| QUICK FACTS | |
| Birth Name: | Zizi Kodwa |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Date of Birth | 19 January 1970 (age 54 years) |
| Place of Birth | Gugulethu, Western Cape |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Gender: | Male |
| Political Party: | African National Congress |
| Education: | University of the Western Cape |
Zizi Kodwa served as the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture of the Republic of South Africa from 6 March 2023 to 5 June 2024. Before this role, he was the Deputy Minister of State Security from 30 May 2019 to 6 March 2023.
A prominent figure in the African National Congress (ANC), Kodwa is a member of the National Executive Committee and held the position of Spokesperson for the ANC from 2014 to 2017.
Academic Qualifications: Kodwa holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape.
Career/Positions/Memberships/Other Activities:
- In March 2010, Kodwa was appointed as a Special Advisor to the President of the Republic on Communications.
- From May 2014 to 2017, he served as the National Spokesperson of the African National Congress.
- He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the South African International Marketing Council.
Activism and Early Involvement: Kodwa’s activism began early, participating in Student Representative Councils and militant organizations such as the Congress of South African Students, which was banned and later reincarnated as the Township Student Congress. During his university years, he became a member of the South African Students Congress and served as an SRC President.
In the ANC Youth League, Kodwa worked in various capacities within the League’s Western Cape branch and was later elected to the organization’s National Executive Committee. He remained a member of the ANC Youth League until the ANC’s national congress in Mangaung in 2012.