Casca Mokitlane

Last updated

Casca Mokitlane
Member of the Free State Provincial Legislature
In office
1999–2014
Residence Parys, Free State

Modise Casalis "Casca" Mokitlane (born 17 September 1951) is a former politician and diplomat from South Africa who served in the Free State Provincial Legislature from 1999 until 2014. He is a former Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) and is known for his short-lived defection to the opposition Congress of the People (COPE) between 2009 and 2014.

Contents

Mokitlane represented the ANC in the National Assembly between 1994 and 1995 and in the Free State Provincial Legislature from 1999. In the latter capacity, he served in three different portfolios in the Free State Executive Council: under Premier Winkie Direko, as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Safety and Security from 1999 to 2001; and, under Premier Beatrice Marshoff, as MEC for Agriculture from 2005 to 2007 and MEC for Education from 2007 to 2009. He was also Majority Chief Whip in the provincial legislature between 2004 and 2005. Simultaneously, Mokitlane served two terms as ANC Deputy Provincial Chairperson in the Free State from 1998 to 2005; he deputised longstanding Provincial Chairperson Ace Magashule, with whom he was believed to have an unhappy relationship, and he lost the deputy chair in 2005 after attempting to unseat Magashule.

In February 2009, Mokitlane announced that he had resigned from the provincial government and from the ANC in order to join COPE, a new breakaway party. He became COPE's candidate for election as Premier of the Free State in the 2009 general election. Pursuant to the election, between 2009 and 2014, he led the COPE caucus as the official Leader of the Opposition in the Free State Provincial Legislature. However, weeks before the 2014 general election, he resigned from COPE and rejoined the ANC. Thereafter Mokitlane retreated from frontline politics and, following a four-year tour as South Africa's High Commissioner to Singapore, he retired in 2021.

Early life and education

Mokitlane was born on 17 September 1951 [1] in Vredefort in the former Orange Free State. [2] As a young adult, he enrolled at the University of the North, where, in 1974, he joined the South African Students' Organisation, a national anti-apartheid organisation aligned to the Black Consciousness Movement. [3]

In 1975, he abandoned his studies and worked a stint as a site clerk. The following year, he entered the Tshiya College of Education in Qwaqwa, where he trained to become a teacher. [3] In later decades, he obtained a diploma in computer programming from the University of Zululand in 1986 and a postgraduate diploma in management from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2015. [1]

Post-apartheid career

After the end of apartheid, from 1994 to 1995, Mokitlane represented the governing African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly, the lower house of the new South African Parliament. [1] In 1998, he was elected Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the ANC's branch in the newly constituted Free State province; he served under Provincial Chairperson Ace Magashule. [4]

The following year, after the 1999 general election, Mokitlane was elected to represent the ANC in the Free State Provincial Legislature. [1] The third Premier of the Free State, Winkie Direko, appointed Mokitlane to the Free State Executive Council as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Safety and Security. However, in a cabinet reshuffle on 28 June 2001, Mokitlane was fired from the Executive Council and replaced by Benny Kotsoane; [5] his sacking confirmed reports, published earlier that year, that Direko was planning to replace him. [6] However, he served the remainder of the legislative term as an ordinary Member of the Provincial Legislature, [5] and he was re-elected as ANC Deputy Provincial Chairperson in 2002. [7]

In late 2003, Mokitlane performed well in internal ANC processes to select candidates for the 2004 general election: he received the highest number of nominations from party branches in the province. [8] He was re-elected to his legislative seat in 2004 and served as Chief Whip of the Majority Party in the provincial legislature from 2004 to 2005. [2] In early April 2005, he returned to the Executive Council when Direko's successor, Premier Beatrice Marshoff, appointed him MEC for Agriculture. [9] [10] In that capacity he replaced Ace Magashule – whom he continued to deputise in the ANC – and the Mail & Guardian speculated that the reshuffle was an attempt by Marshoff to "take advantage of divisions within the ANC" and particularly of divisions between Magashule and Mokitlane. [9]

In the weeks following his appointment as Agriculture MEC, Mokitlane campaigned to succeed Magashule as ANC Provincial Chairperson. However, when the party's provincial conference was held on 25 June 2005 in Bloemfontein, Magashule won re-election; Mokitlane was succeeded as Deputy Provincial Chairperson by Pat Matosa and did not secure election to any of the other top leadership positions. [11] He continued as MEC for Agriculture until August 2007, when, in another reshuffle, he was appointed MEC for Education. [12] While he was in that role, and as another party election approached, Mokitlane was reportedly again viewed as a possible candidate to challenge Magashule; [13] however, at the party conference in July 2008, Magashule was re-elected unopposed to a fourth term as Provincial Chairperson. [14]

