Zweli Mkhize

Short Biography

Zweli Lawrence Mkhize (born 2 February 1956, Willowfontein, Pietermaritzburg) is a South African doctor, legislator and politician. Zweli Mhkize was born the fifth child in a family of seven. His great grandfather, through his father's side of the family, was one of the great heroes of the Mkhizes clan of Nkandla in the early to mid 19th century. Mkhize described this knowledge of coming from a great legacy as a humbling experience: "Mindful of this legacy, my father always insisted on us respecting others and living our lives with humility and integrity...He used to tell us that these values were more important than any riches." At the age of 31, Zweli Mkhize had already completed his degree in medicine at the University of Natal, by 1983 his internship at the McCord Hospital was completed, this was important since McCord was a bastion of equality and often got reprimanded for disobeying the Group Areas Act. Mkhize ended up gaining employment at Edendale Hospital in his hometown of Pietermaritzburg in the following year. Despite his accomplishments at Edendale, life was not safe for a successful young black doctor, due to the Apartheid movement, he was forced into exile in Swaziland, eventually settling in Zimbabwe before returning in 1991 to South Africa.