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Lindiwe Ntshalintshali
MP
Deputy Minister of Correctional Services
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 July 2024
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 June 2024
Member of the Mpumalanga Executive Council for Social Development
In office
24 February 2021 – 28 May 2024
PremierRefilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane
Preceded byThandi Shongwe
Succeeded byKhethiwe Moeketsi
Member of the Mpumalanga Executive Council for Art, Sports, Culture and Recreation
In office
27 May 2019 – 24 February 2021
PremierRefilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane
Preceded byThandi Shongwe
Succeeded byThandi Shongwe
Deputy Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress in Mpumalanga
In office
December 2015 – December 2022
Preceded byViolet Siwela
Mayor of Emalahleni Local Municipality
In office
30 July 2015 – March 2018
Preceded bySalome Sithole
Succeeded byLinah Malatjie
Personal details
Born
Leonah Lindiwe Mabona

(1977-04-11) 11 April 1977 (age 47)
Witbank, Eastern Transvaal
South Africa
CitizenshipSouth Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress
SpouseMfanimpela Ntshalintshali
Occupation
  • Politician
  • nurse

Leonah Lindiwe Ntshalintshali (née Mabona; born 11 April 1977) is a South African politician who has been Deputy Minister of Correctional Services and a member of the National Assembly of South Africa since July 2024, representing the African National Congress. She was previously Mpumalanga's Member of the Executive Council for Arts, Sports, Culture and Recreation from 2019 to 2021 before serving as the MEC for Social Development from 2021 until 2024. Ntshalintshali was Mayor of Witbank's Emalahleni Local Municipality from 2015 to 2018.

A nurse by training, Ntshalintshali is a former member of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League and entered government in 2006 as a local councillor in Emalahleni. While mayor, she became Deputy President of the South African Local Government Association. She left local government and the mayoral position in March 2018, when she became acting Provincial Secretary of the ANC in Mpumalanga. Pursuant to the 2019 general election, she was elected a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature and was appointed to the Executive Council of Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, the fifth Premier of Mpumalanga. She was elected to a second term as ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary in April 2022 and resigned to this post when she was elected the member of the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) in December 2022.

Early life and activism

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Ntshalintshali was born on 11 April 1977[citation needed] in Lynville, Witbank and grew up in Phola outside Ogies, both towns on the Highveld of what is now Mpumalanga province (then the Transvaal province).[1] She matriculated at Mabande Comprehensive School in 1996 and subsequently obtained a certificate in nursing from Middelburg Nursing College before beginning work as a nurse at Middelburg Hospital, a public hospital in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.[1]

While a student, Ntshalintshali was active in the Congress of South African Students and later in local structures of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League. In 2005, she was elected to the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC Youth League in Mpumalanga.[1] In later years, she held a range of positions in local structures of the mainstream ANC, becoming Regional Deputy Secretary of the ANC's Nkangala region.[1]

Career in government

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Local government: 2006–2018

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In the 2006 municipal elections, Ntshalintshali was elected as a local councillor in the Emalahleni Local Municipality. She was among the councillors elected by proportional representation from the ANC's party list[1] and was re-elected to a second term as councillor in the 2011 municipal elections.[2] During her two terms as councillor, she was appointed a Member of the Mayoral Committee for Development and Planning and later for Technical Services.[1]

Mayor of Emalahleni

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On 30 July 2015, toward the end of Ntshalintshali's second term as councillor, the council elected her Executive Mayor of Emalahleni.[2] She replaced Salome Sithole, whom the ANC had "recalled" (asked to resign) as part of the party's efforts to "rejuvenate" ANC-led governments ahead of the August 2016 local government elections.[3][4] She stood successfully as the ANC's Emalahleni mayoral candidate in the 2016 elections and was elected to a full five-year term as mayor.[5][6]

In 2016, while mayor, Ntshalintshali was elected as one of three deputy presidents of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA),[7] serving alongside President Parks Tau, mayor of Johannesburg, and fellow deputy presidents Zandile Gumede of eThekwini and Sebenzile Ngangelizwe of Lejweleputswa.[8] Ntshalintshali had previously been a member of SALGA's provincial executive between 2013 and 2015.[1] She also served as president of the African section of United Cities and Local Government.[1][9]

ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary

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Simultaneously, Ntshalintshali was a member of the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC in Mpumalanga, having been elected to the seat at a party elective conference in 2012.[1] At the next elective conference in December 2015, she was elected ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary.[10][11]

In mid-March 2018, she announced that she intended to resign as mayor in order to concentrate on her party-political work.[9][12][13] She was appointed to lead the ANC's election campaign in Mpumalanga province ahead of the 2019 general election,[9] and she also became acting ANC Provincial Secretary in Mpumalanga, a full-time post at the party's provincial headquarters.[14][15][16] She was appointed acting secretary when the incumbent secretary, Mandla Ndlovu, became acting Provincial Chairperson due to the simultaneous departures of longstanding chairperson David Mabuza and his deputy, Violet Siwela.[17][18]

Provincial government: 2019–2024

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In the May 2019 general elections, Ntshalintshali was elected as a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, having been ranked fifth on the ANC's provincial party list.[19] Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, the new Premier of Mpumalanga, appointed her as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Arts, Sports, Culture and Recreation in the Mpumalanga provincial government.[20][21][22] In February 2021, in a reshuffle of the Executive Council, Ntshalintshali traded portfolios with Thandi Shongwe, becoming MEC for Social Development.[23]

Assault

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On 17 July 2019, Ntshalintshali, in her capacity as acting ANC Provincial Secretary, convened a chaotic meeting in Mbombela between two regional branches of the ANC in Mpumalanga, the Bohlabela and Ehlanzeni branches.[24][25] Ntshalintshali was present to confirm that the leadership committees of both regional branches would be disbanded and that the branches would be amalgamated into a single region, to be governed initially by an unelected interim leadership corps. While she was making this announcement, a scuffle broke out, in which certain ANC members reportedly attacked Ntshalintshali and her bodyguard, including with a chair; two policemen were also injured,[25] and one attendee said that the police had to fire rubber bullets to disperse the meeting.[26] The violence apparently stemmed from unhappiness with the composition of the interim leadership corps as announced by Ntshalintshali at the meeting.[25][27]

Ntshalintshali's bodyguard laid a case of criminal assault at the Mbombela police station,[25] as did Ntshalintshali.[27][28] In addition, in late July, the ANC suspended the membership of two regional ANC leaders present at the meeting – eHlanzeni regional chairperson Ngrayi Ngwenya and acting regional treasurer Phindile Nkuna – pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.[29][30][31] In October, the ANC National Disciplinary Committee found Nkuna guilty of assaulting Ntshalintshali; she was reprimanded and ordered to apologise to Ntshalintshali. Ngwenya, however, was acquitted of the charge against him.[32][33][34][35] Ntshalintshali continued to maintain that Ngwenya had assaulted her and said in the aftermath, "The ANC cannot claim to fight gender-based violence while they cannot protect us who are inside the organisation."[36] She also raised questions about the neutrality of the ANC disciplinary process, calling it "highly managed" and arguing that one of the disciplinary committee's members, Bongani Bongo, was personally friendly with Ngwenya.[36][37]

Factional tensions

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According to local observers, the attack on Ntshalintshali at the Mbombela meeting in July was connected to broader factional confrontation in the Mpumalanga ANC;[38] in August 2019, she added two additionally bodyguards to her security detail.[39] At that time, the Mpumalanga ANC expected to hold its next provincial elective conference in late 2019 or early 2020, in order to elect a new provincial party leadership – including a permanent replacement for Provincial Chairperson David Mabuza, who had dominated Mpumalanga politics from 2008 to 2018. The Premier of Mpumalanga, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, had emerged as a contender to succeed Mabuza, and apparently had Mabuza's support. However, Ntshalintshali – who was junior to Mtsweni-Tsipane in the government but senior to her in the ANC – was viewed as a strong opponent of Mtsweni-Tsipane's candidacy.[28][40] Instead, she supported the so-called "NdlovuChirwa" campaign, led by Mandla Ndlovu and Muzi Chirwa, who included Ntshalintshali on their proposed slate of leadership candidates.[41][42]

