Durban – The African National Congress (ANC) has announced the tragic passing of Dr. Nkululeko Ntuthuko Mahlaba, Member of the Provincial Legislature and Chairperson of Committees in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Legislature,
“Cde Mahlaba met his untimely and tragic end early this morning following a horrific road accident when he was struck by a vehicle while jogging in Newcastle in the morning,” said the ANC in a statement made available to The Bulrushes today, Saturday, 4 July 2026.
“The news of his sudden departure has cast a dark, painful, and impenetrable cloud over the entire province and the broader liberation movement,” the statement said.
“We are frozen in disbelief that a life so full of vigour, promise, and revolutionary commitment could be extinguished so abruptly at the dawn of the morning.”
Dr. Mahlaba was a former Newcastle Local Municipality Mayor, MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture and Public Works and Human Settlements in KwaZulu-Natal.
He was a foundational pillar of the ANC provincial leadership.
Dr. Mahlaba was a long-serving chairperson of the ANC in the Mbuso Kubheka Region (formerly eMalahleni).
He also previously served as a chairperson of the ANC Youth League and the party’s provincial treasurer.
“As a medical doctor by profession, he chose to heal both the physical bodies of our people in public hospitals and the socio-economic wounds of his community through the radical programs of the ANC,” the statement said.
The ANC extended its “deepest, most heartfelt, and revolutionary condolences to his beloved family, his wife Dr. Busi Mahlaba, their children, the comrades of the Mbuso Kubheka Region, and the millions of South Africans whose lives he touched as a healthcare practitioner and a political leader. We weep with you.
“Your pain is our pain.”
Meanwhile, KZN Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma said: “We join leaders of society and millions of people across all corners of the province of KwaZulu-Natal and the country in mourning the tragic departure of the former MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, Dr. Ntuthuko Mahlaba”.
MEC Duma sent his “deepest condolences to the Mahlaba family and his organization, which he served until his last days, the ANC”.
He said the Road Traffic Inspectorate informed him that Dr. Mahlaba was struck by a car in Allen Street in Newcastle.
The South African Police Service is investigating the matter.
