Zukiswa Ncitha

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Zukiswa Veronica Ncitha is a South African politician from the Eastern Cape. She was the first Executive Mayor of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, serving from May 2011 to June 2015. In June 2015 she moved to Parliament as a member of the National Council of Provinces for the African National Congress (ANC) and served there until May 2024. She was re-elected after the 2019 general election.

Ncitha started as a trade union activist in the Eastern Cape and rose to regional leadership in Cosatu. She was on the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party from 2007 to 2012. Her work for women’s issues included helping establish the Office on the Status of Women in the Eastern Cape. She was also involved with the Women’s National Coalition and helped found the Progressive Women’s Movement.

Born in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, Ncitha built her career in local government as a councillor and the speaker of the Amathole District Municipality before becoming Buffalo City’s mayor in 2011.

In 2014 she was arrested in connection with an investigation into the misuse of funds meant for Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Ncitha and others, including her deputy Themba Tinta, faced charges of fraud and money laundering. In June 2015, while the case was ongoing, the ANC removed her as Buffalo City mayor and moved her to Parliament, where Alfred Mtsi succeeded her as mayor.

Her fraud trial continued for several years, and she pleaded not guilty. After the ANC adopted a step-aside rule for public representatives facing criminal charges, Ncitha volunteered to step aside from her parliamentary duties. In 2021 reports suggested she still participated in committee meetings, and she remained in her parliamentary seat until after the May 2024 election.