Obed Mlaba
Obed Thembinkosi Mlaba, born in 1943 is the current High Commissioner of South Africa to the United Kingdom, the sixth since 1994. He is a former mayor of Durban, one of the biggest and commercially active cities of South Africa.
Early Life and career
Mlaba was born near Estcourt, KwaZulu Natal to Japhet and Garlina Mlaba and was one of three children and the only boy. He went to Inchanga Primary School and then St Augustine where he obtained his matric[1]. He holds BA in Administration and an MBA
He grew up in the apartheid era and the events of that period heavily influenced his views and expectations. He developed keen political awareness and became a member of the African National Congress, ANC when it was unbanned in 1990[2].
He entered local government in 1994 as an ANC member and was appointed Chair of the Executive Committee of the Durban Metropolitan Council 1995.[citation needed]
Mlaba was elected Metropolitan Mayor (ANC) in July 1996. He completed in total two and half terms of office ( 3 of 5 years as the Durban Unicity Mayor and two as the eThekwini Mayor) and retired following the Local Government election of May 2011.
Criticism
In late 2005 the New York Times reported that shack dwellers in the Foreman Road shanty town had burnt an effigy of Mlaba after they had been banned from staging a march on the mayor to protest against his housing policy.[3] A few days after the march Mlaba called a press conference at which he announced that a large amount of Huletts (now trading as Moreland) land would soon be made available for a R10 billion housing project for shack dwellers.[4] Moreland denied that there was such a project and later went on to announce a commercial project on the land.
Corruption Investigation
Mlaba is currently under investigation for corruption.[5]