Mthandeni Eric Dlungwana

Formerly KwaZulu-Natal's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education from 2016 to 2019 under Premier Willies Mchunu.

Dlungwana was the Provincial Chairperson of the ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal from May 2010 until October 2011. He is also a former Regional Chairperson of the ANC's Musa Dladla branch in Umgungundlovu District.

Dlungwana was born in rural eNqabeni in KwaNxamalala, Embubu[[Msunduzi Local Municipality [Pietermaritzburg]]

In 2004, Dlungwana completed a Master's degree in development studies and town planning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He was a local leader in the African National Congress (ANC), chairing his local branch of the party between 2001 and 2010.

He rose to political prominence during his tenure as Provincial Chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL). He formerly served as ANCYL Deputy Provincial Chairperson under Mxolisi Kaunda from 2008 to 2010, and succeeded Kaunda as chair at a league elective conference held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in late May 2010.

On 14 September 2011, Dlungwana was sworn into an ANC seat in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature. In May 2012, Dlungwana was additionally elected to a four-year term on the Provincial Executive Committee of the KwaZulu-Natal branch.

He was re-elected to a full term in his legislative seat in the 2014 general election, ranked 19th on the ANC's provincial party list. The following year, he was elected Regional Chairperson of the ANC's Musa Dladla branch in Umgungundlovu District.

Two years into the legislative term, in May 2016, Willies Mchunu took office as Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, and in June, he announced a major cabinet reshuffle in which Dlungwana was appointed to the KwaZulu-Natal Executive Council as MEC for Education.

In the 2019 general election, Dlungwana was re-elected to the provincial legislature.