Velenkosini Hlabisa

Velenkosini Fiki Hlabisa is a South African politician and former teacher who is currently serving as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the Government of National Unity (GNU) since June 2024. He has been President of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) since 2019 and a member of South Africa's National Assembly where he serves as his party's leader since October 2023. He previously served as the Secretary-General of the IFP from 2011 to 2017, as the Mayor of the Big Five Hlabisa Local Municipality from 2016 to 2019 and as the Leader of the Opposition in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature between 2019 and 2023.