Bonginkosi Success Madikizela (born 15 March 1975) is a South African politician.
Born in Port Shepstone, in the province of Natal, Madikizela soon moved to Khayelitsha and became politically active in the area. He was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and United Democratic Movement (UDM), prior to joining the Democratic Alliance (DA) in 2008. He was elected as a DA Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in 2009. Premier Helen Zille appointed him as the Provincial Minister for Housing.
In 2014, he was named Provincial Minister of Human Settlements. A year later, in 2015, Madikizela unseated party stalwart Theuns Botha as deputy provincial leader of the DA. DA Provincial leader Patricia de Lille resigned in February 2017 and left Madikizela in charge as acting provincial leader. He won a full term in October 2017. In 2019, Madikizela became the Provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works. After a qualifications scandal, he resigned as Provincial Leader of the DA on 28 April 2021, six months after his re-election in November 2020. He also resigned from the provincial cabinet and the provincial parliament, but will remain a DA member. He said that he was not pressured to resign as DA provincial leader.
Early life and education
Madikizela was born in Port Shepstone, Natal on 15 March 1975. His aunt was prominent anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela Mandela. His brother was murdered in 1990 and he then moved to Chatsworth, living in Welbedacht. Madikizela and a community leader formed the Welbedacht Development Forum to assist the poor residents of the community. In 1991, he dropped out of Asoka Secondary School and worked at a shoe factory shop in Croftdene. In 1998, Madikizela moved to Cape Town to live with his brother. His brother helped him enrol at a computer school and Madikizela soon started studying human resource management at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Madikizela worked as a car guard at a theme park. He soon moved back to Chatsworth and completed a course in computer training. He also became a member of the Chatsworth Child Welfare organisation. Madikizela moved back to Cape Town in 2002 and became active in politics.
In April 2021, Madikizela came under scrutiny (see below) after he had lied about having a BCom degree.
Political career
Early career
Madikizela had previously been an active member of the ANC. He became prominent in 2005, when he led a group of disaffected ANC members in the Makhaza area of Khayelitsha who had been supportive of former Western Cape Premier and ANC Provincial Chairperson Ebrahim Rasool in his leadership battle with Mcebisi Skwatsha.
After Skwatsha won the leadership election, Madikizela and some of Rasool's supporters in Khayelitsha claimed that they were being marginalised, and later excluded as possible ANC candidates for the local government elections in 2006. In early 2006, Madikizela along with several other ANC members, including some party councillors, were expelled from the party after it became known of their intention to contest the local government elections as independent candidates.
Although he was not elected as a councillor, Madikizela remained politically active, joining the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in 2007. He was appointed the party's Cape Town Metro Regional Secretary until a party investigation found that he had secretly convinced party members to join the Democratic Alliance.
He was subsequently hired as a communication officer at the City of Cape Town, and later a spokesperson in the office of former Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille.
Joining the DA and Western Cape Provincial Government
He officially became a member of DA in October 2008. His aunt, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, sent two messengers to him "to try and talk some sense" into him. They said that Madikizela-Mandela had said that what he was doing to the ANC was "very embarrassing". Following the April 2009 general election, newly elected premier Helen Zille appointed him to the post of Provincial Minister of Housing.
