Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is a South African lawmaker and the ex-wife of former South African president Jacob Zuma. Her birthday is January 27, 1949.
Nkosazana is the highest level of women’s political participation in South Africa. Her name is well-known throughout the nation, and her accomplishments speak for themselves.
Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was born in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa on January 27, 1949. She is the oldest of eight children born to parents of middle class status. She is 73 years old now.
Rose Dlamini, Nkosazana’s mother, was a respected member of their community. She passed away at the age of 75, seventeen years ago. Willibrod Gweva Dlamini, her father, is also highly regarded. Previously, he worked as an educator. Nkosazana Dlamini and four additional siblings of the late Mrs. Rose are still alive: Mondli, Nomusa, Sibusiso, and Hlobisile Dlamini.
In South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal region, the Dlamini family wielded considerable political influence. Stephen Dlamini, the uncle of Nkosazana, was a prominent trade unionist and member of the ANC political party.
In 1967, Nkosazana Dlamini completed her secondary education at Amanzimtoti Training College. She earned her first BSc in Zoology and Botany in 1971 from the University of Zululand (now the University of Natal) after completing her basic education. The young woman went on to earn her Master of Science in Zoology and Botany from the same university in 1974.
Nkosazana studied medicine at the university from which she had been expelled and was forced to seek asylum in the United Kingdom. She graduated in 1978 and then attended Liverpool University’s Tropical Child Health School to earn a certificate in tropical medicine.
Nkosazana obtained her diploma and worked as a nurse for several years at the General Hospital in Swaziland. She subsequently decided to enter politics.
In 2016, Nkosazana Zulu ascended to the position of chairperson of the African Union Commission and founded a new municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. After the August 2016 local elections, the Ingwe and Kwa Sani local governments merged to form the new municipality.
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Local Municipality was the name given to the new municipality amid cheers from her supporters. The municipal council is expected to consist of 29 proportionally-elected members. However, according to the rules of politics, this can be changed to include the women who won council seats but were not included in the original list of twenty-nine.
Nkosazana Zuma has held numerous positions within the South African government, including that of Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Currently, she holds this position. Nkosazana is also known for her unsuccessful bid for the presidency of South Africa in 2017. She lost to Cyril Ramaphosa at the 54th National Conference of the African National Congress in December 2017.
Nkosazana is a well-known political veteran who has worked for a number of presidents, including her ex-husband, Jacob Zuma, and the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa. Before becoming president, Nkosazana was the first woman to lead the ANC’s National Executive Committee. She also served as Minister in the Presidency for the National Planning Commission for Policy and Evaluation under President Cyril Ramaphosa from February 2018 to May 2019.
Since May 2009, Nkosazana has served as Minister of Home Affairs, and from October 2012 to January 2017, she served as Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Prior to entering politics, she worked as a telecommunications engineer for South Africa’s largest telecommunications company, Telkom.
Nkosazana served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2009 before marrying Jacob Zuma. She served as Minister of Health from 1994 to 1999. There is no doubt that Nkosazana is a political giantess in South Africa. Her accomplishments in politics have broken glass ceilings, and she is regarded as a trailblazer for women in the field.
As a university student, Dr. Nkosazana Zuma became interested in politics, even before her marriage to Zuma ended during his presidency.
Due to her opposition to the apartheid government, she was forced into exile in 1976 as the second vice president of the South African Students Organization (SASO). Being a member of the underground SASO organization at the time, she had been extremely critical of the government in public.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has served on numerous influential committees and boards. In 1992, she was a member of the Gender Advisory Committee at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). A few years later, in 1994, she became the director of a British non-profit organization called the Health and Refugee Trust. In 1994, she was also appointed to Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, a position she held with great respect.
Between June 1999 and May 2009, Nkosazana served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under former president Thabo Mbeki. Prior to that, she served as the Minister of Health from 1994 to 1999, during which time she spearheaded the Tobacco Products Amendment, which made smoking in public places illegal.
Jacob Zuma and Nkosazana were married for sixteen years. They met in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the early 1980s, when they were both exiled from South Africa. Four children were born to their union: Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube, Msholozi, Nokuthula Nomaqhawe, and Thuthukile Zuma. Although their marriage has been witnessed by a small number of people, its longevity is well-known.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma filed for divorce from her husband of three years, Jacob Zuma, in June 1998. Neither party disclosed the reason for the divorce, and the media ignored it. Jacob Zuma subsequently married Thobeka C Xaba in 2001 and was subsequently elected president of South Africa by the ANC in 2011.
The four daughters of Nkosazana and Jacob Zuma are Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube, Msholozi Zuma, Nokuthula Nomaqhawe, and Thuthukile. Msholozi was born in 1982, making her the first child of her parents. Unfortunately, little is known about her besides the fact that she was born during her father’s exile and is currently 40 years old.
The couple has a son named Wesley Ncube, who is married to the couple’s second daughter, Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube, who was born on October 10, 1985. At present, Gugulethu is a 36-year-old actress. She is the couple’s second child. In Zimbabwe, her father is a well-known politician.
Thuthukile Zuma is Nokuthula Nomaqhawe’s youngest daughter. Nomaqhawe was born in 1987 and is currently a media personality. From May 2014 to December 2015, Thuthukile, who is currently 33 years old, held the position of Chief of Staff at the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services.
The estimated net worth of Jacob Zuma’s ex-wife is approximately $96 million. She has invested in mining and agriculture and has been active in politics and activism.
