Doris Dlakude

Born on 16 August 1969,^[1] Mpapane matriculated at Mjokwane Senior Secondary School in Komatipoort in the former Eastern Transvaal.^[2] She has an Honours degree in governance and leadership from the University of the Witwatersrand.^[3]

Mpapane held a variety of positions in her political party, the African National Congress (ANC); she was regional treasurer of the ANC Youth League in Ehlanzeni, was on the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC and ANC Women's League in Mpumalanga,^[3] and spent six terms as the secretary of her local ANC branch.^[2] She joined the National Assembly on 9 February 2010, filling the casual vacancy caused by Nomatyala Hangana's resignation.^[4]

On 20 June 2013, the ANC announced that Mpapane would take office as Deputy Chief Whip of the Majority Party; she deputised Stone Sizani, who was also newly appointed, and replaced Mmamoloko Kubayi, who had been acting in the position.^[5] Both Sizani and Mpapane were reappointed after the 2014 general election,^[6] but Sizani resigned on 2 March 2016;^[7] Mpapane subsequently acted as Chief Whip until Jackson Mthembu was appointed to the position three weeks later.^[8]

During this period, Mpapane was on the ad hoc parliamentary committee established to respond to Nkandlagate. She defended President Jacob Zuma during the committee's debates,^[9] but she and Kubayi also drew media attention in July 2016 for being photographed painting their nails during the committee's proceedings.^[10][11]

After the 2019 general election, Pemmy Majodina was appointed as Chief Whip and Mpapane stayed on as her deputy.^[12] John Steenhuisen, the leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance, said that he thought the ANC "missed a trick in Doris Dlakude... who would have made an excellent chief whip".^[13]

She is married to Vusi Dlakude, who appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate's Court on a perjury charge, accused of faking a hijacking, in January 2018.^[14][15] She owns a funeral parlour.^[16]