David Masondo (born 14 November 1974) is a South African politician who is currently serving as Deputy Minister of Finance since May 2019. He is also the second deputy general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC).

Born in Limpopo, Masondo entered politics as a student activist, serving as deputy president of the South African Students Congress and later as the provincial chairperson of the ANC Youth League from 2003 to 2005. He rose to national prominence as the inaugural chairperson of the SACP's Young Communist League from 2003 to 2010. By the end of his tenure in that position, he had broken ranks with the SACP's national leadership to emerge as a political opponent of President Jacob Zuma.

From February 2011 to May 2014, Masondo represented the ANC in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature, where he was Member of the Executive Council for Finance until July 2013 under Premier Cassel Mathale. His department was controversially placed under national administration in December 2011. He was elected to the National Assembly in the 2019 general election, whereafter he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Finance under the second cabinet of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

A member of the SACP since 1993, Masondo was first elected to the party's Central Committee in July 2007. He was elected to a five-year term as second deputy secretary in July 2022. He joined the ANC National Executive Committee in December 2017, and he has been the principal of the ANC's political school, the O. R. Tambo School of Leadership, since it was launched in 2019.

Early life and education

Masondo was born on 14 November 1974{{Cite web |date=10 April 2024 |title=Final Candidate Lists for 2024 National and Provincial Elections: National Candidates |url=https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Documents/Candidates-List-NPE2024/National%20Candidates%20List.pdf |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=Electoral Commission of South Africa}} in Elim, a village near Makhado in the former Northern Transvaal.{{Cite web |title=Profile of MEC David Masondo |url=http://www.limtreasury.gov.za/limtreasuryold/index.php?page=MEC_profile |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Limpopo Treasury}} He matriculated at Marimane High School in Makhado.{{Cite web |date=30 July 2020 |title=Deputy finance minister David Masondo finds his stride |url=https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/features/2020-07-30-deputy-finance-minister-david-masondo-finds-his-stride/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Business Day |language=en-ZA}} After high school, he attended Giyani College of Education, where he joined the South African Students Congress, becoming its provincial chairperson in 1996 and its national deputy president in 1997.{{Cite web |date=2008-06-26 |title=Young South Africans: Politics |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2008-06-26-young-south-africans-politics/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

He went on to the University of the Witwatersrand, where he was president of the student representative council in 1998 and where he graduated with a BA, Honours, and MA.{{Cite web |title=David Masondo, Dr |url=https://www.gov.za/about-government/contact-directory/david-masondo-mr |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=South African Government}} In 2001, he was reportedly injured in a clash with campus security forces during a student protest against a visit by Colin Powell, the United States Secretary of State.{{Cite web |date=2001-05-31 |title=An appropriate welcome for Powell at Wits |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2001-06-01-an-appropriate-welcome-for-powell-at-wits/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

In 2014, he completed a PhD in sociology under the supervision of Vivek Chibber at New York University.{{cite thesis |last=Masondo |first=David |date=2014 |title=Post-Apartheid Business Nanny State: Case Study of the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP), 1995–2010 |type=PhD |chapter= |publisher=New York University |docket= |oclc= |url=https://www.proquest.com/pqdtglobal/docview/1614473038 |access-date=}}

His dissertation, about post-apartheid automotive industrial policy in South Africa, was published in the Review of African Political Economy.{{Cite journal |last=Masondo |first=David |date=2018-04-03 |title=South African business nanny state: the case of the automotive industrial policy post-apartheid, 1995–2010 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03056244.2017.1395319 |journal=Review of African Political Economy |language=en |volume=45 |issue=156 |pages=203–222 |doi=10.1080/03056244.2017.1395319 |issn=0305-6244|hdl=10.1080/03056244.2017.1395319 |hdl-access=free }} His PhD research was supported by a Ford Foundation International Fellowship.

