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Joseph Mlangeni
Joseph Mlangeni (born 1 September 1994) is a South African businessman, politician, and activist. He is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and the ANC Youth League.

Early Life and Education:

Mlangeni was born in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, and raised in Piet Retief, Mpumalanga. His father was an ordained minister of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and his mother a long-term educator for the Department of Education. Mlangeni attended Maranatha Primary School, a private Christian school in Mpumalanga, where he became a Junior Leader at the age of 12. He subsequently attended Piet Retief High School, where he excelled in multiple sports disciplines and was elected into the school's prestigious leadership Executive Council at the age of 17. In 2012, on his 18th birthday, he formally joined the ANC Youth League and the ANC.

Career:

After matriculating, Mlangeni moved to Pretoria in 2013 to pursue his university studies while playing an active leadership role in both the South African Student Congress (SASCO) and the ANC Youth League. In mid-October 2015, he played an integral part in the #FeesMustFall movement, a student-led series of protests advocating for fee-free, quality education among all South African students, particularly the poor and disadvantaged.

In 2017, Mlangeni relocated to Johannesburg for prospects of employment. In 2019, amid growing concerns of further unemployment rates, he, with support from Swiss and local executive directors, opened a Swiss-based cosmetics company providing beauty and cosmetic products to over 36 African countries as a sole agent. He was also accepted at the University of Johannesburg the same year to further his studies in business and information technology. In 2020, at the age of 25, he was elected regional spokesperson for SASCO at a parallel regional conference.

During an ANC branch biennial general meeting held in 2022, Mlangeni was elected as the Branch Deputy Chairperson and subsequently a Zonal Deputy Secretary in the Greater Johannesburg Region in Gauteng. He is also the ANC Youth League Branch Treasurer for Ward 117 in the Rosebank area and surrounding suburbs of northern Johannesburg.

Activism:

Mlangeni continues to advocate for socio-economic issues faced by the South African population. In 2022, he was recognized for his philanthropic work by the Rosebank Killarney Gazette.