It’s ‘How Thembeka got her groove back’ as Senzo Mchunu’s wife makes dramatical political come back
By CELANI SIKHAKHANE
The famous American 90’s movie, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” seems to best describe the political comeback of former KwaZulu-Natal First Lady, Thembeka Mchunu, the wife of former premier, and current national Public Service and Administration minister, Senzo Mchunu.
Thembeka, who was at some point the mayor of UThungulu District (now King Cetshwayo) and the former deputy ANC chair of the Musa Dladla Region, is now tipped to be take over the region which is one of the biggest in KZN.
Musa Dladla Region consists of four different municipalities which are Nkandla, Mthonjaneni, Umhlathuze and uMlalazi. Thembeka was kicked out of regional politics in 2014 allegedly after her husband Senzo Mchunu’s political relation with the late ANC chair Thulani Mashaba turned sour.
The Purpose magazine has however established that Thembeka ended up aligning herself with the former president of Numsa, Cedric Gina to run for prominent positions in order to win the regional elective congress which was held at the University of Zululand in 2014.
But that is where her political career was allegedly buried and she then went underground.
After that, her own region also wanted her to resign as the mayor of Uthungulu District so that she could pay more focus on spousal office as the first lady of KwaZulu-Natal but she refused.
This week her name was all over social media platforms as the preferred candidate to lead the region which is described as the second biggest after eThekwini.
ANC sources who didn’t want to be named revealed that in fact her credebility in the organization made everyone to realise the need to elect her as the regional chair.
“Sis’Thembeka has seen a lot in her political life maybe more than what her husband, Senzo Mchunu has encountered. There was a point where she was forced not to say anything about the election of her husband as the provincial chairperson of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Remember that she was once asked by journalist about that election which took place in Westville to elect Dr Zweli Mkhize as a successor. After that interview she was called to a disciplinary hearing. After that she was in and out of hospital because of depression,” said an ANC insider.
He further says that Thembela is also regarded as one of the cadres who never spoke ill of her organisation even though regional leadership was fighting both her and her husband.
Thembeka was unable to comment after many attempts to talk to her. The regional leadership was not available for comment.
