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TRAILBLAZER Writer: Samona MuruganPhotographer: Katlholo Maifadi
Gugu is living her political dream
A mother, daughter, public serv-
ant, political youth activist, stu-
dent and now author – these
are just some of the titles that defi ne
Gugu Ndima.
As the current spokesperson to the
Speaker of the Gauteng legislature, this
bubbly and strikingly eloquent young
woman is responsible for speaking on
behalf of all the provincial offi ce bear-
ers at the provincial legislature. Her pas-
sion for politics shines through as she
describes the importance of having a
legislative foundation. “The legislature
is the bedrock of our democracy, and
it ensures that the voice of the public
is thoroughly represented in holding
the Gauteng provincial government
accountable.”
Despite her busy schedule, Ndima is
also a part-time student at the Wits Busi-
ness School and has fulfi lled her dream
of writing a book. All in a Galz Life is a
fi ctional story of fi ve women from dif-
ferent backgrounds who fi nd common
ground through their life experiences.
Ndima has also written various politi-
cal and personal pieces for The Times,
Sunday Independent and the Mail &
Guardian. She was also nominated for
the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young
South Africans in 2010 and again this
year. She received CEO magazine’s meri-
torious award as a leader of tomorrow
in the business and professional sector
in South Africa’s most infl uential women
in business and government category.
To sustain democracy, Ndima says,
government must cultivate a relation-
ship of accountability and responsibility
with citizens.
Born and bred in Katlehong in Ekurhu-
leni, Ndima describes herself as an ordi-
nary township girl, yet there is nothing
ordinary about her rise to the top. As the
eldest daughter to Ellinah and the late
Themba Ndima, she is also a mother to
fi ve-year-old Nhlakanipho. After skip-
ping two grades in school, she was able
to matriculate at the age of just 15 from
Fumani Comprehensive High in 1999.
As a young girl she was faced with the
task of choosing a career, however she
soon realised that the choice had al-
ready been made for her.
Going against the grain
“Growing up in a township, there is a
limited understanding of what careers
are out there. The most well-known
careers are: a doctor, an accountant or
a lawyer.”
So, accountancy it was, and she reg-
istered for fi nancial accounting at the
University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2000.
At UJ she joined the debating society
and the South African Students Con-
gress. After two years of studying fi nan-
cial accounting, Ndima decided to drop
out, much to the dismay of her family.
“My family could not understand my
decision. They were confused and quite
upset, but it was a blessing in disguise
for me.”
She started working part-time jobs
and found herself working as an admin-
istrative assistant at Discovery Health.
Little did she know that this would be
the turning point that would catapult
her career in the right direction. After
being fi red from her job for wanting to
take leave to vote in the local elections,
Ndima wrote a letter to the CEO of Dis-
covery Health in which she raised her
concerns. “It was quite audacious that
the company did not have a patriotic
duty,” she says.
The letter was circulated to many po-
litical and youth groups and certainly
got people’s attention.
“I think it was inevitable that I would
leave the private sector. I was not happy
and I felt like I did not belong. I felt that
I was just a statistic rather than actually
contributing or making a diff erence.”
Ndima was then approached by the
Young Communist League who were,
at the time, trying to resuscitate their
media and communication unit. She
thought she would just be a writer op-
erating behind the scenes but by 2008
she had become the league’s spokes-
person.
In 2011, she joined the ANC Gauteng
communication unit to assist in the lo-
cal elections. A few months later she
joined the provincial legislature as the
spokesperson for ANC Chief Whip Brian
Hlongwa.
“From day one I realised that this is
where I was meant to be. I love the fact
that every day I am making some sort of
impact on the lives of others.”
Ndima concedes that there are sys-
tems in government that need to be
Public Sector Manager • September 201332
simplifi ed. “I think the greatest challenge
is the modus operandi of government.
I would love for our systems to be so simple
that ordinary citizens can understand exactly
what we do.”
As part of mobilising and creating an active
citizenry, Ndima says the provincial legisla-
ture has launched the Citizens Responsibility
campaign, which seeks to energise and mo-
bilise citizens and government to take more
responsibility for their conditions.
“For instance, take an issue like litter. The
public says that Johannesburg is dirty but it
is the public that is actually littering. Govern-
ment does play its role in terms of provid-
ing services like waste removal, but citizens
equally must take responsibility – the aspect
of patriotism needs to emphasised,” stresses
Ndima. To date, she admits there has been
immense improvement in the relationship
between government and the public it serves.
Ndima says her greatest strength is her per-
severance. “Even though it is tested at times,
you need to persevere and to also know when
to keep your head down, she says. One of
the most important lessons public servants
should learn is to grow a thick skin. And – it’s
not a cliché – women need to work twice as
hard to prove themselves.”
The best lesson that she learnt from her
mother is to be humble. “I wish every politi-
cian and every civil servant encompassed a
sense of humility,” she says.
Knowing who you are as a person and where
you come from is very important to enable
you to get where you want to go. As we cel-
ebrate Heritage Month Ndima says her purely
South African experiences are what make her
proudly South African. “So many people want
to leave this country every day, but when they
go they complain because they miss home so
much. I am South African because of the Zulu-
ness in me and the kasi girl in me,” she says.
Ndima says her passion for what she does
and her motivation comes from her son, who
always asks, “You work for me, right mummy?”
and he’s right, says Ndima, “I do work for him
and for the people of this country.”
*Follow Gugu Ndima on
Twitter: @msndima.
Public Sector Manager • September 2013 33