Kgotso Khumalo
{{Short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| party = African National Congress
| office1 = Member of the National Assembly
| termstart1 = 23 April 2004
| termend1 = June 2009
| citizenship = South Africa
| constituency1 = North West
}}
Kgotso Moses Khumalo is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 2004 to 2009. He was the inaugural Mayor of JB Marks Local Municipality in the North West from 2016 until May 2021, when he stepped aside while facing fraud and theft charges.
Early life and activism
Khumalo was active in anti-apartheid youth politics during the 1980s, including through the Congress of South African Students and the Ikageng and Johannesburg Youth Congresses,{{Cite web |date=21 February 2008 |title=New ANC Caucus Spokesperson |url=https://ancparliament.org.za/content/new-anc-caucus-spokesperson |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=ANC Parliamentary Caucus}} and he was detained for his activism in 1986.{{Cite web |date=2017-02-24 |title=Mayor shattered after son's murder |url=https://potchefstroomherald.co.za/29496/mayor-shattered-sons-murder/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Potchefstroom Herald |language=en-US}} He later joined the ANC Youth League and was elected provincial secretary of the league's North West branch.
Parliament: 2004–2009
In the 2004 general election, Khumalo was elected to an ANC seat in the National Assembly, representing the North West constituency.{{cite magazine |date=20 April 2004 |title=General Notice: Notice 717 of 2004 - Electoral Commission – List of Names of Representatives in the National Assembly and the Nine Provincial Legislatures in Respect of the Elections Held on 14 April 2004 |url=https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/262770.pdf |magazine=Government Gazette of South Africa |location=Pretoria, South Africa |publisher=Government of South Africa |volume=466 |issue=2677 |pages=4–95 |access-date=26 March 2021}} He served as a party whip in the Portfolio Committee on Communications and in February 2008 was appointed to succeed Mpho Lekgoro as spokesperson for the ANC's parliamentary caucus.
JB Marks Mayor: 2016–2021
By late 2015, Khumalo was in office as Mayor of Tlokwe Local Municipality in the North West.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2015 |title=Tlokwe Municipality vulnerable to no-confidence vote |url=https://www.enca.com/south-africa/tlokwe-municipality-vulnerable-no-confidence-vote |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=eNCA |language=en}} Pursuant to the 2016 local elections, he was elected as Mayor of JB Marks Local Municipality (initially referred to as NW405), which was formed in a controversial{{Cite web |date=2018-09-26 |title=ANC admitting failure of Tlokwe/Ventersdorp merger 'too little, too late' |url=https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/anc-admitting-failure-of-tlokwe-ventersdorp-merger-too-little-too-late/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=The Citizen |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2018-05-23 |title=Ventersdorp residents lash out at 'merger' |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/ventersdorp-residents-lashes-out-at-merger/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=SABC News |language=en-US}} merger of the Tlokwe and Ventersdorp municipalities.{{Cite web |date=2016-09-23 |title=Kgotso Khumalo maps out vision of merger for next five years |url=https://potchefstroomherald.co.za/22700/kgotso-khumalo-maps-out-vision-of-merger-for-next-five-years/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Potchefstroom Herald |language=en-US}} The ANC Youth League in the region called for his resignation as early as March 2017,{{Cite web |date=2017-03-30 |title=ANC Youth League wants mayor and MM out |url=https://potchefstroomherald.co.za/30525/anc-youth-league-wants-mayor-mm/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Potchefstroom Herald |language=en-US}} and he faced sizeable service-delivery protests in August 2018, with hundreds of residents marching to demand his resignation and that of his senior management team, alleging that they were responsible for underperformance and even embezzlement of funds.{{Cite web |last= |date=2018-08-08 |title=Protesters call for removal of mayor Kgotso Khumalo |url=https://potchefstroomherald.co.za/51406/protesters-call-removal-mayor-kgotso-khumalo/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Potchefstroom Herald |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2018-08-02 |title=North West residents demand mayor’s resignation |url=https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/north-west-residents-demand-mayors-resignation/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=The Citizen |language=en}}
In October 2020, the Hawks arrested Khumalo and a senior official on fraud and theft charges.{{Cite web |last=Raborife |first=Mpho |date=23 October 2020 |title=Hawks arrest JB Marks mayor and director for fraud and theft involving R5m |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/just-in-hawks-arrest-jb-marks-mayor-and-director-for-fraud-and-theft-involving-r5m-20201023 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} They were accused of having misappropriated about R5 million in municipal funds, including a large contribution to the funeral of Ndleleni Duma in 2018, apparently by falsifying invoices.{{Cite web |last=Tau |first=Poloko |date=23 October 2020 |title=North West mayor arrested and released on warning for undeclared R5 million |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/north-west-mayor-arrested-and-released-on-warning-for-undeclared-r5-million-20201023 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=City Press |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Seleka |first=Ntwaagae |date=20 August 2021 |title=Trial of former JB Marks mayor Kgotso Khumalo will resume in Ventersdorp in October |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/trial-of-former-jb-marks-mayor-kgotso-khumalo-will-resume-in-ventersdorp-in-october-20210820 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} On the instructions of the ANC, Khumalo stepped aside from the mayoral office on 12 May 2021;{{Cite web |last=Letshwiti-Jones |first=Pule |date=12 May 2021 |title=Corruption-accused JB Marks mayor resigns with immediate effect |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/just-in-corruption-accused-jb-marks-mayor-resigns-with-immediate-effect-20210512 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} he was succeeded by Mapule Mataboge in July.{{Cite web |date=2 July 2021 |title=New mayor promises to clean up council placed under admin |url=https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-07-02-new-mayor-promises-to-clean-up-council-placed-under-admin/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Sowetan |language=en-ZA}}
Personal life
Khumalo is married to Malebitso Khumalo, with whom he has four children. His eldest child and only son, Mike Maimane, was murdered in February 2017.{{Cite web |date=20 February 2017 |title=Tlokwe mayor's son stabbed to death |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/tlokwe-mayors-son-stabbed-to-death-20170220 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} He was hospitalised with COVID-19-related illness in July 2020.{{Cite web |date=2020-07-22 |title=Executive Mayor Hospitalised |url=https://potchefstroomherald.co.za/75608/executive-mayor-hospitalised/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Potchefstroom Herald |language=en-US}}