Mmusi Maimane has been married to a white South African woman named Natalie since 2005. With her he has two children, a daughter named Kgalaletso Mmaimane and a son, Daniel Kgosi Mmaimane.
Mmusi Maimane is one of the youngest influential politicians in South Africa and one of the pillars of one of the country’s political party – Democratic Alliance. He has held several strategic positions, hence becoming one of the most prominent personalities in the sphere of South African politics. In 2015, he became the leader of the DA party, and four years later, he resigned from that position amid several controversies.
Before his stint as the DA party leader, Maimane served as the leader of the Democratic Alliance in Johannesburg City Council, as well as the former National Spokesperson of the party. After his resignation as the leader of the party, he formed a civic organization called One South African Movement (OSAM) in 2020.
Away from the glitz and glamor that comes with being a public figure, Mmusi Maimane is equally a pastor and business consultant/trainer, and he also lectures at the GIBS Business Institute. Beyond that, he is a married man and a doting father of two children. Here’s more on Maimane’s love life, his wife and kids, as well as how he built his larger-than-life political career.
The Former DA Leader Married Natalie Maimane in 2005
Mmusi’s personal life can be described as more or less a romantic journey. This romance not only has something to do with his beautiful wife, but also his children. The entire country cannot deny the awesomeness of Mmusi’s love life, which has become an inspiration to young lovers. Simply put, Mmusi, who proposed to his wife within six months of dating, does not let his political life come between what he shares with his darling wife. For this reason, people’s admiration for the couple has continued to grow over the years.
The former DA leader got married to a white South African, Natalie, in 2005. Unlike her husband, Natalie Maimane is a more reserved lady and does her best to stay out of public eyes. Natalie’s homely, loving, and humble nature has endeared her to lots of people. The white South African is known to be a gracious, generous-natured person, and her beauty goes beyond what we see on the outside.
She has graced several events as a guest speaker, and she’s loved for her sense of humor; not forgetting she was once a teacher.
The union between Natalie and Mmusi started in a church, where they both met. Being of different races, it was not an easy journey at first, but the couple fought to dispel all misconceptions about interracial marriage.
Their started their relationship as platonic friends whose families were close. In one of their interviews, Natalie said her husband was more of a brother figure than a friend to her at the time. But fate had its way; the two discovered a connection between them, and the rest became history. They have been together for over a decade and still counting.
Their Marriage Has Produced Two Children – Kgosi and Kgalaletso Maimane
While many think that politicians are all business all the time. However, they often forget that some big names like Mmusi Maimane have lives outside of politics. The former DA leader is a proud and doting father of two children – a daughter named Kgalaletso Mmaimane and a son named Daniel Kgosi Mmaimane.
Mmusi and his wife, Natalie, first welcomed their daughter Kgalaletso in 2008, and three years later, their son Daniel was born. Maimane has never failed to utilize any opportunity in gushing about how happy his children make him. He enjoys hanging out with them, and he often shares their happy moments, birthdays, and academic journey with fans on Twitter and Instagram.
Although his children are still very young, the former DA said he and his wife will train them and guide them to become better and successful people in the future.
Mmusi Maimane’s Personal Profile in Summary
- Full Name: Mmusi Aloysias Maimane
- Date of Birth: 6 June 1980
- Place of Birth: Krugersdorp, Transvaal Province of South Africa
- Popularly Known as: Former Leader of the Democratic Alliance Party and Founder of One South African Movement (OSAM)
- Education: University of South Africa (Psychology degree), University of the Witwatersrand (Masters in Public Administration), University of Bangor, Wales, UK (Masters in Theology)
- Marital Status: Married to Natalie Maimane (2005)
- Children: 2 (Kgalaletso Mmaimane and Daniel Kgosi Mmaimane)
How Mmusi Maimane Began His Political Career
Born as Mmusi Aloysias Maimane on 6 June 1980, the former DA leader is the son of Simon and Ethel Maimane. His birth took place in Krugersdorp, Transvaal Province of South Africa, and he is the oldest of four children of his parents, who are of Tswana and Xhosa ancestry, respectively. The SA politician spent his early years in Soweto and has lived in Johannesburg for most of his life.
When he was very young, he went to Raucall, and thereafter, he attended Allen Glen High School, located in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. From there, he went to the University of South Africa, where he acquired a degree in Psychology. More so, he has two master’s degrees, one in Public Administration from the University of Witwatersrand, and another in Theology from the University of Bangor, Wales, in the United Kingdom.
Soon after his education, Mmusi Maimane returned to South Africa, where he kicked off a career as a business consultant. He also worked as a lecturer at the Gordon Institute of Business Science situated in Johannesburg. In 2009, he decided to go into politics, and as a result, he became a member of the Democratic Alliance Party. In the following year 2010, Mmusi recorded his first political stunt by contesting for the Johannesburg City Council, under the Democratic Alliance.
Rising Through the Ranks in the Democratic Alliance Party
Since joining the party, Mmusi Maimane’s political career began to record massive progress as the young politician declared his intent to run for the mayoral position in 2011. During the election, Mmusi, however, lost the seat to the ANC’s candidate. Though he lost, Maimane led a caucus of 90 DA members of Democratic Alliance, which led him to officially become the leader of the opposition in Johannesburg.
