of his friends were waiting for him, and robbed them of their money and cellphones.<ref name="robbery">{{cite news |title=ANC's Mthembu shot during armed robbery |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2014-10-20-ancs-mthembu-shot-during-armed-robbery/ |access-date=20 October 2014 |work=MG |language=en-ZA}}</ref>

Mthembu died from complications of COVID-19 on 21 January 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.<ref name="death">{{cite news |title=Minister Jackson Mthembu dies of Covid-related complications |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2021-01-21-minister-jackson-mthembu-dies-of-covid-related-complications/ |access-date=21 January 2021 |work=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}}</ref> A medical helicopter transporting one of his doctors crashed the same day, killing all five on board.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Doctor who died in the KZN chopper crash had tried to save Jackson Mthembu's life that same day|first=Lwandile|last=Bhengu|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/doctor-who-died-in-the-kzn-chopper-crash-had-tried-to-save-jackson-mthembus-life-that-same-day-20210122|date=22 January 2021|access-date=27 January 2021|website=News24}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://custom-made.org.uk/2012/01/08/anc-celebrates-100-years/ Interview with Jackson Mthembu] on ANC centenary celebrations - broadcast by Radio France Internationale

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mthembu, Jackson}} Category:1958 births Category:2021 deaths Category:Speakers of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature Category:Members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature Category:20th-century South African politicians Category:African National Congress politicians Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa Category:Zulu people Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2019–2024 Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2014–2019