 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Lulama Xingwana" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Lulama Xingwana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities | |
| In office 1 November 2010 – 26 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya |
| Succeeded by | Susan Shabangu |
| Minister of Arts and Culture | |
| In office 11 May 2009 – 30 October 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Pallo Jordan |
| Succeeded by | Paul Mashatile |
| Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs | |
| In office 2006–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Thoko Didiza |
| Succeeded by | Tina Joemat-Peterson/Gugile Nkwinti |
| Member of Parliament | |
| Assumed office 1994 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-09-23)23 September 1955 (age 70) |
| Political party | African National Congress |
Lulama "Lulu" Marytheresa Xingwana (born 23 September 1955) is a South African politician who served asMinister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities from November 2010 to May 2014.[1] Previously she held the position of Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy from 2004 to 2006, wasMinister of Agriculture and Land Affairs from 2006 to 2009, succeedingThoko Didiza,[2] and was Minister of Arts and Culture, 2009–2010.
Xingwana obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from theUniversity of the Witwatersrand in 1985 and three postgraduate diplomas, one in Economic Principles from theUniversity of Limpopo in 2002, and the other two in Development and Leadership Studies, and Rural Development from theUniversity of Zimbabwe inZimbabwe.[3]
Xingwana became a Member of Parliament after the 1994 South African elections. She is currently also chairperson of theSouthern African Development Community's Regional Women's Caucus and director of theSouth African Council of Churches' Women's Development Programmes (1987). She has chaired the Joint Monitoring Committee for the Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women (2002–2004), the Parliamentary Women's Caucus (1999–2004), the Malibongwe Rural Development Project for Women (1998–2000) and the National Assembly Portfolio Committee for Sports and Recreation (1994–1999). She has been a tutor of Classes for Domestic Workers in rural areas and the suburbs of Johannesburg, as well as for Learn and Teach, since 1985. From 1999 to 2004, she was on the National Assembly Portfolio Committee for Defence. She was also on the ANC's Provincial Executive Council forGauteng (1998–2001) and the National Assembly Portfolio Committee: Environmental Affairs and Tourism (1996–2004), Head of Development for the ANC Women's League (1991–1994) and a member of FEDSWA (1981–1991). Her membership to theUnited Democratic Front lasted from 1983 until 1991, and she has been a member of theANC Women's League since 1993.
Xingwana has spoken of her opposition to the return ofcapital punishment in South Africa stating that "it is against our ethos of human rights" and the democratic values of the country.[4]
In her appointment as Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister, Xingwana caused controversy in 2007 when she accused white farmers of being cruel and inhumane towards their workers. She claimed that farmers regularly "rape and assault" their workers. These statements enraged many farmers, and two farm unions,AgriSA and theTransvaal Agricultural Union, challenged her to provide evidence that would support her accusations. The minister called for a meeting with the unions, but the farmers walked out in protest. Former PresidentThabo Mbeki was called in to resolve the dispute.[5]
In April 2009, a report in the newspaperRapport repeated details found by one of its readers in a three-page Land Affairs document of a special mobiletoilet, imported at R500,000, for Xingwana's exclusive use while handing over land in various parts of the country. Its specifications were said to includegold trimmings, but Xingwana's spokesperson denied the claim, declaring that, although Xingwana did indeed have a specially-reserved toilet, it was no different from those which played host to thehoi polloi.[6]
In March 2010, Lulu Xingwana stormed out of an art exhibition that she was attending in her capacity of minister of Arts and Culture, calling the work "immoral". The works included pieces by one of the most acclaimed photographers in the world,Zanele Muholi.[7] It was alleged by an anonymous insider that Xingwana had objected to the display of same-sex couples, but the official reason provided through her spokesperson was that "It was immoral, offensive and going against nation-building."[8]
In early February 2013, it was reported that Xingwana spent R2.1 million on refurnishing the department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities head office with new designer furniture.[9] Nearly half of that amount was spent on custom-made furniture for her own office.[10] Xingwana was accused by opposition parties of using public resources to indulge in her own "extravagant taste in furniture and overseas trips" instead of defending the rights of vulnerable South Africans, which her department is responsible for.[9]
On 26 February 2013, Xingwana stated on the Australian news channelABC News: "Young Afrikaner men are brought up in theCalvinist religion believing that they own a woman, they own a child, they own everything and therefore they can take that life because they own it."[11]
After making the remarks, she was accused by civil rights organisationAfriForum of discriminating "on the basis of race, faith and gender", and that this was "an extreme verbal attack on the integrity of Afrikaners."[11] TheChristian Democratic Party called for the president to fire her. TheAfrikanerbond stated that her comments were an "extreme verbal attack on the integrity of Afrikaners" and speculated that she made the statement in an attempt to divert attention away from reports detailing mismanagement within her department.[12]
The following day Xingwana retracted her remarks and publicly apologised "unconditionally".[12]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs 2006–2009 | Succeeded byasMinister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
| Succeeded byasMinister of Rural Development and Land Reform | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Arts and Culture 10 May 2009–31 October 2010 | Succeeded by |
