Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Biography
Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma (née Dlamini; born January 27, 1949), a politician, physician, and former anti-apartheid activist from South Africa, is sometimes known by her initials NDZ. A longtime African National Congress (ANC) member, she is also the Chancellor of the University of Limpopo in addition to her role as Minister in the Presidency overseeing women, youth, and people with disabilities.
Dlamini-Zuma was raised in the former Natal province, where she joined the South African Students’ Organization and the Black Consciousness Movement while still a student. She lived in exile outside of South Africa from 1976 to 1990, mostly in Swaziland and the United Kingdom, where she was an ANC activist and practiced medicine. Dlamini-Zuma has been a member of every post-apartheid South African president’s cabinet since 1994. She served as President Nelson Mandela’s Minister of Health and as Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs for ten years each. She held the position of Minister of Home Affairs during President Jacob Zuma’s first term, and she was credited with turning around a department that was in disarray.
She held the position of Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation under President Cyril Ramaphosa, where she oversaw the National Planning Commission. Later, she was appointed Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, where she played a significant and contentious role in controlling South Africa’s lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between October 2012 and January 2017, she was not employed by the South African government. During that time, she held the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission, becoming the first woman to head the organization or its precursor, the Organization of African Unity. Her stint in that role was not without controversy.
She joined the ANC in the early 1990s and has been on the National Executive Committee ever since. She has unsuccessfully run for party leadership twice: in 2007 at the 52nd National Conference, where she was defeated by Motlanthe to become the deputy president; and in 2017 at the 54th National Conference, where Ramaphosa, the incumbent, barely defeated her to become the president of the ANC.
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| Full Name: | Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma |
| Stage Name: | Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma |
| Born: | 27 January 1949 (age 74 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Education: | Adams College, University of KwaZulu-Natal |
| Height: | 1.59 m |
| Parents: | Willibrod Gweva, Rose Dlamini |
| Siblings: | Mondli Reginald Dlamini, Sibusiso Dlamini |
| Spouse: | Jacob Zuma (m. 1982–1998) |
| Boyfriend • Partner: | N/A |
| Children: | Msholozi Zuma, Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube, Thuli Zuma, Thuthukile Zuma |
| Occupation: | Medical Doctor • Politician |
| Net Worth: | US$10 million |
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Net Worth
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is a wealthy lady who serves as the Minister for Women, Youth, and People with Disabilities in the South African Presidency.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is predicted to have a net worth of approximately $10 million. These remarkable riches come from many sources, including her income as a government minister, her various business endeavors, and her husband’s wealth. All of these elements have played a significant role in Dlamini-Zuma’s significant financial success.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Early Life & Education
Renowned South African Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was born into a Zulu family on January 27, 1949, in KwaZulu-Natal. Her mother, Rose Dlamini, devoted her life to raising her family, while her father, Willibrod Gweva, worked as a teacher and her uncle, Stephen Dlamini, was an African National Congress (ANC) activist.
Nkosazana was raised in a close-knit household by her brothers, being the oldest sibling. Sibusiso Dlamini and Mondli Reginald Dlamini are two of her other brothers.
Following her academic path, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma attended Adams College in Amanzimtoti, where she was taught by mission school instructors who were visited by several prominent ANC figures.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Career
Born in 1949 in South Africa, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is a well-known politician with a varied background. Before entering politics, she completed her medical training at the prestigious University of KwaZulu-Natal and worked as a doctor. Her political career began in 1991 when she was elected to the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee. She was the Minister of Health from 1994 to 1999 and then the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2009.
After being chosen as South Africa’s Deputy President in 2009 and serving in that capacity for eight years until 2017, Nkosazana’s political career took off. She lost the ANC presidential race to Cyril Ramaphosa, but she didn’t let that stop her from serving her nation; in 2019, she was appointed Minister of the Presidency for Women, Youth, and People with Disabilities.
In his book “The President’s Keepers,” writer Jacques Pauw made a significant discovery in 2017 when he revealed that millionaire Adriano Mazzotti, who is connected to the alleged illicit cigarette smuggling business Carnilinx, helped finance Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s presidential campaign. Despite this disclosure, Dlamini-Zuma persisted in her dedication to serving the people.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Personal life
From 1982 to 1998, Dlamini-Zuma was the spouse of former President Jacob Zuma. Together, they had four daughters: Thuthukile (born 1989), who was controversially appointed Chief of Staff in the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services in 2014; Msholozi (born 1982); Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube (born 1984), who married the son of Zimbabwean politician Welshman Ncube; and Nokuthula Nomaqhawe (born 1987). In June 1998, Dlamini-Zuma divorced Zuma due to irreconcilable issues.
Hlobisile, the younger sister of Dlamini-Zuma, is a member of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Legislature and the African National Congress (ANC).
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Honors
2013 saw Dlamini-Zuma awarded the Order of Luthuli in gold. She was named one of the top 100 influential Africans by New African magazine that same year, and in 2015, she was included in the BBC’s 100 Women. She was named the University of Limpopo’s Chancellor in 2019, a mostly ceremonial and non-residential role.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Social Media
- Instagram handle: Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma (@ndlaminizuma)
- Twitter handle: Dr Dlamini Zuma (@DlaminiZuma)