Fellow MEC Peter Nyoni said that Ntshalintshali's opposition to Mtsweni-Tsipane had led to her "being bullied by those who want the organisation [the ANC] to serve their interest at all cost".[40] In August 2019, City Press reported that relations between Ntshalintshali and Mtsweni-Tsipane were so poor that the government's Executive Council had not held a single cabinet meeting in the two-and-a-half months since it was constituted.[38] Mtsweni-Tsipane denied that there were any tensions.[38]

The Mpumalanga ANC's elective conference was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown, leaving Ntshalintshali to continue as acting Provincial Secretary throughout 2020 and 2021. In April 2022, when the conference was held, the Ndlovu–Chirwa faction, renamed "Focus", prevailed, securing the election of its entire slate of candidates.[43] Ntshalintshali was re-elected Deputy Provincial Secretary, this time deputising Muzi Chirwa; she won a total of 458 votes from the 700–800 delegates present.[43] The Business Day noted that Ntshalintshali diverged from the rest of the Focus slate in that she was "a staunch ally" of Ace Magashule, the ANC's suspended national secretary general, whereas Ndlovu, Chirwa, and the others supported incumbent ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa.[43] In the aftermath of the provincial conference, Ntshalintshali said that she would seek election to the 80-member National Executive Committee at the party's 55th National Conference in December 2022.[44] She was elected to the NEC; by number of votes received, she ranked 63rd.[45]

National government

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Ntshalintshali was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa in the 2024 general election.[46] She was then appointed to the National Executive by president Cyril Ramaphosa on 30 June 2024.[47]

Controversies

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Emalahleni expenditures

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In September 2016, while Ntshalintshali was mayor, the Emalahleni council controversially approved a decision to use R1.5 million in public funds, a budget rollover from developmental projects, to buy a new mayoral car for Ntshalintshali.[48][49] Her current car was reportedly a Lexus[48] and the municipality reportedly intended to replace it with a new Lexus RX450.[50] Following protests from the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), the purchase was cancelled.[50]

In October 2017, the DA approached the Auditor-General to request an investigation into another municipal expenditure item: Emalahleni had allegedly spent R2.1 million between 4 October and 2 November 2016, during service delivery protests, on an emergency protection force for Ntshalintshali's private residence in Phola.[51] Sizwe Sama Yende of City Press claimed to have seen a municipal document which showed that the government had spent R64,350 per day for 29 days on protecting Ntshalintshali's home.[52] A council spokesman pointed out that the municipality had been billed R2.1 million but had only paid R1.6 million after negotiations with the service provider.[52] He also disputed the context of the payment: City Press claimed that the protests had been precipitated by the proposal to buy a new mayoral Lexus, while the spokesman claimed that they had been related to land invasions and RDP housing.[52] The reports about the protection force were particularly controversial because Emalahleni was undergoing financial problems and because the relevant security contractor was owned by the same man who had received another controversial multimillion-rand tender in 2014, on that occasion to protect senior municipal employees from protests by the South African Municipal Workers' Union.[51][52]

In 2021, after Ntshalintshali had left Emalahleni and become an MEC, the Mpumalanga provincial government commissioned a forensic investigation into alleged improprieties that occurred in the council under her tenure. The investigation was launched by Busi Shiba, then the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.[53] In March 2022, the report of the investigation recommended that Ntshalintshali should be subject to criminal charges in relation to a decision to increase the salaries of municipal managers, which the report said had been unlawful.[54] Both the DA and the Economic Freedom Fighters, another political party, had earlier opened a criminal case against her on similar grounds.[55][56] Ntshalintshali denied that she had taken any unlawful decisions as mayor.[53][57]

