Ben Fihla

Nkosinathi Benson Fihla (born 13 June 1932) is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2013. He subsequently served as Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from March 2013 until May 2015. Fihla first joined the ANC in 1954 through its Youth League and he was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1964 to 1978 for his work with Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Early life and activism Fihla was born on 13 June 1932 in Port Elizabeth in the former Cape Province. After finishing grade ten, he completed a teaching diploma at Lovedale in 1952; he also briefly attended Healdtown in 1953. While at Lovedale he attended political study groups run by students at the nearby University of Fort Hare, an ANC stronghold, and he joined the ANC Youth League in 1954. He resigned from Parliament on 22 March 2013 when he was elected as Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

In May 2015, the ANC announced that Fihla would resign in order to cede the mayoral office to Danny Jordaan ahead of the 2016 local elections. Later that year, he was appointed as a special adviser to Phumulo Masualle, the Premier of the Eastern Cape.