Former Ward 33 Councillor, Mmabatho Tembe, was sworn in as a Member of the Provincial Legislature on Tuesday, 7 December, by Speaker Nontembeko Boyce.
She takes over the position after the departure of Chris Pappas who is now Mayor of uMngeni Municipality. DA’s Chief Whip, Zwakele Mncwango, said the DA was delighted to welcome Tembe to its dedicated caucus team. “Mmabatho joins the caucus after having served on both eThekwini Municipality Economic Development and Community Services committees, where she served as a whip for two terms.
Her previous roles also include serving as DA Ward 33 Councillor and secretary of the Central Durban Constituency, where she also served as a DAWN and ADAC representative. Mmabatho also has a degree in Social Sciences at UKZN, majoring in psychology and anthropology and has her Honours in Counselling Psychology. We look forward to working with her as we continue to strive to improve the lives of the people of KZN,” Mncwango said.
Speaking to The Glenwood Weekly Gazette, Tembe said it’s a special honour to be part of the KZN Legislature for the DA. “I’m very excited to start working and be part of something different in the province,” Tembe added.
She said she looks forward to seeing different parts of the province and meeting new people and working in her new portfolio. Tembe said she was not filling Pappas’s shoes. “I won’t say I am filling his shoes, rather walking in my own shoes and I hope I do the position justice,” said Tembe.
She added that she knows the new title comes with lots of expectations, however, she intends to focus on doing more oversights on the provincial entities and highlight the issues that affect the people of the province.