Leaked recording

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In January 2020, while Ntshalintshali was an MEC, SABC aired an audio recording of a woman, alleged to be Ntshalintshali, apparently discussing members of her staff, whom she said she intended to fire, and government tenders.[58][59] The press interpreted the discussion as including allusions to illegal kickbacks.[60][61] Later in January, a man came forward claiming that he was Ntshalintshali's secret lover and the other voice in the leaked recording. He additionally claimed that Ntshalintshali had twice offered him employment in government.[62] Ntshalintshali denied that she had had an affair with the man and said that the leak was part of an organised attempt to discredit her ahead of the Mpumalanga ANC's elective conference.[61] She did not confirm whether it was her voice in the recording, saying, "I’m not sure about the authenticity of the recording, because I never granted permission to be recorded. So, if there is any recording, it is against the law and somebody must take ownership and we will deal with it legally".[62]

Personal life

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She is married to businessman Mfanimpela Ntshalintshali.[62]

On the evening of 19 September 2018, she was the victim of a hijacking. She and her elder sister, Zanele, were ambushed by four armed men outside Zanele's home in Phola township. The men stole Ntshalintshali's maroon Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupé and other personal belongings and left Ntshalintshali and her sister on a gravel road near Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng off the N4 highway.[63][64] The following day, the South African Police Service located Ntshalintshali's car and arrested one suspect.[65]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "About Us: Lindiwe Ntshalintshali". Mpumalanga Department of Social Development. 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Salome is out and Ntshalintshali is in". Witbank News. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Mayors get the axe as ANC tries to 'rejuvenate' itself before elections". News24. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Cllr Salome Sithole has been given the boot". Witbank News. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  5. ^ Giokos, Heidi (2 August 2016). "Despite Witbank's woes, ANC confident of victory". IOL. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Councillor Lindiwe Ntshalintshali is the mayor of Emalahleni". Witbank News. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2020.[dead link‍]
  7. ^ Mabanga, Thebe (29 May 2017). "Salga brings its women to the fore". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. ^ "eThekwini mayor elected as deputy president of Salga". eThekwini Municipality. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2020.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ a b c "Mayor moving up the ranks". Witbank News. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
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  11. ^ "DD Mabuza re-elected ANC Mpumalanga chairperson". Politicsweb. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Executive Mayor of Emalahleni resigns". Witbank News. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  13. ^ Goldswain, Zita (14 March 2018). "Executive mayor of Emalahleni resigns". The Citizen. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  14. ^ Ka-Soko, Benzi (30 December 2019). "Clock is ticking for ANC to deal with the political mess in Mpumalanga". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Mpumalanga ANC responds to MK Council's threat over list". 013News. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Muzi Chirwa thanks Lindiwe Ntshalintshali for leading ANC towards renewed hope". 013NEWS. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  17. ^ Yende, Sizwe Sama (27 February 2018). "Mabuza backing Ndlovu is 'un-ANC, undemocratic and unbecoming'". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  18. ^ "No Mpumalanga leader for ANC till national vote". Sowetan. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Leonah Lindiwe Ntshalintshali". People's Assembly. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Premier Refilwe Tsipane Announces the New Executive Council". Mpumalanga Provincial Government. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Mpumalanga premier Refilwe Mtsweni announces 'mixed bag' cabinet". Sowetan. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  22. ^ "New Mpumalanga Members of the Executive Council". Witbank News. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Mpumalanga premier removes Mabuza loyalists from her cabinet". The Mail & Guardian. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  24. ^ Mabena, Sipho (19 July 2019). "Meeting descends into chaos as Mpumalanga ANC members attack official". The Citizen. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  25. ^ a b c d "Inside the Mpumalanga ANC chaos". 013News. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Chaos as Mpumalanga ANC members throw chairs at provincial secretary". News24. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  27. ^ a b Yende, Sizwe Sama (4 August 2019). "Blow for premier as ANC suspends Mpumalanga kingmaker for alleged assault". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  28. ^ a b "Nkangala ANC won't support "parachuted" candidates". 