Zandile Gumede’s rise from domestic work to politics

By Celani Sikhakhane

• Zandile Gumede started as a domestic worker after leaving rural eShowe for Durban in search of work during apartheid.

• She later became eThekwini’s first female mayor and remains known as “uMama” among many of her political supporters.

Zandile Gumede’s journey to political power started far away from the offices of eThekwini Municipality.

Born Zandile Majola in eShowe, northern KwaZulu-Natal, she came from a poor rural background and moved to Durban looking for work during apartheid.

She became a domestic worker while also getting involved in community activism in Inanda and Maoti.

Gumede later said those difficult years shaped the politician she became.

In a 2016 interview after becoming eThekwini’s first female mayor, she spoke about supporting her family after her husband lost his job.

“I was a domestic worker while I was also an ANC activist in Inanda,” Gumede said.

She described herself as “a mother of prayer” who had survived many hardships.

Gumede eventually climbed the ANC’s political ranks and became one of the party’s most influential figures in eThekwini.

Her supporters began calling her “uMama”, saying they saw her as a political mother who would fight for them.

Others gave her the nickname “Mkabayi”, after the powerful Zulu royal figure Princess Mkabayi.

Her influence remained strong even after she left the mayor’s office.

Former ANC KwaZulu-Natal secretary Bheki Mtolo said in 2024 that Gumede remained popular among voters in eThekwini.

He said many supporters still viewed her as a mother figure, making it difficult for the party to ignore her influence during election campaigning.

Pictured above: Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede rose from working as a domestic worker to becoming one of KwaZulu-Natal’s best-known politicians.

Image source: Zandile Gumede/Facebook