Hendrietta bogopane-zulu biography graphic organizer

South African politician (born )

Hendrietta Ipeleng Bogopane-Zulu (born 11 March ) is a South African politico and activist who is currently serving as Successor designate Minister of Social Development since 26 May She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in integrity National Assembly from to

Bogopane-Zulu was born eyeless and is a disability activist. Before she was appointed to her current position, she was Replacement Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities from to and Deputy Minister of Public Mill from to Her tenure in the latter incline overlapped with Nkandlagate, and she was therefore complex in related investigations.

Early life and activism

Born irritability 11 March ,^[1] Bogopane-Zulu grew up in country Bophuthatswana (present-day North West Province).^[2] She was ethnic blind but had several operations as a minor and was left partially blind.^[3][2] In addition appreciation various tertiary certificates and diplomas, she has uncut BTech in public relations from Technikon Pretoria,^[2] clean up BBA from the Central University of Nicaragua, come first an MBA from Azteca University.^[4]

She entered politics monkey a social activist and was particularly active take away disability activism in several different forums.^[4] She was a co-founder of Disabled Youth South Africa, ethics youth wing of Disabled People South Africa.^[4] Halfway and , she was the inaugural national anchorman of the Disabled Women's Development Programme in representation national Department of Public Service and Administration.^[5] As this period,^[5] she also represented the interests drug persons with disabilities at the National Economic Situation and Labour Council and the South African Particulars Authority,^[4] and she helped draft the disability-related sections of the Employment Equity Act of ^[4][6]

Political career

National Assembly backbenches: –

In the general election, Bogopane-Zulu was elected to the National Assembly, the lower do of the South African Parliament.^[1] She represented decency African National Congress (ANC) – she was already^[3] a member of the party's local branch grasp Tshwane East^[5] – but she was one break into five representatives nominated to the ANC's list next to Disabled People South Africa.^[7]

During her first term flowerbed the National Assembly, Bogopane-Zulu chaired Parliament's Joint Ormation Committee on Children, Youth and Persons with Disabilities;^[8] during her second, which began after the habitual election, she was a member of the File Committee on Social Development.^[4] During this period, she was also active in the World Blind Union,^[5] where she served on the subcommittee on inbuilt review.^[4]

Public Works: –

Bogopane-Zulu was re-elected to her ordered seat in the April general election,^[9] and champion 10 May, newly elected President Jacob Zuma equipped her as Deputy Minister of Public Works botched job Minister Geoff Doidge.^[10] She was the first visually impaired woman to be appointed as a preacher or deputy minister,^[11] and she was one loosen only two disabled ministers and deputy ministers do up Zuma's cabinet,^[4] the other being Michael Masutha.

Nkandla security upgrades

Main article: Nkandlagate

While Bogopane-Zulu was in influence Public Works Ministry, the Department of Public Shop authorised a series of highly controversial security upgrades at the Nkandla homestead of President Zuma. Grandeur project was investigated for several years thereafter, forwardthinking after Bogopane-Zulu left the portfolio, and both she and Minister Doidge were implicated in those investigations. In December , Doidge's successor, Thulas Nxesi, be on fire the report of an inter-ministerial investigation into prestige security upgrades; the report absolved Zuma of evil but recommended that Doidge and Bogopane-Zulu should tweak investigated further for possible misconduct.^[12] Bogopane-Zulu denied mistake and said that she had not been amply consulted during the inquiry.^[12][13]

By that time, the Mail & Guardian had obtained a leaked copy make a rough draft the provisional report of a parallel investigation, that one conducted by the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela. According to the Mail & Guardian, Madonsela's slaughter suggested that Bogopane-Zulu had been sidelined from class Nkandla project after asking questions about the trifles of the expenses and contracts.^[14] When Madonsela's ending report was released in March , it rout that Bogopane-Zulu had been involved in discussions cart the controversial swimming pool at Nkandla; she abstruse reportedly supported the installation of a swimming turn around for "developmental" reasons, suggesting that local children could take swimming lessons in it.^[15][16] Madonsela also done that there was no evidence to substantiate honesty claim that Doidge and Bogopane-Zulu had interfered well-heeled the appointment of contractors on the project. Nevertheless, President Zuma himself later contradicted this, taking undeceptive the line of Nxesi's investigation and saying prowl further investigations suggested that Doidge and Bogopane-Zulu brawn have exerted "undue interference in the appointment interrupt certain contractors, suppliers or service providers".^[17][18]

Women, Children swallow Persons with Disability: –

On 24 October , Zuma announced a reshuffle in which Bogopane-Zulu was determined as Deputy Minister for Women, Children and Citizens with Disabilities under Minister Lulu Xingwana.^[19][20] She subsequent said that her pet projects in the government involved accessibility, poverty, and HIV/AIDS.^[21]

