Andile Lungisa (Age: 44 Years Old, Born: December 21st, 1979) has been reticent about his personal life. As a result, information regarding his academic achievements has been kept away from the public. Andile has been a member of the African National Congress (ANC) since his teenage years, though his membership status is currently suspended by the party.
Prior to violating a rule on the constitution that led to his suspension, he held many prestigious positions in the ANC, such that before he turned 40, he had already served as the President of the Pan-African Youth Union, Chairman of the National Youth Development Agency, as well as the Deputy President of the African National Congress Youth League.
The 44-year-old, who is widely considered a controversial politician, was the councilor of the ANC at the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality before he resigned from the role after getting involved in an assault case. In the last few years, his personality has courted many controversies that might have ruined his political ambition, as well as his decades-long career in politics.
Summary of Andile Lungisa’s Biography
- Full name: Andile Lungisa
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: December 21st, 1979
- Place of Birth: Tsomo, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Andile Lungisa’s Age: 44 Years Old
- Ethnicity: African
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Married
- Andile Lungisa’s Wife: Ursula Sali
- Siblings: Ayongezwa Lungisa
- Occupation: Politician
- Political Party: African National Congress
- Famous for: His political career
- Twitter: @mrlungisa
Andile Lungisa Was A Member Of The South African Students Congress (SASCO)
Lungisa was born in Tsomo situated in Chris Hani District Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa, on December 21st, 1979. In the early 90s, he became a member of the South African Students Congress (SASCO) but the school he was attending at the time hasn’t been made public. The notorious political figure has been reticent about his personal life. As a result, information regarding his academic achievements has been kept away from the media. The only known fact about his academic history at the moment is that he was a member of SASCO during his secondary school days.
SASCO Introduced Him To Politics At The Young Age Of 14
Andile Lungisa has been politically inclined since his youthful days. When he was fourteen years old, he joined the South African Students Congress (SASCO). His involvement in politics in the ’90s landed him the position of the chairperson of SASCO in the Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth regions. During this time, he also launched City Central, a branch of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in the western suburbs of Port Elizabeth. As such, he was one of the executive committee members. Later on, Lungisa was voted in as the party’s deputy regional chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Bay region.
When Lungisa Was 29, He Emerged as The Inaugural Chairperson of NYDA
In April 2008, the Tsomo native was elected by his fellow party members as the deputy president of the African National Congress Youth League. Andile Lungisa who was 29 at the time, served as Julius Malema‘s deputy while Vuyisawo Tulelo served as the national secretary-general. Also, under Malema, Steve Ngubeni served as the deputy secretary-general while Pule Mabi was the treasurer general. Lungisa was later succeeded by Ronald Lamola when he vacated the position in April 2013.
Following the establishment of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in early 2009, the former ANCYL deputy president was elected the inaugural chairperson of the agency. He executed the role from April 2009 to April 2013 and was succeeded by Yershen Pillay.
In His Early 30s, The Politician Was Elected The President of The PYU
Prior to becoming the president of the Pan-African Youth Union (PYU) in December 2011 when he was 31 years old, Andile Lungisa served a three-year term as the union’s vice president. He was then voted in as PYU’s president during a conference organized by the union from December 2nd to December 5th, 2011, in Khartoum, Sudan. He vacated the position in November 2014. While still serving as a member of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) in the year 2017, Lungisa contested the position of ANC’s regional chairperson in the Nelson Mandela region and won.
He was, however, asked to relinquish the role to another person shortly after, as it was discovered by the National Executive Committee (NEC) that he violated a rule of the constitution by vying for a regional role while still holding on to a provincial position. Later in August 2018, the popular political personality was elected a Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for the Department of Infrastructure and Engineering at the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in Port Elizabeth. He has also served as ANC municipal councilor in the Nelson Mandela Bay region. He was subsequently asked to step down from his MMC position after he was handed a jail term in 2020.
List of The Political Positions Andile Lungisa Has Occupied in The Past Years
- Chairperson of SASCO in the Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth regions.
- Executive Committee Member of City Central in the western suburbs of Port Elizabeth.
- ANC’s Deputy Regional Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Bay region.
- Eastern Cape ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) Member.
- Deputy President of the African National Congress Youth League (April 2008 – June 2011).
- Inaugural Chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) (April 2009 – April 2013).
- President of the Pan-African Youth Union (PYU) (December 2011 – November 2014).
- ANC Municipal Councillor.
- ANC’s Regional Chairperson in the Nelson Mandela Bay region (2017).
- Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for the Department of Infrastructure and Engineering at the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (August 2018 – August 2020).
Why Andile Lungisa Often Makes News Headline
On many occasions, Lungisa has been embroiled in controversy. Some of his court cases include:
Fraud and Money Laundering Case
In 2013, a fraud and money laundering lawsuit was filed against Lungisa, his wife, Sali, Xolisile Guquza, and Thabo Shogole. They allegedly embezzled the R2.5 million paid by the arts and culture department for the 2013 Nelson Mandela Day concert. They promised to get American singer, R. Kelly to perform at the concert but didn’t contact him, as such, the singer didn’t perform at the concert. After appearing at the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court, Andile Lungisa was granted bail of R10,000, and his wife was released on a warning. Shogole and Guquza, on the other hand, were granted bail of R10,000 and R5,000 respectively.
Assault Case
In the year 2016, Lungisa hit councilor Rano Kayser on the head with a full glass water jug that got shattered in the process. The incident which happened during a Nelson Mandela Bay council session left Rano with serious injuries. Andile Lungisa was then charged to court and convicted of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Consequently, he was handed an effective two-year prison sentence in 2018. He appealed against the assault sentence but it was dismissed.
Afterward, he only spent 75 days at the North End prison in Port Elizabeth, spanning from September 2020 to December 2020. Fortunately for the politician, he was among the 14,000 inmates released on parole by South African President, Cyril Ramophosa on December 1st, 2020. More so, Andile’s prison sentence was reduced by a year. He has been serving the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections. He was given an order by the court to pay over R800,000 to Rano Kayser.
Having earlier been sentenced to two years imprisonment without the option of a fine, Lungisa violated a rule of the ANC constitution. Thus, he was handed 18 months suspension by the provincial disciplinary committee in July 2021. He was also asked by the committee to enroll in an anger management program for 12 months.
Violation of Covid-19 Regulation Case
In July 2021, a lawsuit was filed against Andile Lungisa at the Motherwell Magistrate’s Court. He allegedly violated lockdown regulations on July 2, 2021, when he convened an illicit gathering of about 30 people in a protest against the imprisonment of former South African president, Jacob Zuma. As a result, he was charged with violation of the Disaster Management Act. He made a brief appearance in court on July 29, 2020. The case has been postponed to October 26, 2020, for plea and trial. Lungisa has been ordered by the court not to communicate with the witnesses or meddle in the investigation process.
