Duduzile Zuma stuns Mdumiseni Ntuli at Pan-African Parliament

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla of the MK Party has been elected as the new Chairperson of the Southern Caucus of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), defeating her rival Mdumiseni Ntuli of the African National Congress (ANC) in a tightly contested election.

Zuma-Sambudla, who polled 17 votes, emerged victorious over Ntuli, who secured 12 votes out of the 29 members present during the election. With the Southern Caucus comprising 45 members, the election was triggered by the resignation of the former Chairperson, Pemmy Castelina Pamela Majodina, who was appointed South Africa's Minister of Water and Sanitation, thus vacating her position within the PAP.

Zuma-Sambudla, a member of the Umkhonto WeSizwe Party (MKP), was formally sworn in as a member of the Pan-African Parliament during its September meeting. Her appointment comes at a crucial time for the Southern Caucus, which includes parliamentarians from Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In her acceptance speech, Zuma-Sambudla expressed gratitude to her fellow MPs for the trust they placed in her and called for cooperation and unity within the Southern Caucus. "Together, we can make the Southern Caucus a powerful force to reckon with within the Pan-African Parliament," she said.

Her victory has sent shockwaves through the South African delegation to the PAP, as the ANC's Mdumiseni Ntuli had been expected to secure the role. Ntuli, who is also the National Assembly Chief Whip of the Majority Party, was seen as a strong contender, but Zuma-Sambudla's win has shifted the balance of power within the Southern Caucus.