013News. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  29. ^ "ANC Members served with suspension letters in Mpumalanga". SABC News. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  30. ^ "NEC suspends Ngrai Ngwenya's ANC membership". 013News. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  31. ^ "Setback blow for DD's chosen one". The Mail & Guardian. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  32. ^ Mabena, Sipho (3 October 2019). "ANC finds Mpumalanga premier's aide not guilty of assault". The Citizen. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Ngrayi Ngwenya found not guilty by disciplinary committee". Mpumalanga News. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  34. ^ "Mabuza ally off the hook for Mpumalanga ANC assault". The Mail & Guardian. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  35. ^ "'Political school' recommended for Mpumalanga leaders". 013News. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  36. ^ a b Yende, Sizwe Sama (8 October 2019). "Questions raised as disciplinary committee acquits ANC heavyweight accused of punching comrade". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  37. ^ "Ntshalintshali disappointed at ANC DC findings". 013News. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  38. ^ a b c Yende, Sizwe Sama (12 August 2019). "Threats, punches: Is Mpumalanga chaos due to the top 2 women's rivalry?". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  39. ^ "ANC's Lindiwe Ntshalintshali beefs up security". 013News. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Tensions between Ntshalintshali and Mtshweni-Tsipane threaten to tear Mpumalanga further apart". 013News. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  41. ^ "#NdlovuChirwa campaign gains momentum ahead of Mpumalanga congress". 013News. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  42. ^ "It's healthy when ANC members critique each other". 013News. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  43. ^ a b c Madisa, Kgothatso (2 April 2022). "Mandla Ndlovu is ANC's new provincial chairperson in Mpumalanga". Business Day. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  44. ^ Yende, Sizwe Sama (3 October 2022). "Mpumalanga torn between three presidential candidates". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  45. ^ "ANC NEC election results 2022 - DOCUMENTS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  46. ^ "The 400 MPs elected to the National Assembly - IEC - DOCUMENTS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  47. ^ "Correctional Services Commissioner welcomes new leadership | SAnews". www.sanews.gov.za. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  48. ^ a b "Row as council approves R1.5-million car for mayor". Sunday Times. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  49. ^ Yende, Sizwe Sama (7 September 2016). "R1.5m car for mayor despite eMalahleni's power, water and potholes crises". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  50. ^ a b "Lindiwe Ntshalintshali slams DA 'noise-makers'". 013News. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  51. ^ a b "Lindiwe Ntshalintshali's woes continue amid fresh scandal". 013News. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  52. ^ a b c d Yende, Sizwe Sama (5 October 2017). "Protests over mayor's R1.5m vehicle cost cash-strapped eMalahleni R2.1m". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  53. ^ a b Yende, Sizwe Sama (5 September 2021). "ANC leader's past haunts her". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  54. ^ Yende, Sizwe Sama (15 March 2022). "Forensic report recommends criminal charges be laid against ANC bigwig". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  55. ^ "EFF opens cases at Witbank Police Station - Accuse former municipal mayor of fraud". Witbank News. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  56. ^ "Ntshalintshali responds to DA's corruption allegations". Witbank News. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  57. ^ Yende, Sizwe Sama (11 April 2022). "Mpumalanga MEC taken to court over damning forensic report". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  58. ^ "ANC to investigate Ntshalintshali audio recording". SABC News. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  59. ^ "Calls for MEC Ntshalintshali's removal erupt in ANC meeting after leaked recording". The Citizen. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  60. ^ Journo, Enver (28 January 2020). "MEC Lindiwe Ntshalintshali in hot water over audio recording". Lowvelder. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  61. ^ a b "Mpumalanga MEC Lindiwe Ntshalintshali says dirty deals recording is a tactic to discredit her". News24. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  62. ^ a b c Yende, Sizwe Sama (29 January 2020). "MEC recommended 'lover' for positions until husband found out". City Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  63. ^ "'I could have been raped, killed,' Ntshalintshali speaks out on hijack ordeal". 013News. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  64. ^ "Lindiwe Ntshalintshali hijacked". Witbank News. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  65. ^ "Man arrested for hijacking' kidnapping former Emalahleni mayor". Sunday Times. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
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