City of Ekurhuleni’s executive mayoral spokesperson, Warren Gwilt, has confirmed alleged unrest instigator Bonginkosi Khanyile’s appointment in the Ekurhuleni Metro.
Khanyile was convicted and jailed for public violence, possession of a dangerous weapon and other offences during the Fees Must Fall student protests in 2016.
He was again arrested in August 2021, charged with incitement to commit public violence and a contravention of the Disaster Management Act, relating to the looting and violence which occurred in the July riots.
He is now a category one appointee in the office of Bakang Lethoko, MMC for health and social development. Khanyile was appointed as a strategic advisor to MMC Lethoko.
Gwilt confirmed with the Alberton Record that the now a government official. Khanyile is a political appointee.
“Category one appointments are managed by the political head, the MMC. A category one appointment was a resolution taken by the council in 2011. It governs the political appointments made in Ekurhuleni. It is also regulated by the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) regulations published in July this year by Minister Dlamini Zuma,” he said.
According to The Witness, Khanyile holds a B.Tech in public management from the Durban University of Technology and a degree in social sciences from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is currently studying for an LLB at the University of Witwatersrand.