Ina Cronjé

Catharina Magdalena "Ina" Cronjé (29 October 1943 – 24 October 2023) was a South African politician who served in the Executive Council of KwaZulu-Natal from 2004 to 2014. She was KwaZulu-Natal's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education from 2004 to 2009, and MEC for Finance from 2009 to 2014.

A lawyer by training and a former teacher, she represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature from 1994 until she retired from politics in 2014, and she was the Chief Whip in the legislature from 1995 to 2004. She was also a former member of the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC's branch in KwaZulu-Natal.

Early life and career Catharina Magdalena Cronjé was born on 29 October 1943 in Pretoria, but she grew up in Schweizer-Reneke in the former Transvaal (now part of North West province). she served in the KwaZulu-Natal Executive Council as MEC for Education. ''' She was initially retained in this portfolio by Mkhize's successor, Senzo Mchunu, who took office in 2013. She was also re-elected to her legislative seat in the 2014 general election, ranked third on the ANC's provincial party list. However, after the election, Mchunu did not reappoint Cronjé to the Executive Council; she was replaced as Finance MEC by Belinda Scott. Shortly afterwards, Cronjé announced that she would also resign as an ordinary Member of the Provincial Legislature, "for personal reasons". At that time, she was in her 70s. She was appointed the chair of the Trade & Investment KZN board in December 2014 and chaired a board meeting less than three weeks before her death.

Cronjé died at her home in Hilton on 24 October 2023, five days before her 80th birthday.