Defection to COPE: 2009–2014

On 5 February 2009, Mokitlane announced that he had left the ANC to join the Congress of the People (COPE), a newly established breakaway party founded by supporters of former President Thabo Mbeki. [15] Mokitlane said that he had contacted COPE because of his disillusionment with the ANC and its record in the province, including its abuse of cadre deployment:

"There are many reasons for my move, but one of the main reasons is the rampant patronage which is very prevalent in the Free State. The administrative processes, which are not up to scratch in a number of municipalities, are due to the deployment of people by the leadership in position they do not have capacity for... In the confines of the ANC, where internal democracy has actually collapsed, I could no longer find any way of ensuring that the principles of democracy could be upheld..." [15]

Mokitlane resigned from the Executive Council, from the provincial legislature, and from the ANC; [15] Mxolisi Dukwana took on his education portfolio in an acting capacity. [16] Following a candidate selection process led by COPE's Barney Pityana, Mokitlane became COPE's official candidate for election as Premier of the Free State in the upcoming April 2009 general election. [17] He was therefore listed first on COPE's party list in the provincial election, in which COPE won four seats; [18] although he was not elected Premier, he became the Leader of the Official Opposition in the provincial legislature. [1]

Return to the ANC: 2014

In early April 2014, Mokitlane announced that he had left COPE to rejoin the ANC because he no longer believed that COPE presented "a credible alternative in government". [19] [20] He criticised COPE's leader, Mosiuoa Lekota, as obsessed with power and said, "That project [COPE] has failed. It has reached a cul de sac. I no longer want to be associated with a dying organisation. Cope under Lekota is history". [21] Upon his return, Mokitlane denied having criticised Magashule's leadership in the past, arguing that Magashule "was at the forefront of bringing me back to the ANC". [21] Mokitlane did not stand for re-election to the provincial legislature in the May 2014 general election. [22]

Diplomatic post and retirement

In 2017, President Jacob Zuma appointed Mokitlane as South Africa's High Commissioner to Singapore. [23] He presented his credentials on 29 November 2017 [1] and served at the High Commission for four years before returning to South Africa, where he retired in Parys in the Free State. [2]

Related Research Articles

Frances Beatrice Marshoff was a South African politician who served as Premier of the Free State from 2004 to 2009. She succeeded Winkie Direko to the position on 22 April 2004, and was replaced by Ace Magashule on 6 May 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ace Magashule</span> South African politician and activist

Elias Sekgobelo "Ace" Magashule is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who served as the Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's governing party, between December 2017 and his suspension on 3 May 2021. He served as the Premier of the Free State, one of South Africa's nine provinces, from 2009 until 2018, and was known to be influential in the ANC of his home province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sisi Ntombela</span> 6th Premier of the Free State

Sefora Hixsonia "Sisi" Ntombela is a South African politician who was the 6th Premier of the Free State and a Member of the Free State Provincial Legislature for the African National Congress. She previously served as the Free State MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements and as MEC for Social Development. Ntombela was also the Deputy President of the African National Congress Women's League and the treasurer of the Free State ANC.

Sarah Matawana "Olly" Mlamleli is a South African politician who served as the mayor of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality from August 2016 until August 2020. A member of the African National Congress, she served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements from February 2012 to August 2016. In 2020, Mlamleli was ousted as Mayor of Mangaung and arrested over a controversial asbestos contract stemming from her time with the MEC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tate Makgoe</span> South African politician (1963–2023)

Pule Herbert Isak Makgoe was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected to the Free State Provincial Legislature in 1994. After holding multiple positions in the Executive Council of the Free State, he was appointed Member of the Executive Council for Education in May 2009, a position he would hold until his death in March 2023.

Malambule Samuel Mashinini is a South African politician and trade union leader who has been a member of the Free State Provincial Legislature since 2014. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected to the Free State Provincial Legislature in May 2014. He was then appointed as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. A year later, he became the MEC for Economic and Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. Mashinini was appointed MEC for Police, Roads & Transport in October 2016. He was dismissed in October 2021.

The Executive Council of the Free State is the cabinet of the executive branch of the provincial government in the South African province of the Free State. The Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are appointed from among the members of the Free State Provincial Legislature by the Premier of the Free State, an office held since May 2024 by Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae of the African National Congress (ANC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mxolisi Dukwana</span> South African politician (born 1964)

Mxolisi Abraham Dukwana is a South African politician who has served as the speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature since June 2024. He was elected Provincial Chairperson of the Free State branch of his political party, the African National Congress (ANC), in January 2023. He was the seventh Premier of the Free State from February 2023 until June 2024. Prior to his election as Premier, he served in the Free State Executive Council as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs since October 2021.

Motlagomang Grazy "Mamiki" Qabathe is a South African politician from the Free State. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State Provincial Legislature between January 2008 and May 2024. During that time she served in the Executive Council of the Free State continuously between 2008 and 2023, excepting a term as Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature from 2015 to 2019.

