Mbandazayo\u2019s origins are humble<\/a>, growing up during apartheid in the Manqulo Administrative Area, near Butterworth in the Eastern Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n His parents were school teachers, and he lived with six siblings. He first wore shoes when his parents sent him to boarding school at the Blytheswood Institution near Butterworth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before moving to boarding school, he would walk great distances to primary school. At boarding school, he first developed an interest in politics and social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His family were impacted by an attempted land grab by the government, which was executing its \u201chomeland\u201d policy in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the family successfully stopped the state from taking over their home, the surrounding area soon became overgrown as people were forced out, which Mbandazayo described as traumatic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the government attempted to quash student dissent, Mbandazayo\u2019s political views continued to be shaped by his brother, Mahlubi, a former official of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n After graduating, Mbandazayo had no money, and his first job was working as a petrol attendant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He soon resigned to join a larger company as a labourer, intending to get into office work to improve his education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the company gave him a bursary to study medical technology in Natal, he lost his place at the institution due to his political leanings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After being promoted to a site manager at the same company, he saved to put himself through university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He also met retired advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza and future Eastern Cape judge president Themba Sangoni, and became inspired to study law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He then got accepted at the University of Fort Hare. Although there was another attempt to stop him from registering due to his political views, he graduated with a B Proc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He would then study an LLB at university in Pietermaritzburg, complete his articles in East London, and was admitted as an attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His legal and political expertise saw him help found the Pan African Students Organisation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He also provided legal services to PAC members who applied for amnesty at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n His legal career also saw him work as a magistrate in Bloemfontein and run a law firm in the Eastern Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2005, Mbandazayo started working at the City of Cape Town as a Director of Legal Strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of his first priorities was rationalising the city\u2019s various legal services and bringing them together into a centralised service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He was then appointed acting director of the consolidated Legal Services in 2006, taking over full-time a year later. He was thus involved in almost every major city decision-making process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2016, he was named Acting Executive Director: Corporate Services, taking over full time a year later. He held the role for a year before becoming City Manager in January 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He took over during a major upheaval at the city, with former Mayor Patricia De Lille resigning amid a conflict with the Democratic Alliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the initial conflict of his tenure, Mbandazayo was reappointed as City Manager in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hill-Lewis and Mbandazayo have seemingly steadied the ship at Cape Town, with the city constantly outperforming other metros in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The city remains the only South African metro to receive a clean audit from the Auditor General. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nHeading to Cape Town\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n
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