Early political career

In 1999, Masondo was appointed to the National Youth Commission. After his term there, he worked at the headquarters of the South African Communist Party (SACP), which he had joined in 1993; he headed the party's political education and youth desks. He later served a stint in the provincial government of Limpopo, where he was a director in the department of local government and housing, and in 2006 he returned to Wits to pursue his PhD and work as a lecturer in political economy.

Because of his continued involvement in youth politics, Masondo was named by the Mail & Guardian in 2003 as one of 20 politicians who would "emerge as key figures in our public life over the next 10 years";{{Cite web |date=2003-12-20 |title=Climbing to the top of the greasy pole |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2003-12-20-climbing-to-the-top-of-greasy-pole/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} on several occasions in later years, he was one of the newspaper's 200 Young South Africans.{{Cite web |date=2009-06-11 |title=300 Young South Africans: Politics |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2009-06-11-300-young-south-africans-politics/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

= Young Communist League =

In December 2003, Masondo was elected as the inaugural chairperson of the newly re-established Young Communist League (YCL) of the SACP. Concurrently with this position, he was elected to the SACP's Central Committee for the first time at the party's 12th national congress in July 2007; he was the most popular candidate in the elections, receiving 989 votes across 1,298 ballots.{{Cite web |date=2007-07-15 |title=SACP resolves to target state power |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2007-07-15-sacp-resolves-to-target-state-power/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

In its early years, the YCL, under the leadership of Masondo and general secretary Buti Manamela, was aligned to opponents of incumbent President Thabo Mbeki, and therefore to supporters of presidential challenger Jacob Zuma. In 2006, for example, when Mazibuko Jara wrote a controversial article questioning the SACP's support for Zuma, Masondo responded in an article called Red is the Colour of our Flag: In Defence of the Rule of Law, in which he argued that Zuma's corruption trial arose primarily from "a political agenda" related to the ANC's succession battle.{{Cite web |date=2006-04-21 |title=SACP divided on Zuma |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2006-04-21-sacp-divided-on-zuma/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} Later the same year, Masondo publicly called Mbeki a "dictator" during a press conference.{{Cite web |date=2006-10-09 |title=Young communists roar at ‘dictator’ Mbeki |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2006-10-09-young-communists-roar-at-dictator-mbeki/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |date=2006-10-09 |title=ANC lashes out at young communists |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2006-10-09-anc-lashes-out-at-young-communists/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} However, after Zuma took office as president in 2009, Masondo diverged from Manamela – and from SACP secretary general Blade Nzimande – in becoming increasingly critical of Zuma. For example, in September 2010, he wrote an opinion piece about black economic empowerment (BEE) in City Press in which he argued:

BEE is increasingly becoming too narrow, amounting to ZEE, that is, Zuma Economic Empowerment. The recent multi-billion-rand Arcelor-Mittal BEE deal involving Duduzane, President Jacob Zuma's son, is another example of how BEE has become too narrow. Only a few can be misled to believe that there is no link between Zuma's rise to the presidency and his family's rise to riches.{{Cite web |date=6 September 2010 |title=Young Communists irked by ‘ZEE attack’ |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/young-communists-irked-by-zee-attack-20150429 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}

During the same period, in 2009, the YCL backed Julius Malema's calls for the nationalisation of the mining industry. Asked about the likely effects of this policy for foreign direct investment, Masondo said, "Investment for what and for whom? Investors must invest on our own terms and we must have control over the dividends of our work and resources."{{Cite web |date=2009-07-12 |title=ANC U-turn on mines |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2009-07-12-anc-uturn-on-mines/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} Masondo reportedly spoke in support of nationalisation during closed sessions of the ANC's 2010 national general council.{{Cite web |date=2010-09-24 |title=Veterans vs young guns |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2010-09-24-veterans-vs-young-guns/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

He remained in office as YCL chairperson until December 2010, when he stepped down at the YCL's third national congress.{{Cite web |date=11 December 2010 |title=Masondo hits back at 'sellout' claim |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2010-12-11-masondo-hits-back-at-sellout-claim/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}} He was booed by Manamela's pro-Zuma supporters at the conference, but he dismissed the heckling as part of a "general pattern of degeneration in the youth movement".

