Bongani Bongo

Bongani Thomas Bongo (born 29 June 1978) is a South African politician and the former Minister of State Security, a position to which he was appointed on 17 October 2017 by President Jacob Zuma until he was relieved from the post on 28 February 2018 by President Cyril Ramaphosa. He was the only appointment that had not been a cabinet minister before. He served as President of the University of Limpopo's Alumni and Convocation Association between 2016 and 2022, and became its emiratus president soon after that. As the Minister of State Security, Bongo headed the State Security Agency of South Africa.

A lawyer and ANC politician from Mpumalanga, Bongo was elected to the National Assembly in the May 2014 national elections. He actively contributed to several parliamentary committees, including the Constitutional Review Committee, which examined possible amendments to Section 25 of the South African Constitution. Additionally, he played a role in the ad hoc committees tasked with amending Section 25 and selecting Busisiwe Mkhwebane as Public Protector.

On 2 July 2019, Bongo was elected chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, securing the position despite opposition from political rivals. His nomination, put forward by ANC MP Musa Chabangu and seconded by Tidimalo Legwase, was ultimately successful against the DA’s proposed candidate, Angel Khanyile.

Bongo’s tenure as chairperson ended in August 2021 when the African National Congress made changes to its parliamentary leadership. His removal was part of a broader restructuring within the party, reflecting shifts in internal political dynamics. As a known ally of former president Jacob Zuma, Bongo’s departure was viewed by some as linked to the ongoing reconfiguration of power within the ANC under President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Bongo was born on 29 June 1978 in Dennilton, a town now part of Limpopo's Sekhukhune District Municipality and situated near the provincial border with Mpumalanga. He matriculated from Kgothala Secondary School. He is the third of five children born to Thomas Bongo and Emily Makhanya. In 1999, his family relocated permanently to the township of Siyabuswa, in Mpumalanga's Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality, while he was pursuing a law degree at the University of Limpopo.

During his university years, Bongo was active in student politics. He became a member of the South African Student Congress (SASCO) and served as president of the Students' Representative Council (SRC) from 2001 to 2002. His political involvement continued beyond university when he was elected chairperson of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Dennilton, serving from 2003 to 2004. He later advanced to the Nkangala region ANCYL executive and ultimately to the provincial executive of the ANCYL in Mpumalanga.

On 15 November 2017, Bongo and South African defense minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula arrived in Harare as President Jacob Zuma's special envoys to Zimbabwe's 2017 coup that deposed Robert Mugabe

Zuma had dispatched them in his capacity as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to hold talks between Mugabe and generals from the Zimbabwe Defence Force (ZDF) who finally seized power from Mugabe's almost four-decade rule.