- Cllr Nomonde Nkukhu’s Background and Early Life: Born in Chibini in Mzongwana, Nkukhu overcame early family hardships, including losing both parents, and grew up in a family of 13 children, striving for a better future.
- Community Involvement and Political Career: Nkukhu has been actively involved in her community, elected to the Ward Committee in 2006 and serving as a Municipal Councillor and departmental head before becoming the Chief Whip in the Matatiele Municipal Council.
- Advocacy for Women’s Empowerment: During Women’s Month, Nkukhu encourages women to take pride in each other’s achievements, believe in themselves, and see no barriers due to background, emphasizing gender equality in leadership roles.
Cllr Nomonde Nkukhu has called on women to take pride in each other’s achievements and to be role models who uplift the name of women everywhere. Born in the village of Chibini in Mzongwana, Ward 05, Nkukhu attended local schools in Chibini and Hlangwini at Matatiele. She grew up in a family of 13 children, where her parents worked hard to secure a brighter future for them.
She shared that she and her siblings lost their mother at a young age, later also losing their father to illness.
“It is very painful to lose a parent; we felt our dreams were slipping away,” she said.
Despite these hardships, she became an active community member. In 2006, she was elected to the Ward Committee of Ward 05. In 2011, she became a Municipal Councillor for the ward, later serving as Portfolio Head for Community Services, and then for Economic Development and Planning. While leading these departments, she continued to improve her education.
Today, Nkukhu serves as the Chief Whip in the Matatiele Municipal Council. Marking Women’s Month, she urged women to believe in themselves and never see their background as a barrier to their ambitions. She stressed that in South Africa, leadership positions are no longer reserved for certain groups, and women can now hold top roles. She concluded by calling for unity in fighting violence against women and children.