= ANC Youth League =

Masondo was also a member of the African National Congress (ANC), the SACP's partner in the Tripartite Alliance. From 2003 to 2005, he was the provincial chairperson of the ANC Youth League in Limpopo, and he was later a member of the league's National Executive Committee.

Limpopo Executive Council: 2011–2013

On 28 January 2011, Masondo was appointed to the Limpopo Executive Council in a reshuffle by Premier Cassel Mathale, who named him to succeed Saa'd Cachalia as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Provincial Treasury.{{Cite web |date=28 January 2011 |title=Cassel Mathale reshuffles Limpopo cabinet |url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/documents/cassel-mathale-reshuffles-limpopo-cabinet |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=Politicsweb |language=en}} His appointment was unexpected but was presumed to be a reflection of his increasing closeness to Zuma's opponents, who included Mathale and his allies in the ANC Youth League.{{Cite web |date=28 January 2011 |title=Premier Mathale reshuffles cabinet |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/premier-mathale-reshuffles-cabinet-20150429 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=30 January 2011 |title=Masondo named as MEC |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2011-01-30-masondo-named-as-mec/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}} In order to take up the office, he returned to South Africa from the United States and was sworn in to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature.{{Cite web |date=3 February 2011 |title=New MECs still waiting to be sworn in |url=https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011-02-03-new-mecs-still-waiting-to-be-sworn-in/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sowetan |language=en-ZA}}

= Zuma's re-election bid =

After Masondo had been in the treasury for less than a year, the national government announced in December 2011 that Masondo's department was one of five that was being placed under administration due to financial problems.{{Cite web |date=5 December 2011 |title=Five Limpopo departments under administration |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/five-limpopo-departments-under-administration-20150429 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} Masondo's supporters argued that this was Zuma's way of weakening his opponents ahead of the ANC's 53rd National Conference, at which Zuma would stand for re-election. As late as 2018, Masondo said, "National Treasury was used to withhold funds due to the provincial government in order to create a cashflow crisis, to justify the disbandment of the provincial government".{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Setumo |date=13 February 2018 |title=Changing the ANC: The new young blood |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/changing-the-anc-the-new-young-blood-20180213 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=City Press |language=en-US}}

Later in December 2011, Masondo was elected to the Provincial Executive Committee of the Limpopo ANC; he was the second-most popular candidate, closely trailing Lydia Komape.{{Cite web |date=2011-12-20 |title=Malema elected to ANC Limpopo committee |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2011-12-20-malema-elected-to-anc-limpopo-committee/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} However, his opposition to Zuma was not the majority position in the national ANC. According to former ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, during this period, Masondo was involved in the discussions that led ultimately to the formation of the Economic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway from the ANC.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-11 |title=Ten years post-ANC, Julius Malema is in a ‘much better place’ |url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2022-02-11-ten-years-post-anc-julius-malema-is-in-a-much-better-place/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} According to Malema, he, Masondo, and Floyd Shivambu, contemplating how they would respond to their alienation in the national ANC, had mooted the idea of establishing a new political party:

We had a very lengthy discussion. I remember that day. And we didn't resolve, we therefore left it and then I went to Polokwane, but myself and Floyd then continued the discussion, telephonically and we could see Masondo's reluctance on the political party... We concluded Masondo was dragging his feet.

