3 November 1972 - 30 April 2017
SACP Western Cape Deputy First Deputy Provincial Secretary
Comrade Tumisang was born in the rural outskirts of Sterkspruit Eastern Cape in 1972. His primary school years were undertaken at Uyenze eDiphana; Witterbergen Primary School and Cancele in the Sterkspruit area until Standard 6 (Grade 8). He moved to Lesotho where he did his Standards 7 and 8 (Grades 9 and 10) and finally back to Sterkspruit Senior Secondary from Standard 9 until he matriculated.
He enrolled at the University of Fort Hare where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree. Thereafter he obtained a teaching diploma and moved to Gauteng and enrolled as a teacher in Mathematics and Science. He dedicated himself thereafter for the next ten years teaching in Dobsonville. He served on the Regional Executive Committee of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU). He also was a Branch Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) Branch in his area.
During this time he and his first partner had their first child, Thlolo.
In 2006 he applied and was successful for the post of Researcher in the ANC Parliamentary Caucus. In 2009 he was deployed by the ANC as part of its electoral Rapid Response Team (RTT) to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro during the elections held in that year. He was given responsibility for specific areas under the RTT and served with distinction with the ANC recording major victories across the Metro and part of the National and Provincial elections. He was to be called upon later to perform the same duties in the Western Cape under the direction of Luthuli House.
During this time he was to meet his current wife to be Thozama, a community development worker in Motherwell. They married a few years later and had two children, Lona and Monelo.
In 2010 he was promoted to Senior Researcher in the ANC Parliamentary Caucus, a post he held until he became Policy Advisor to the Chief Whip and in 2016 Chief Political Advisor to the Chief Whip. In 2017 he was given the additional responsibility of Chief of Staff. He held both positions at the time of his death.
With respect to his further academic studies he went onto to obtain an LLB at the University of the Western Cape with distinction and at the time of his death he was busy with a two year Legal Practice course with Unisa.
He served on the Provincial Executive Committee of the SACP from 2010 and in 2013 was elected Deputy Provincial Secretary, a position he held until his death. He was also the ANC Branch Chairperson in his ward until additional responsibilities in the Parliamentary Caucus required him to stand down.
He attended the 53rd National Conference and 2015 National General Council as part of the Secretary General's staff, and regularly was deployed to the ANC National Executive Committee Makgotla between 2013 and 2017.
A brilliant intellectual mind who has contributed exceptionally to the ANC Parliamentary Caucus over the past 11 years, whose writings and analysis have had profound impact on documents that today guide the ANC Parliamentary Caucus and whose study and interpretation of case law has helped the Caucus to deal with legal complexities on a wide range of matters.
