Nyangana Zithulele Absolom Cindi

Nyangana Zithulele Absolom Cindi was born in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg on 18th of August in 1950. Cindi began his primary education at Entokozweni Nursery School. The 1960s forced removals saw his family relocating to  Diepkloof in Soweto where subsequently attended Orlando West High School while his was there he joined the African Students' Movement in the 1960s. In October 1968, he was arrested and sentenced to 14 days hard labour for failing to show the security police a “dompass”on the eve of his examinations.

 In 1972 he became part of the Black People’s Convention (BPC) during its formationand became an administrative assistance. Cindi rose through the ranks and became a Secretary General of the BPC in December 1973 at the age of 23. On the 6 December 1973 Cindi wrote a letter of inviting the South West African Peoples Organisation (SWAPO), the liberation movement in Namibia to attend the 2nd Annual Congress of the BPC, as observers.

In September 1974 Cindi was arrested following student rallies that were held to celebrate the triumph of FRELIMO in Mozambique. FRELIMO’s victory followed a ten-year liberation war against the Portuguese. He was then charged under the Terrorism Act and became a defendant in the lengthy trial of the South African Student Organisation(SASO) Nine in 1975-76. After guilty verdict of "committing acts capable of endangering the maintenance of law and order," he was sentenced to five years on Robben Island.

 In December 1981, Cindi was released from Robben Island, he wasted no time as he joined AZAPO and two years later (1983) he became the organizing secretary of the National Forumand was also spokeperson ,national project coodinator for AZAPO. In 1986 he got involved in trade unionism when became part of the Electrical Workers Union affiliated to the National Council of Trade Unions. In 1989, his passion as a trade unionist earned him the post of assistant General Secretary for the Metal and Electrical Workers Union of South Africa (MEWUSA).In 1992 Cindi became head of AZAPO labor secretariat.In 2006 Cindi was elected as the National Chairperson of AZAPO a position he still holds.Cindi is currently the Executive Director at Unity Incorporation.