Masondo's opposition to Zuma's re-election also set him at odds with the majority position in the SACP leadership.{{Cite web |date=2017-06-09 |title=SACP rounds on its leaders who back Zuma |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2017-06-09-00-sacp-rounds-on-its-leaders-who-back-zuma/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |last=Grootes |first=Stephen |date=2022-07-18 |title=The SACP has a new(ish) leadership — so what’s next? |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-07-19-the-sacp-has-a-newish-leadership-so-whats-next/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}} By the time Masondo left his YCL office in 2010, his relations with SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande were already poor, and tensions intensified in subsequent years, particularly as Masondo was increasingly touted as a candidate to succeed Nzimande.{{Cite web |date=2011-02-11 |title=SACP’s Limpopo leaders brace for purge |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2011-02-11-sacps-limpopo-leaders-brace-for-purge/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |date=2012-07-11 |title=Blade has unrivalled edge on SACP’s factions |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2012-07-11-sacp-leaders-defend-partys-decisions/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} At the SACP's next national congress in July 2012, Masondo failed to gain re-election to the Central Committee.{{Cite web |date=2012-07-16 |title=SACP drops radical stance in boost for Zuma |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2012-07-16-24-sacp-drops-radical-stance-in-boost-for-zuma/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

= Dismissal =

In July 2013, Stan Mathabatha was elected as premier after Mathale was asked to resign by the ANC. On 19 July, announcing his new Executive Council, Mathabatha sacked Masondo, replacing him with Rudolph Phala.{{Cite web |date=19 July 2013 |title=New premier Stan Mathabatha fires 8 of 10 Limpopo MECs |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/new-premier-stan-mathabatha-fires-8-of-10-limpopo-mecs-20150429 |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} Masondo remained an ordinary Member of the Provincial Legislature until the 2014 general election.{{Cite web |title=David Masondo |url=http://www.pa.org.za/person/mr-masondo-david/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=People's Assembly |language=en}}

Public and party administration: 2014–2019

After departing the legislature, Masondo served a brief stint in the Gauteng Provincial Government as a chief director in the provincial Department of Economic Development. In April 2015, he joined the Automotive Industry Development Centre, an agency of the Gauteng Provincial Government, as acting chief executive officer; he was appointed permanently to that position in November.{{Cite web |date=4 November 2015 |title=Dr. David Masondo appointed as CEO of AIDC |url=https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/dr-david-masondo-appointed-as-ceo-of-aidc-2015-11-04 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Engineering News}}

At the ANC's 54th National Conference in December 2017, Masondo was elected to the party's National Executive Committee. He was the fourth-most popular candidate in the 80-member committee, behind only Zweli Mkhize, Lindiwe Zulu, and Reginah Mhaule.{{Cite web |date=21 December 2017 |title=Meet the new ANC NEC |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/meet-the-new-anc-nec-20171221 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} In a committee meeting shortly after the conference, it was reportedly Masondo who first raised the prospect of removing Jacob Zuma from office as president, a motion which came to fruition in February.{{Cite web |date=21 January 2018 |title=Zuma loses support – and soon he'll lose his job |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2018-01-20-zuma-loses-support-and-soon-hell-lose-his-job/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |date=2018-01-20 |title=The Man Who Wants Zuma Gone: Who Is David Masondo? |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2018/01/20/the-man-who-wants-zuma-gone-who-is-david-masondo_a_23338625/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en}} Also in the aftermath of the conference, Masondo was appointed as deputy chairperson of the ANC's subcommittee on political education, deputising Nathi Mthethwa.{{Cite web |date=2018-02-25 |title=Ace Magashule unfazed by Senzo Mchunu appointment |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2018-02-25-ace-magashule-unfazed-by-senzo-mchunu-appointment/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} He was subsequently appointed as the inaugural principal of the O. R. Tambo School of Leadership, the party's political school, which was launched in Midrand in April 2019.{{Cite web |date=15 April 2019 |title=ANC to school members on values, integrity |url=https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-04-15-anc-to-school-members-on-values-integrity/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sowetan |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |date=12 April 2019 |title=ANC's new 'political education school' hopes to rebuild party values |url=https://www.702.co.za/articles/344682/anc-s-new-political-education-school-hopes-to-rebuild-party-values |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=702 |language=en-ZA}}