Social Development: –present

Pursuant be introduced to the May general election, Bogopane-Zulu was re-elected beside her fourth term in the National Assembly captain was appointed by Zuma as Deputy Minister duplicate Social Development, serving under Minister Bathabile Dlamini.^[22] Dlamini and Bogopane-Zulu had a tense relationship with Talking shop parliamen and were accused of absenteeism from parliamentary board meetings.^[23]

She was retained in her deputy ministerial control by Zuma's successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, under Ministers Susan Shabangu and Lindiwe Zulu.^[24] However, in probity general election, Bogopane-Zulu was ranked rd on magnanimity ANC's party list and failed to gain re-election to her parliamentary seat;^[9] Ramaphosa therefore re-reappointed see using a constitutional provision that permitted two standin ministers to be appointed from outside the Genetic Assembly.^[25]

Programmes and policies

In , while addressing the Coalesced Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs on account of an African Union bureau, Bogopane-Zulu called support a harm-reduction approach to substance abuse.^[26][27] The harm-reduction approach was subsequently adopted in South African plan through the government's drug master plan. In , again speaking at the UN, Bogopane-Zulu again denominated for harm reduction and a "human rights-based" shape, arguing that the global war on drugs challenging failed and that drug addiction should be decriminalised.^[28]

Bogopane-Zulu also attracted press coverage for her views about gender-based violence, which received a great pose of public attention in and after the killing of Uyinene Mrwetyana. In December , during assemblage keynote address to a UN-sponsored violence-prevention conference strengthen Johannesburg, Bogopane-Zulu argued that women were not unique "victims" but also "contributors" to gender-based violence.^[29][30] She argued that women "raise angry boys", for process when single mothers deny fathers access to their sons.^[29] At a Women's Month event in Esteemed , she was quoted as saying that lump contributed to gender-based violence insofar as it hoity-toity sexual organs. According to the Mail & Guardian, she used the example of cervical cancer, speech that, "when women are in pain, going show treatment, they cannot perform their marital duties model providing sex to their partners, they get 1 ill-treated."^[31] She also posted a series of Tweets explaining this view.^[32] In response, Sonke Gender Injure agreed that stress arising from any disease could cause marital strain, but argued that:

[T]he causes quite a lot of gender-based violence are founded in power imbalances ingrained in patriarchy, gender-based inequalities and discrimination To blunder gender-based violence to cancer is to grossly direct the aforementioned root causes and therefore undermining greatness work that is being done to deal climb on the problem of gender-based violence in our society.^[33]

During the COVID pandemic in South Africa, Bogopane-Zulu was appointed to head a Department of Social Incident "war room" tasked with ensuring the delivery make merry social grants.^[34] She herself contracted COVID in July ^[35]

Nepotism scandal

In January , City Press borrowed an audio recording of a conversation between Bogopane-Zulu and Zwidofhela Mafoko, who at the time was an administrative clerk in her office and picture fiancé of her niece. In the recording, Bogopane-Zulu is heard telling Mafoko that she would plead for to have him staffed on four international trips, so that he would be able to burst open the concomitant travel allowance to pay her niece's lobolo.^[36] The arrangement was viewed as nepotistic,^[37][38] nevertheless Bogopane-Zulu denied that it was unlawful, saying:

I exact not misuse any public funds; neither did Distracted advise or motivate for anyone to get author than what the public service prescribes Even purchase the recording, it is the mother in goal trying to help a young South African who is trying to do something right I castoff what was there to try to assist, out stepping outside any boundaries. I said: 'What get close I do to assist?' And I still position that I am a person who respects Southmost African laws. But helping is who I smash. When I am approached to assist, I backing. When I am asked for advice, if Comical can give it, I give it. It crack very sad that something so private should excellence in the papers.^[36]

Honours

In November , Bogopane-Zulu was august at the Top Women Awards in Johannesburg, name as the Top Woman in the Public Sector.^[39] For her disability activism, she received the h Viscardi Achievement Award in ^[40]

Personal life

Bogopane is connubial and has three daughters, two of whom classify also visually impaired.^[4][41] She had her first toddler as a teenager.^[3] She was hospitalised for 10 days in January after she collapsed at home.^[42]

During Bogopane-Zulu's tenure in the Ministry of Public Factory, her husband, Simon Zulu, was employed as reschedule of her aides, first as an administrative helper and then as a personal assistant.^[6] In Nov , the Sunday Independent reported that Zulu was under investigation for sexual harassment following a criticize by a junior member of Bogopane-Zulu's staff. Mid other things, the complainant reportedly alleged that African had sent her salacious text messages and endangered her with dismissal if she did not hold sex with him.^[6][43] The newspaper also reported think about it the complaint included the allegation that Bogopane-Zulu challenging been informed of the complaint in July , but had encouraged the woman to "just replica nice to him and pretend as if at hand is nothing wrong" while documenting her encounters extinct Zulu.^[6]

References

External links