Kenny Kunene

Kenny Kunene
Kenny doing politics
Born
Kenneth Kunene

(1970-10-21) October 21, 1970 (age 54)
Odendaalsrus, South Africa
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • motivational speaker
  • politician
Spouses
  • Mathato Kunene
    (div. 2012)
  • Nonkululeko Whitney Mhlanga (m. 2017)
Children6

Kenny Kunene (born 21 October 1970) is a South African businessman, politician, motivational speaker, teacher, activist and former convict. Kunene currently serves as Deputy President of the Patriotic Alliance. He served as Secretary-General of the Patriotic Alliance from 2013 to 2014. While working as a high school English teacher, Kunene opened a shebeen selling alcohol after work and began engaging in criminal activities including robberies and fraud. In 1997, he was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme for which he served six years in prison.[1]

After his prison stint, Kunene became a motivational speaker and became active in local politics. He later opened a club called ZAR and became known for throwing lavish parties. In 2011, he drew controversy for hosting “sushi parties” where guest ate sushi off the bodies of half naked women.[2] In February 2019, Kunene released Yookoo Rides, a mobile app for vehicle for hire services.[3]

  1. ^ Dugger, Celia W. (14 February 2011). "Partying Amid Poverty Stirs South Africa Debate". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. ^ Mtyala, Quinton (12 February 2011). "Kunene: No more sushi parties". iol.co.za. Independent Online. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. ^ Njilo, Nonkululeko (14 March 2019). "From 'sushi king' to taxi boss: Kenny Kunene takes on Uber with new app". timeslive.co.za. The Times. Retrieved 20 May 2019.