Helping people and standing up for justice have always been central to Londiwe Mthabela's life. Mathabela is widely known across the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) as the go-to person to help colleagues understand matters ranging from salary increases and pension funds to SARS and other employment-related issues.
Mathabela is an Office Manager in Legislature and a Regional Committee Member of the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu). She became an Imatu shop steward in 2019, taking on the responsibility of assisting members with grievances, disciplinary matters and workplace advice.
“I don't want anyone to be left behind," she says proudly.
She joined the City in 2007 as a Data Capturer at Emergency Management Services (EMS). She has grown through the ranks at the City and previously also held positions like Administration Officer and Ward Administrator.
Her passion for equality was shaped by her own experiences of exclusion. As a student at the former ML Sultan Technikon, now Durban University of Technology, she was the secretary of the South African Student Congress (Sasco) and later helped establish the Young Women's Network in 1998. She credits Babalwo Ntabeni and Vuyiswa Telelo for inspiring her during her early activism days.
The network tackled gender-based violence and provided support to female students, including psychosocial assistance and helping students facing food insecurity.
“I needed to help find a voice for those who were excluded," she says.
Hailing from Ixopo, a rural village in KwaZulu-Natal, Mthabela grew up in a disciplined household. Both her parents were teachers, while her grandfather, a retired police officer, instilled a daily reading habit. Newspapers such as the Natal Witness and The Mercury were part of her after-school routine. She would read an article and then explain its meaning to her grandfather.
Decades later, the habit remains. Mthabela still subscribes to TimesLIVE and News24, keeping herself informed about current affairs. As a mother of two daughters, reading remains one of her favourite pastimes.
Mthabela holds a BCom Law and LLB, building on her National Diploma in Financial Information Systems.
Her message to women during Women's Month is: “Stand up, fight for your rights. Claim what is true to you and claim what is due to you."
Mthabela wants to see more women in senior leadership, including the appointment of the City's first female City Manager.
“Women are ready," she says.
Written by Brümilda Swartbooi
21/08/2026
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