Kiki Rwexana

{{Infobox officeholder

| party = {{plainlist|

Congress of the People (since 2008)
African National Congress (until 2008)}}

| office1 = Member of the National Assembly

| termstart1 = 6 May 2009

| termend1 = 1 November 2013

| citizenship = South Africa

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|12|22|df=yes}}

| termend2 = 28 October 2008

| termstart2 = 23 April 2004

}}

Sindiswa Patricia "Kiki" Rwexana (born 22 December 1952) is a South African politician who served two non-consecutive terms in the National Assembly from 2004 to 2008 and from 2009 to 2013. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) until October 2008, when she became the first sitting MP to resign from the party and from Parliament to join the breakaway Congress of the People (COPE), which she represented during her second term. She was active in the women's wings of both parties.

Early life

Rwexana was born on 22 December 1952.{{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}}

Legislative career

= African National Congress: 2004–2008 =

She was first elected to the National Assembly in 2004, standing as a candidate on the ANC's national party list. For part of the legislative term that followed, she chaired the ANC's women's caucus in the assembly.{{Cite web |date=2008-10-28 |title=Dexter, Rwexana throw lot in with Shikota party |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2008-10-28-dexter-rwexana-throw-lot-in-with-shikota-party/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |date=28 October 2008 |title=More ANC members quit party |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/more-anc-members-quit-party-20081028 |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} In December 2007, she was nominated to stand for election to the ANC National Executive Committee,{{Cite web |date=2007-12-06 |title=ANC releases consolidated nominations list |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2007-12-06-anc-releases-consolidated-nominations-list/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} but she was not elected. In addition, she was the national deputy secretary of the ANC Women's League{{Cite news |date=15 January 2007 |title=Ehrenreich slams ANC for slow land reform |work=IOL |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/ehrenreich-slams-anc-for-slow-land-reform-311057 |access-date=25 April 2023}} until July 2008, when she was succeeded by Mpai Mogori.{{Cite web |date=6 July 2008 |title=Women's League president elected |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/womens-league-president-elected-407180 |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=IOL |language=en}}

Later that year, on 28 October 2008, Rwexana and Phillip Dexter announced that they were resigning from the ANC. Rwexana said:

Today the ANC is very cold... It depends on which side you are supporting. The ANC we used to know is no more. The ANC that taught democracy in South Africa is no more... that taught respect to each, respect to the elderly, is no more. There’s hatred and anger in the ANC [now]. If you have a different view, you are no longer regarded as a member of the ANC. You are regarded as someone who is anti-ANC.

She became the first sitting ANC MP to announce that she would join former ANC leaders Sam Shilowa and Mosiuoa Lekota at a national convention to consider political alternatives to the ANC. Because she resigned from the ANC, she lost her legislative seat the same day.{{Cite web |date=2009-01-15 |title=National Assembly Members |url=http://www.pmg.org.za/parlinfo/nalist#_ftnref87 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514071402/http://www.pmg.org.za/parlinfo/nalist#_ftnref87 |archive-date=14 May 2009 |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=Parliamentary Monitoring Group}}

= Congress of the People: 2008–2013 =

Shilowa and Lekota's political alternative took shape as COPE, a new opposition party, and Rwexana was appointed to its interim steering committee as the party's convenor for women.{{Cite news |date=12 November 2008 |title=COPE announces its 'steering committee' |work=IOL |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/cope-announces-its-steering-committee-423977 |access-date=25 April 2023}}{{Cite web |date=2008-11-14 |title=Can Shikota Cope? |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2008-11-14-can-shikota-cope/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} After the party was formally launched, she became head of its Women's Forum.{{Cite news |date=26 January 2009 |title=Dirty start to election campaign |work=IOL |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/dirty-start-to-election-campaign-432346 |access-date=25 April 2023}} In the next general election in 2009, she was elected to represent COPE in the National Assembly, but she again did not complete her term, resigning on 1 November 2013.{{Cite web |title=Sindiswa Patricia Rwexana |url=http://www.pa.org.za/person/sindiswa-patricia-rwexana/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=People's Assembly |language=en}}

References

External links

{{People's Assembly (South Africa)|sindiswa-patricia-rwexana|Ms Sindiswa Patricia Rwexana}}

Category:Living people

Category:1952 births

Category:African National Congress politicians

Category:Congress of the People (South African political party) politicians

Category:21st-century South African women politicians

Category:20th-century South African politicians

Category:20th-century South African women politicians

Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2009–2014

Category:Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa