Anthony Matumba

{{Short description|South African politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Anthony Matumba

| honorific-suffix = MP

| image = Anthony Matumba, October 2024 (cropped).jpg

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| caption = Matumba in 2024

| office1 = Member of the National Assembly of South Africa

| term_start1 = 26 January 2022

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 = Patrick Sindane

| successor1 =

| birthname = Anthony Matumba

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| nationality =

| party = Economic Freedom Fighters

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| occupation = Member of Parliament

| profession = Politician

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Anthony Matumba is a South African politician who has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since January 2022. A member of the Economic Freedom Fighters, he serves on the party's Central Command Team, its highest decision-making structure. He is a former Makhado Local Municipality councillor.

Political career

Matumba is a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. In 2016, he was elected as a councillor for the EFF in the Makhado Local Municipality in Limpopo. He was elected as an additional member of the EFF's Central Command Team structure, the party's highest decision-making structure between congresses, at the EFF's elective conference in December 2019.{{Cite web|last=Cele|first=S’thembile|title=EFF elects 40-member central command team|url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/eff-elects-40-member-central-command-team-20191215|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Citypress|language=en-US}}

In July 2020, an investigation by the Digital Forensic Lab (DFRLab) linked the race-baiting Tracy Zille Twitter account used to spread disparaging and racist content and to harass black women to Matumba.{{Cite web|title=EFF central command team member linked to race-baiting Tracy Zille account|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/eff-central-command-team-member-linked-to-race-baiting-tracy-zille-account-50799868|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.iol.co.za|language=en}} It was also revealed that Matumba was receiving an income from making the hateful comments on Twitter through companies he owned and registered to which Twitter users were directed. Matumba has denied being in charge of the Twitter account.{{Cite web|title=#TracyZille outed as front for EFF-aligned local government official — Lies, he says|url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-07-10-tracyzille-outed-as-front-for-eff-aligned-local-government-official-lies-he-says/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=TimesLIVE|language=en-ZA}} The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) then took Matumba to the Equality Court after it received a complaint from a member of the public. The case was heard in court on 27 July 2021,{{Cite web|last=|url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-07-27-eff-councillor-in-court-over-racist-tracy-zille-tweets/|title=EFF councillor in court over racist 'Tracy Zille' tweets|access-date=2022-01-28|website=TimesLIVE|language=en-ZA}} and was postponed to August 2021 on 29 July.{{Cite web|title=Case against EFF councillor allegedly behind controversial @TracyZille account postponed|url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-07-29-case-against-eff-councillor-allegedly-behind-controversial-tracyzille-account-postponed/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=TimesLIVE|language=en-ZA}}

= Parliament =

The Equality Court case was set to continue on 26 January 2022, but it was postponed to allow Matumba to be sworn in as an EFF Member of the National Assembly.{{Cite web|last=Belinda Pheto|title=EFF member alleged to be behind fake #TracyZille account to be sworn in as MP today|url=https://www.dispatchlive.co.za/politics/2022-01-26-eff-member-alleged-to-be-behind-fake-tracyzille-account-to-be-sworn-in-as-mp-today/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=DispatchLIVE|language=en-ZA}} The swearing-in ceremony was presided over by Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.{{Cite web|last=Felix|first=Jason|title=EFF councillor accused of using fake 'Tracy Zille' account sworn in as MP|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/just-in-eff-councillor-accused-of-using-fake-tracey-zille-account-sworn-in-as-mp-20220126|access-date=2022-01-28|website=News24|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Dayimani|first=Malibongwe|title=EFF member accused of using fake 'Tracy Zille' Twitter account to be sworn in as an MP|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/eff-member-accused-of-using-fake-tracy-zille-twitter-account-to-be-sworn-in-as-an-mp-20220126|access-date=2022-01-28|website=News24|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=EFF member behind fake account sworn in as party MP|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/eff-member-behind-fake-account-sworn-in-as-party-mp-ccbe711e-9f0a-482f-9f0e-2f76bbd26cd5|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.iol.co.za|language=en}}

References

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