He was a member of the
African National Congress and a representative of the party in the
KwaZulu-Natal Legislature from 2019 to 2020. Mthembu served on the legislature's Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Between 2011 and 2019, he served as the Executive Mayor of the
KwaDukuza Local Municipality. He was also the ANC provincial spokesperson and a member of both the party's Provincial Executive Committee and the Provincial Working Committee. Mthembu died from
COVID-19 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa on 8 July 2020. He is survived by his wife, five daughters and a son. ==References==