Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP
President
jana@udm.org.za
Bantubonke Holomisa was born the son of Tembu Chief Bazindlovu Holomisa on 25 July 1955 in the Mqanduli district of Transkei. After attending the Upper Ngqungqu Primary School in Mqanduli, he proceeded to the Jongilizwe College for the Sons of Chiefs and Headmen in Tsolo, Transkei, where he matriculated in 1975. Apart from the usual matriculation subjects, he obtained an additional Diploma in Leadership, with the subjects of current events, conduct of public affairs, public administration, English, African law (then called Bantu law, using the university-prescribed textbook by Seymore on the subject), typing and office routine. Major General (Retired) Bantu Holomisa co-founded the United Democratic Movement in 1997 with Mr Roelf Meyer. Mr Holomisa serves as the UDM’s President. He was again elected as a Member of Parliament in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections and was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans in the Government of National Unity in the 7th Administration in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet.
Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP
Deputy President
nkwankwa@parliament.gov.za
Mr NLS Kwankwa was born and bred in Middledrift (now officially known as iXesi) in the Eastern Cape and he grew up in a politically inclined family. He was formerly a member of the African National Congress (ANC), the ANC Youth League, and he participated in South African Student Congress (SASCO) activities although he prioritised his academic work over political activities. Mr Kwankwa attended the University of the Western Cape, where he obtained a Business Administration Degree. He left the ANC in 2006 when he joined the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in 2007. Mr Kwankwa started his career in the UDM as a member of the support staff until he was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2013. He then became the Chief Whip of the party in 2014, and he had been the youngest Member of Parliament during that term and the youngest Chief Whip in the history of the democratic South Africa. He completed a Post Graduate Degree in Economics from the University of South Africa, and a management executive programme at the University of Pretoria, as well as financial management. In 2015 he won the Outstanding International Leadership Award for his role in spreading the anti-xenophobia message, awarded by the Extraordinary People Awards. The award has since been named after him. Mr Kwankwa founded the African Parliamentarians Association for Human Rights (AfriPAHR) in 2017, which is a non-partisan network of parliamentarians from the African continent that works to advance democracy, freedom of religion or belief and human rights to build a fairer and inclusive Africa, through diplomacy and fostering strategic alliances between nations. He currently serves as the Chair of the AfriPAHR Steering Committee. He was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in 2019 when he as the UDM’s Chief Whip in Parliament. He was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in 2024. He currently serves as a full-time member of the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy and the Standing Committee on Appropriations. Additionally, he serves as an alternate on the Social Development Portfolio Committee. Mr Kwankwa is the Deputy President of the UDM.
