Thandile Sunduza
Thandile Sunduza | |
|---|---|
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 14 November 2008 – 6 May 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 November 1977 Soweto, Johannesburg Transvaal, South Africa |
| Political party | African National Congress |
Thandile Babalwa Sunduza (born 15 November 1977) is a South African politician, diplomat and former civil servant who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 2008 to 2014. She was appointed as Consul-General of South Africa to the United States in 2020.
Early life and career
[edit]Sunduza was born on 15 November 1977 in Soweto in Johannesburg.[1][2] After matriculating in Johannesburg, she studied sports management, earning a BTech in the subject from Vaal University of Technology.[1][2] Her first jobs were in sports administration at the National Olympic Committee of South Africa and the South African Table Tennis Board.[2] Subsequently, from 2003, she worked in government, holding several positions in the Gauteng Provincial Government.[2]
Political career
[edit]On 14 November 2008, Sunduza joined the National Assembly, filling the casual vacancy that had arisen in the ANC caucus after Mosuioa Lekota's resignation.[3] She was re-elected to a full legislative term in the 2009 general election[1] and additionally chaired the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture from 2010.[2] In 2013, there was a minor scandal when Sunduza alleged that the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police had insulted her and damaged her car; the police alleged in response that Sunduza had been apprehended driving away from a mandatory traffic stop while talking on her cellphone.[4]
She did not stand for re-election to her legislative seat in 2014[1] and instead returned to her career in public administration, including as a parliamentary liaison officer for the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration.[2] In the next general election in 2019, she stood for election to the National Assembly, but she was ranked 199th on the ANC's national party list and did not secure a seat.[1] In 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Sunduza as Consul-General of South Africa to the United States; she headed South Africa's West Coast mission, based in Los Angeles.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Sunduza is Christian and has one daughter.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Thandile Babalwa Sunduza". People's Assembly. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "About the Consul General". South African Consulate General, Los Angeles. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ "National Assembly Members". Parliamentary Monitoring Group. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ "Sunduza tried to flee – police". IOL. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
External links
[edit]- Ms Thandile Babalwa Sunduza at People's Assembly
- African National Congress politicians
- Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2004–2009
- Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2009–2014
- 21st-century South African women politicians
- Living people
- 1977 births
- South African diplomats
- People from Soweto
- South African Christians
- South African civil servants
- South African women civil servants