Meanwhile, at the SACP's 14th national congress in July 2017, Masondo was not elected to return to the Central Committee, despite lobbying by some of his supporters. However, in June 2019, he returned to the committee by co-option.{{Cite web |title=Previous Central Committee Members |url=https://sacp.org.za/content/previous-central-committee-members |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=South African Communist Party (SACP)}}

Deputy Minister of Finance: 2019–present

In the 2019 general election, Masondo was elected to a seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of the South African Parliament. He was ranked 19th on the ANC's national party list. After the election, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him as Deputy Minister of Finance under Minister Tito Mboweni.{{Cite web |date=2019-05-29 |title=Unionists, women and an alleged smuggler? Who’s who in Ramaphosa’s Cabinet |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2019-05-29-unionists-women-and-an-alleged-smuggler-whos-who-in-ramaphosas-cabinet/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |last=Tandwa |first=Lizeka |date=30 May 2019 |title=David Masondo – the intellectual who will keep Treasury cooking with Mboweni |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/david-masondo-the-intellectual-who-will-keep-treasury-cooking-with-mboweni-20190530 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} The Mail & Guardian surmised that he was "set to be groomed to take over the running of the treasury".{{Cite web |date=2019-05-31 |title=Cyril aligns cogs in his Cabinet |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2019-05-31-00-cyril-aligns-cogs-in-his-cabinet/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} He was characterised variously as "a rising star";{{Cite web |date=2019-05-30 |title=New and lesser-known faces in Ramaphosa’s Cabinet |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2019-05-30-new-and-lesser-known-faces-in-ramaphosas-cabinet/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} as "arguably the most promising member of the ANC's younger generation";{{Cite web |last=Law |first=Mike |date=2022-12-17 |title=Could Ramaphosa lose ANC leadership? |url=https://mg.co.za/thoughtleader/opinion/2022-12-17-could-ramaphosa-lose-anc-leadership/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} and, by Richard Calland, as "young, intellectual, energetic, and one of the few ANC politicians around who still care about policy debate and ideas".{{Cite web |last=Calland |first=Richard |date=2023-03-07 |title=Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle: Few surprises amid missed opportunity and mediocrity |url=https://mg.co.za/thoughtleader/opinion/2023-03-07-ramaphosas-cabinet-reshuffle-few-surprises-amid-missed-opportunity-and-mediocrity/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

In his capacity as deputy minister, Masondo was appointed to chair the Public Investment Corporation in November 2021.{{Cite web |last=Makinana |first=Andisiwe |date=4 November 2021 |title=Cabinet confirms deputy finance minister David Masondo as PIC chair |url=https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-11-04-cabinet-confirms-deputy-finance-minister-david-masondo-as-pic-chair/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sowetan |language=en-ZA}} Mboweni also appointed him to lead the ministry's pro-growth structural economic reform programme, which the Business Day viewed as a wise choice because of Masondo's closeness to the left.

= Abuse of power allegation =

In July 2020, the ANC's internal Integrity Commission recommended that Masondo should step aside from his government and party responsibilities after he was involved in a perceived abuse of power. The finding arose from a personal dispute between Masondo and a woman, later identified as Palesa Lebitse, with whom he had an extramarital affair. Masondo reported Lebitse to the police, alleging that she was extorting him, and she was arrested by the Hawks in a sting operation on 17 August 2019.{{Cite web |date=20 September 2019 |title=Minister David Masondo 'bullied our daughter, forced her to abort love child' |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2019-09-20-minister-david-masondo-bullied-our-daughter-forced-her-to-abort-love-child/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}} It later emerged, through reporting by amaBhungane, that Masondo had offered money to Lebitse in exchange for "peace"; according to Lebitse, Masondo had pressured her to abort a pregnancy in January 2019, and she in turn had pressured him to allow "dialogue" between their families about payment of damages.{{Cite web |last=Timse |first=Tabelo |date=2019-09-14 |title=How deputy finance minister David Masondo set the Hawks on his ex-mistress |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-09-15-how-deputy-finance-minister-david-masondo-set-the-hawks-on-his-ex-mistress/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}} During a subsequent investigation by the Commission for Gender Equality,{{Cite web |date=2021-08-19 |title=Masondo’s ‘deal’ with gender body |url=https://mg.co.za/news/2021-08-20-masondos-deal-with-gender-body/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} Masondo admitted to having had protected sex with Lebitse on one occasion but said that they had not been in a romantic relationship, that he was not responsible for her pregnancy, and that he had not encouraged her to have an abortion.{{Cite web |date=6 June 2021 |title=Unlawful Hawks arrest complaint against David Masondo will unfold in court |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/unlawful-hawks-arrest-complaint-against-david-masondo-will-unfold-in-court-20210605 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=City Press |language=en-US}}

