Lubabalo Magwentshu: A man of God and for the people of Jozi

Known as a ‘Dennis the Menace’ from the minority parties who are proving to be the kingmakers in the Joburg council, African Transformation Movement (ATM) member Lubabalo Magwentshu has described himself as a humble servant of God.

Hailing from Lusikisiki in the rural Eastern Cape, Magwentshu was recently appointed by current mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to serve as the MMC for community development.

In conversation with Lubabalo Magwentshu

Before becoming a councillor in November 2021, he had no background in politics.

He did, however, serve as chair of the Section 79 committee in the council in 2022 and has held various roles in the private sector, which included rail and port operations manager and a lecturer.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in commerce from Rhodes University.

Hope for a better life

While some may view him as part of the reason the City of Gold is in turmoil, he has set his sights on making sure it is restored to its former glory.

“After all, this is an economic hub to which everyone flocks as they hope for a better life.

“I also joined politics to add value in improving the lives of the people, and to ensure there’s good governance that is corruption free.”

Early childhood

Magwentshu was born on 21 January 1976, the son of a teacher and a magistrate.

“My mother had two children, me and my [late] brother. My mother died when I was very young – I was in sub A (grade 1).

“I grew up without a mother but because I grew up in a family where you have relatives – your aunts, uncles – you do not feel that void,” he said.

Looking back, despite the many challenges he faced as a young boy, the memories of his childhood were happy ones.

“In our homestead, I think at some point there were 20 kids within the family. We would eat from the same dish. My grandmother at one point visited another family in Willowvale.

“I was the youngest, and when these guys ate, they would just whip, whip,” he said with a laugh.

“I had one spoon and the food was finished, the second day the same thing happened. When my grandmother was there, at least I’d be given a small plate because I was the youngest, but I had to get used to eating fast [when] my grandmother wasn’t there.”

Life in rural Eastern Cape

Growing up in a rural area is often associated with poverty and lack of services from the government, but Magwentshu said because everyone in the village lived the same kind of life, they never felt impoverished.

“My father was a magistrate, my mother was a teacher and my aunt was a nurse, and we stayed closer to town. I know the hardships that were experienced by those who were staying further [away],” Magwentshu said.

“In the rural areas, the quality of education is not good because there is a lack of resources. For example, when you talk about a laboratory, kids have to imagine what it’s like, where other schools actually have laboratories.

“We had to fetch water from the river, wash in the river and fetch firewood, going to plough in the fields… It is that kind of life but I did not feel it was hardship.”

Importance of family

After completing his studies at Rhodes, Magwentshu married his childhood girlfriend, with whom he has five boys and a girl, the firstborn in 1996 and the last in 2018.

“The family is still growing, hopefully,” he said with a laugh. “I was looking at having more than 12 children but the cost of living is not allowing it.

“My father had a lot of kids and we even knew about others after he died.”

Magwentshu does not drink alcohol but enjoys socialising, serving people, spending time with his family, and watching his favourite soccer team, Sundowns, play.

“I like sports and, as a young man, dreamt of being a soccer player. I played all the positions – there is no position I wouldn’t play except for goalkeeper.

“At some point, I thought I was going to give boxing a try but I quickly realised that it might not be a good idea.”

Life in politics

Asked how he ended up in politics, he said he sat on the board of the church when it decided to form the party.

“The board makes decisions of the Twelve Apostles’ Church in Christ. The board decided, given the challenges our country was faced with, it was time we got actively involved in politics. It has always been involved in politics but not actively.

“It was involved through voting when people came and campaigned in church and it was also involved during the time of apartheid, with funding of uMkhonto we Sizwe, Apla [Azanian People’s Liberation Army] and all of that.

“When political killings and factionalism started happening in the country, people were being compromised and some of those people were our members,” Magwentshu said.

“We can make the decision as a church that we are not fulfilling our duties if we decide to stay far from politics.”