Seiso Joel Mohai is a South African politician who is currently the Chief Whip of the Majority Party in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). He was first elected to that position after the 2014 general election and he represents the African National Congress. He formerly served in both the National Assembly and the Free State Provincial Legislature, and he was a Member of the Free State Executive Council from 2004 to 2013.

Nokwanje Selina "Mathabo" Leeto is a South African politician who was elected to the Free State Provincial Legislature in the 2014 general election. She was appointed as the Member of the Executive Council for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation. Leeto left the provincial legislature at the 2019 general election. She was elected provincial treasurer of the African National Congress in January 2023 and returned to the Provincial Legislature in March 2023. She was then appointed as the MEC for Health. Following the 2024 general election, Leeto took over as the MEC for Social Development.

Itumeleng William "Benny" Kotsoane is a South African politician and civil servant who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State Provincial Legislature from 1994 to 2006. Simultaneously, from 1996 to 2005, he served in the Free State Executive Council: he was Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Local Government and Housing, MEC for Environmental Affairs and Tourism (1999–2001) and MEC for Safety and Security (2001–2004). He is also a former Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the ANC's Free State branch, an office he held from 1997 to 1998.

Benjamin "Benny" Malakoane is a South African politician and medical doctor who served in the Free State Executive Council from 2004 to 2005 and from 2013 to 2019. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he dropped out of the Executive Council after failing to gain re-election to the Free State Provincial Legislature in the 2019 general election.

Butana Moses Komphela was a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly and Free State Provincial Legislature until 2019. He served as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture and after that he held several positions in the Free State Executive Council from 2011 to 2019. He died of COVID-19-related illness in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.

Mantsheng Anna "Ouma" Tsopo was a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State Provincial Legislature from 1994 to 2014. Between 1994 and 2009, she served almost continuously in the Free State Executive Council and held several different portfolios, including as the Free State's inaugural Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Local Government and Housing from 1994.

Elisa Sisi Mabe was a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State Provincial Legislature and National Council of Provinces. At the time of her death in 2014, she had recently been elected as the Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature and as a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee.

Mamorena Annah Buthelezi, formerly known as Anna Buthelezi-Phori, is a South African politician and civil servant who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State Provincial Legislature and Free State Executive Council. She is also a former Deputy Provincial Secretary of the ANC's Free State branch.

Sakhiwo Tobias Belot is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly and Free State Provincial Legislature until 2009. He also served in the Free State Executive Council, most proximately as the Free State's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health from 2004 to 2009 and MEC for Tourism and Environmental and Economic Affairs from 2001 to 2004.

Neo Harrison Masithela is a South African politician and businessman who served in the Executive Council of the Free State from 2005 to 2009. Before that, he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2005. As of 2022, he was the chairperson of the African Farmers Association of South Africa.

Sekhopi Molisaotsile Andrew Malebo is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist from the Free State. He was the Free State's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Public Works, Roads and Transport from 1997 to 2004. Before that, he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 1996.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Presentation of Credentials Ceremony". Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Mokitlane, Casca (10 December 2022). "Letter to the editor: Freedom comes with responsibility". Parys Gazette. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  3. 1 2 "COPE's nine premier candidates (bar one)". Politicsweb. 28 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "ANC Provincial Office Bearers". African National Congress. 27 October 1998. Archived from the original on 21 February 1999. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Direko axes three MECs". News24. 29 June 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "FS cabinet reshuffle downplayed". News24. 8 February 2001. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "ANC Provincial Office Bearers". African National Congress. 26 September 2002. Archived from the original on 12 November 2002. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Twala, Chitja (1 January 2005). "The demon of factionalism in an African National Congress (ANC)-led Free State Province (1994-2004): a reality?". Journal for Contemporary History. 30 (3): 109–131. hdl:10520/EJC28366.
  9. 1 2 "'Ace' dropped in Free State reshuffle". Mail & Guardian. 8 April 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Free State premier demotes another minister". The Mail & Guardian. 20 April 2005. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "It's a royal flush for Ace Magashule". IOL. 25 June 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "B Marshoff on reshuffle of Free State Provincial Government Executive Council". South African Government. 7 August 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "ANC infighting lands Ace in court". Mail & Guardian. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "No opposition as Free State ANC elects leaders". The Mail & Guardian. 24 July 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 "'We are welcoming Casca to the party'". IOL. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Free State Education on appointment of Acting Education MEC M Dukwana". South African Government. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Cope releases list". News24. 28 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "Free State MPLs elected April 22". Politicsweb. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "Cope is a failed project - Mokitlane". Bloemfontein Courant. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "ANC welcomes back former members from Cope and EFF". News24. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Cope defector returns to the ANC". Sowetan. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  22. ↑ "2014 elections: Members of Free State legislature". Politicsweb. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "Ripe with opportunities". Business Times. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.