LINDIWE MAZIBUKO

The continent is currently experiencing a refreshing and positive trend in the rise of Gen X’s and Millennials at the helm of power, who are advocating a renewed vision for their countries and communities. One of such individuals is Lindiwe Mazibuko, a former parliamentary leader for the South African opposition political party, the Democratic Alliance (DA).

A Swazi by birth, Mazibuko grew in up Kwazulu-Natal, the birthplace of notable individuals in South Africa?s history including Nobel Prize winner Albert Luthuli and South African President, Jacob Zuma. She attended the University of Kwazulu-Natal where she received a Bachelor of Music, and the University of Cape Town, where she received a degree in French, Classics & Media, as well as an honors degree in Political Communication.

Her interest in politics began when she observed the way Muslims were negatively portrayed and treated in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.??Not only did it remind Mazibuko of the way South Africans were treated during apartheid, it also challenged her views on the role governments should play in the lives of its people. During her period of study at the University of Cape Town, she wrote a paper on the Democratic Alliance with a focus on Helen Zille, leader of?South Africa’s?opposition?political party, and a former?Mayor of Cape Town.

Upon completion of her post-graduate degree, Mazibuko was employed as a media officer for the Democratic Alliance before being elected to parliament in 2009. Recognized as a rising star, Mazibuko was subsequently elected as the DA?s parliamentary leader and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, making her the youngest black female?leader in the history of the party?s parliamentary caucus.

In 2013, she was elected to the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. Mazibuko is currently a student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

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