The following year, he went on to become the National Spokesperson of the DA, a post which he held from November 2011 to May 2012. During the 2012 DA Federal Congress, Maimane was elected the Deputy Federal Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance. This was after he got a majority of the votes, defeating eight other contenders to assume that position. Unrelenting, Maimane also declared his interest in vying for the position of the Premier of Gauteng in 2013.
Maimane defeated two other DA candidates to emerge as the party’s duly elected candidate for Gauteng Premier. As things would later pan out, Maimane was defeated by ANC’s David Makhura during the 2014 elections. Thereafter, he declined to serve under the provincial legislature, which led him to be sworn in as a member of South Africa’s National Assembly. At the national assembly, the DA’s parliamentary caucus unanimously elected him as the leader of the opposition. With that, he made history as the first black man to hold that position.
Becoming the Leader of the Democratic Alliance Party
In 2015, during the Western Cape Congress, Maimane declared his intent to run for the position of DA Federal Leader. Afterward, he got the backing of prominent businessmen, including Herman Mashaba. Consequently, Mmusi was elected the leader of the party during the party’s federal congress in Port Elizabeth. He achieved this feat by defeating the party’s chairperson, Wilmot James, with close to 90% of the votes, in May 2015.
Becoming the leader of the Democratic Alliance Party, Mmusi also continued his work as the opposition leader in the South African National Assembly. Sometimes called the Obama of Soweto, Mmusi is the first black South African and youngest politician to lead the Democratic Alliance Party. During his time as the leader of the party, Maimane won the hearts of many with his tremendously significant contributions. He has been championing the cause of breaking the racial divide in the country and creating “One South Africa For All.” Despite all these, his leadership style was greatly criticized by several DA politicians and party members.
Controversies that Led to Mmusi Maimane’s Resignation
Before the 2019 general elections, the DA party experienced a decline in its stronghold, thereby posing a risk of losing public support. As a result, their election campaigns were plagued by so many controversies. During the election, the DA lost five seats in the National Assembly, as well as its title of being the official opposition to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), respectively.
In the wake of the foregoing, there were rumors in some quarters alleging that the DA would dismiss Mmusi Maimane as its leader. On 20 October 2019, Helen Zille was made the party’s federal council chairperson. The following day, Herman Mashaba, who is the mayor of Johannesburg, resigned from his position and the party following issues with the party’s leadership. On 23 October, Maimane tendered his resignation as the leader of the party amid controversies. The following day, he also resigned as a member of parliament and from the party. He was succeeded by John Steenhuisen.
He Founded One South African Movement (OSAM) in 2020
Following his resignation as the leader of Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane decided to stay away from joining any other political party, instead, he founded a political party called One South African Movement (OSAM). OSAM is a civic organization, which he founded in 2020, with the intent to advocate for change, as well as equality in South Africa.
Asides politics, Mmusi is also a philanthropist and a member of several NGOs. He focuses on rural and youth development, as well as cases that involve HIV/AIDs. He is multilingual and is fluent in six National languages, including English, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Setswana, and Sepedi.
The Former DA Leader Has Built An Impressive Net worth For Himself
The former DA leader is not only a savvy politician but someone who also knows the nitty-gritty of the commercial society. He is one of the youngest politicians with an enviable amount of investments, which have added greatly to his net worth. Through his position as the leader of the opposition party, he pocketed R1.6 million each year (R133,000 every month).
Mmusi also owns a communication training company, where he serves as the director; plus, he is also a motivational speaker. All these and his other business endeavors have put his net worth in millions of Rand. Unfortunately, his actual net worth cannot be ascertained at the moment. However, we do know he has three properties in Roodepoort, Wilgeheuwel, and Weltevreden Park, Gauteng.
What We Know About Mmusi Maimane and the Claremont House Controversy
In 2019, while Mmusi was still the leader of the DA party, during one of their executive meetings, controversy ensued when Mike Waters, an MP, inquired about how the DA leader was paying rent for his Claremont house. According to reports, the issues erupted after a conflicting report surfaced, disproving Mmusi as the owner of the R4 million Claremont House he had previously enlisted in Parliament as his property. Meanwhile, Maimane lives there with his wife and two kids.
Mystery around Mmusi Maimane and 'his' R3.85m Claremont house – report https://t.co/EOmJkzqcPR
— Hon. Marco Machona (@RuffcutsWear) September 15, 2019
Following this discovery, the former DA leader was being tapped to face the ethics committee for providing misleading information to the parliament, which has zero-tolerance for such. In his defense, Mmusi Maimane disclosed that he doesn’t see anything unlawful or illegal about the Claremont home or its purchase. Hence, he is not expected to declare a rented apartment as part of his assets, which means he over-declared his assets.
Through investigations conducted, it was revealed that the Claremont House is owned by Wessel Jacobs, a Durban Businessman, and a good friend to Maimane. According to Jacobs, he procured the house through his shelf company in September 2017, at R3.85 million. More so, it was also revealed that Maimane could be paying between R15,000 and R20,000 as rent monthly.
During the ongoing fiasco, DA chief whip, MP John Steenhuisen, disclosed that MPs are not required to include leased and rented homes on their declaration of members’ interest form. Consequently, Glynnis Breytenbach, an MP, who is also the chairperson of the DA federal legal commission, and MP, Dion George, DA finance chairperson, carried out a thorough investigation of the ongoing matter, and afterward, concluded that no crime has been committed by Maimane. The outcome of the investigation was shared with Maimane and other concerned parties as the case was laid to rest.