In any case, in February 2020, the National Prosecuting Authority declined to prosecute Lebitse on extortion charges.{{Cite web |last=Timse |first=Tabelo |date=2020-02-19 |title=Masondo’s ex-lover demands R1m for ‘wrongful arrest’ |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-02-20-masondos-ex-lover-demands-r1m-for-wrongful-arrest/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}} However, Lebitse pursued a civil lawsuit against Masondo, the head of the Hawks, and the Police Minister Bheki Cele, alleging that Masondo had abused state resources and his own political influence in order to effect her arrest, which she said had been unlawful.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-27 |title=Masondo ‘used Hawks to arrest me’ |url=https://mg.co.za/news/2021-05-27-masondo-used-hawks-to-arrest-me/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} Masondo approached the ANC's Integrity Commission to seek advice on his response.{{Cite web |date=31 July 2020 |title=David Masondo asked to 'step aside' over claims he abused power to resolve domestic dispute |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2020-07-31-david-masondo-asked-to-step-aside-over-claims-he-abused-power-to-resolve-domestic-dispute/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}} In July 2020, the commission recommended that Masondo should step aside, with commission chairperson George Mashamba writing:

Your actions have brought disrepute to the organisation, but in acknowledging this and taking responsibility, you have shown commitment to the organisation and the ideals we strive to reach. We have confidence that lessons have been learnt from the ordeal you are going through. We accept that your lawyers have advised you to report the matter to the Hawks and that you acted on their advice. However, we think that you showed poor judgment and that you should have known that involving the Hawks in a domestic matter would open you up to accusations that you were abusing your power and your access to state resources.

The commission's report also said that Masondo had "never expressed remorse", had provided a "garbled lengthy and nonsensical account" of the saga", and had provided "disappointing, distasteful and patronising" answers to the commission's questions about gender-based violence.{{Cite web |date=1 August 2020 |title=David Masondo 'taken aback' by ANC request that he step aside from duties |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2020-08-01-david-masondo-taken-aback-by-anc-request-that-he-step-aside-from-duties/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}} Masondo said he was surprised by the commission's recommendation, and he did not step aside.

= Party leadership campaigns =

At the SACP's next national congress in Boksburg in July 2022, Masondo made what the Sunday Times called "a spectacular comeback" in the party.{{Cite web |last=amaShabalala |first=Mawande |date=17 July 2022 |title=SACP Cold War over as Masondo makes spectacular comeback |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/politics/2022-07-17-sacp-cold-war-over-as-masondo-makes-spectacular-comeback/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}} He was returned to the Central Committee when he was elected, unopposed, to succeed Chris Matlhako as second deputy general secretary of the party; he serves alongside first deputy secretary Madala Masuku and under general secretary Solly Mapaila.{{Cite web |last=Masuabi |first=Queenin |date=2022-07-18 |title=Why Blade Nzimande is still close to the cutting edge of power in the SACP |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-07-19-why-blade-nzimande-is-still-close-to-the-cutting-edge-of-power-in-the-sacp/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}}

