Death of IFP leader a ‘huge loss and blow’ to party
THE IFP in KwaZulu-Natal is mourning the death of its former provincial chairperson, Mbangiseni Yengwa.
The party’s provincial chairperson, Thami Ntuli, said Yengwa died in hospital on Monday after a long illness.
Ntuli described his death as a huge loss and a blow to the party as it prepared to take over the province from the ANC in 2024. He said Yengwa left the party at a time when it was growing.
“We are saddened to lose a seasoned leader like Yengwa, who besides being a former provincial chairperson was also party mayor in uMzinyathi District Municipality for two consecutive terms. You will also know that he was a councillor and served in the executive committee in Umvoti Municipality at the time of his death.
“We would like to send our condolences to the family and to the founder of our party, president emeritus Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, for losing such a seasoned leader,” he said.
Ntuli said he believed Yengwa would be buried at the weekend.
Attempts to contact the family were unsuccessful.
Before joining politics full-time, Yengwa was a teacher in Greytown schools. He resigned to work as a full-time politician while a principal at Sikhonza High School in KwaMaphumulo. In 2000 he was appointed as uMzinyathi District Municipality mayor, the position he retained after the 2006 local government elections until 2011.
Yengwa was elected IFP provincial chairperson in 2008. In the 2019 party provincial conference he contested for the same position but was defeated by Ntuli.
In last year’s local government elections, Yengwa won his ward 5 in the area that includes his home village of Ezingulubeni in Greytown.
One of the IFP leaders in the district, Xolani Msezane, said Yengwa had served the party with loyalty. He said Yengwa was a grounded person who never deserted the people in his ward. Msezane said this was evident as Yengwahe had been winning the ward consistently.