Durban — Despite his brushes with the law in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, former #FeesMustFall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile has landed a top job in Gauteng.
Khanyile, who is still on trial for inciting violence during last year’s July unrest, has been appointed strategic adviser to a member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for community services, Bakang Lethoko, in the Ekurhuleni Metro.
The portfolio which belongs to Lethoko, a Patriotic Alliance (PA) councillor, comprises health and social development, customer relations management, and sports, recreation, arts and culture.
The councillor is one of the two MMCs from the PA, which is part of a DA-run coalition in the municipality.
Khanyile, who holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences Honours degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, confirmed to the Daily News on Thursday that he has started his new job as a strategic adviser to Lethoko.
PA deputy president Kenny Kunene said it was the party that deployed Khanyile to the position. Kunene said the party lived up to its name of being real patriots who look after other patriots like Khanyile, whose heart and passion are with the community.
He said the party was the only one that would never abandon people like Khanyile, who went to jail for young people to get free education. Kunene further said he deserved an apology from the ANC government for jailing him for taking part in the #FeesMustFall campaign because the government had implemented what it jailed him for, adding that instead Khanyile was being harassed and persecuted.
“For us, he is being persecuted with the intention to silence him. His case is politically motivated. He was charged for shouting aykhale. The system wants to silence him, so we in the PA do not subscribe to the nonsense of step aside, which is why we gave him a job and we believe that he is innocent until proven guilty,” said Kunene.
The term “aykhale” – which could be translated as attack – was popularised by the former Ukhozi FM personality Ngizwe Mchunu, who is also facing charges for inciting violence.
Furthermore, Kunene likened Khanyile to Nelson Mandela, who he said had a criminal record because of being jailed for fighting for the people. He added that although the position runs until the expiry of the council term in 2026, it was very likely that Khanyile would be deployed to other positions after the 2024 general election, as the party has bigger plans for him.
Explaining what the job entails, Kunene said Khanyile as a strategic adviser would attend meetings with the MMC and represent her if she was not able to attend. He would also be the eyes and ears of Lethoko in all the service delivery issues under her portfolio that might be raised by the community.
Khanyile, who is out on bail, was charged with two counts of inciting public violence and two counts of violating Covid-19 regulations that banned public gatherings and required people to wear masks.
The charges relate to last year’s deadly riots in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng that followed the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma, who was sentenced to 15 months in Estcourt Correctional Centre. Zuma had refused to appear before the State Capture Commission, which was chaired by then deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo.
In 2019, Khanyile was sentenced to three years of house arrest after being convicted on public violence charges which emanated from the #FeesMustFall campaign that he led in 2016.
Daily News