Later the same year, Masondo launched a campaign to succeed Gwede Mantashe as national chairperson of the ANC.{{Cite web |last=Masuabi |first=Queenin |date=2022-10-28 |title=Step-aside rule key for ANC accountability but also potential death knell for members’ careers — David Masondo |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-10-28-step-aside-rule-key-for-anc-accountability-but-also-potential-death-knell-for-members-careers-david-masondo/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}} He performed poorly in the nominations stage of the contest,{{Cite web |date=2022-11-22 |title=Ramaphosa takes crushing lead over Mkhize in ANC nominations |url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2022-11-22-anc-releases-top-six-nominations/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} and he was expected to split the vote with Mantashe; both were viewed as supporters of President Ramaphosa.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-23 |title=The real battle starts now for ANC positions |url=https://mg.co.za/thoughtleader/analysis/2022-11-23-the-real-battle-starts-now-for-anc-positions/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} When the ANC's 55th National Conference was held in December, Masondo lost resolutely in the chairmanship race; he received only 282 votes against Mantashe's 2,062 and Stan Mathabatha's 2,018.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-19 |title=Ramaphosa wins second term as ANC leader, beating Zweli Mkhize |url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2022-12-19-ramaphosa-wins-second-term-as-anc-leader-beating-zweli-mkhize/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |date=2022-12-19 |title=How Ramaphosa stormed to victory against resurgent Zweli Mkhize in ANC race |url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2022-12-19-how-ramaphosa-stormed-to-victory-against-resurgent-zweli-mkhize-in-anc-race/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} However, he was re-elected to the ANC National Executive Committee; he received 1,304 votes across roughly 4,000 ballots, ranking him 41st in the 80-member committee.{{Cite web |date=22 December 2022 |title=Full list: ANC NEC members |url=https://www.enca.com/news/full-list-anc-nec-members |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=eNCA |language=en}} As of 2023, he also remained the principal of the O. R. Tambo School.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-27 |title=OR Tambo School kickstarts a 3-year intensive youth development programme |url=https://anceasterncape.org.za/or-tambo-school-kickstarts-a-3-year-intensive-youth-development-programme/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=ANC Eastern Cape |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2022-04-21 |title=One-on-one with David Masondo: ‘Review the ANC constitution’ |url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2022-04-21-one-on-one-with-david-masondo-review-the-anc-constitution/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

Personal life

Masondo is married and has two children. He is the founding chairperson of Topisa Trust, a youth development fund in Limpopo which he established in honour of his mother, Topisa Evelyn Maluleke.

On 16 July 2008, while Masondo was YCL chairperson, he was arrested at a roadblock in Johannesburg; according to police, he had been jogging in Sandringham when he was stopped at the roadblock, but he had refused to submit to a search and then had assaulted a police officer. He was charged with assault and interference with police duty.{{Cite web |date=2008-07-17 |title=SACP fumes at alleged assault of league chairperson |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2008-07-17-sacp-fumes-at-alleged-assault-of-league-chairperson/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} The SACP, however, said that it was Masondo who had been assaulted in the altercation and that it would lay a complaint with the Independent Complaints Directorate and South African Human Rights Commission.{{Cite web |date=2008-07-18 |title=YCL chairperson in court over alleged assault |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2008-07-18-ycl-chairperson-in-court-over-alleged-assault/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

References

External links

{{People's Assembly (South Africa)|mr-masondo-david|David Masondo}}
[https://www.parliament.gov.za/person-details/192 Dr David Masondo] at Parliament of South Africa
[https://mg.co.za/article/2005-06-17-capitalism-a-curse-not-cure/ "Capitalism: A curse, not cure"] in the Mail & Guardian (2005)
[https://www.news24.com/news24/opinions/columnists/voices/zumas-critics-waited-too-long-20161028 "Zuma’s critics waited too long"] at News24 (2016)

Category:Living people

Category:1974 births

Category:20th-century South African politicians

Category:African National Congress politicians

Category:South African Communist Party politicians

Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2024–2029

Category:Members of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature

Category:University of the Witwatersrand alumni

Category:New York University alumni

Category:People from Makhado Local Municipality

Category:Academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand

Category:South African communists

Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2019–2024