Mwelo Nonkonyana (born 15 November 1957) is a South African politician, sports administrator, and Pondo traditional leader.
He is currently serving as provincial chairperson of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) in the Eastern Cape, an office which he formerly held from 1991 to 2008.
Serving since 1993 as the chief of the amaBhala clan, Nonkonyana was the inaugural chairperson of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders from 1996 to 1999.
Born on 15 November 1957,[1] Nonkonyana is the traditional leader or chief of the amaBhala, a Pondo clan in the Eastern Cape.
[2] He entered mainstream national politics ahead of the 1999 general election, when he announced that he would stand as a candidate on the ANC's party list.
[1] He served three consecutive terms in the seat, gaining re-election in 2004[4] and 2009,[5] although from 2004 onwards he was elected off the national party list rather than in a provincial constituency.
[6] Nonkonyana said that he had "decided not to be in the forefront of politics but instead dedicate the remaining years of my life to traditional leadership and ensure that it was holding the necessary centre-stage on governance".
[9] However, he was suspended from office during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Xolile Nqatha, provincial minister for traditional affairs, alleged that he had violated lockdown regulations, including by organising a large family funeral in April 2020.
[12] In the summer of 2005, after 18 boys died from circumcision-related injuries, Nonkonyana proposed that the deaths were the result of "the wrath of ancestors" who were displeased that the government was interfering in the ritual.
[25][26] He lost a related court battle in March 2018, and SAFA’s national executive formally resolved to ban Nonkonyana for life.