Dakota Legoete

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Dakota Legoete
Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress in North West
In office
25 November 2013 –February 2018
Preceded by Kabelo Mataboge
Succeeded byLouis Diremelo
Personal details
Born
Molefi David Legoete

(1972-06-01) 1 June 1972 (age 52)
Citizenship South Africa
Political party African National Congress

Molefi David "Dakota" Legoete (born 1 June 1972) is a South African politician and political strategist from the North West. He represents the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly, where he is chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans. He has been a member of the ANC National Executive Committee since December 2017.

Contents

A former local councillor in the North West, Legoete was the North West ANC's Provincial Secretary from 2013 to 2017, serving under his ally Supra Mahumapelo. He worked full-time at the ANC's headquarters at Luthuli House before he was elected to the National Assembly in the May 2024 general election.

Political career

Born on 1 June 1972, [1] Legoete is from South Africa's North West Province. [2] He was formerly the municipal manager at Tswaing Local Municipality in Sannieshof in the North West, [3] but was suspended in 2009 when he was implicated in a corruption scandal. [4] He was still challenging his suspension in court in 2011 when he was elected as a local councillor in Tlokwe Local Municipality in the area around Potchefstroom. [4] He represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the municipal council and by 2013 was the party's Chief Whip in the council. [5] He was also reportedly considered as an ANC mayoral candidate in the North West. [6]

ANC Provincial Secretary: 2013–2017

On 25 November 2013, Legoete was elected as the Provincial Secretary of the ANC's North West branch. He replaced Kabelo Mataboge, who had been suspended from the party, and won the position in a vote against acting secretary Gordon Kegakilwe, who received 169 votes against Legoete's 205. [5] Legoete, unlike Kegakilwe, was viewed as a political ally of Supra Mahumapelo, the incumbent ANC Provincial Chairperson. [5] [7] The Provincial Secretary position was a full-time post based out of the ANC's provincial headquarters at Mphekwa House in Mafikeng [5] and Legoete vacated his seat in the Tlokwe council in order to take it up. [7]

As the ANC's next regular provincial elective conference approached, it was rumoured that Kegakilwe would again stand against Legoete for the Provincial Secretary post, on a slate of candidates aligned to Nono Maloyi rather than to Mahumapelo. However, when the conference was held in February 2015, Legoete was re-elected unopposed to a full four-year term in the office. [8]

In 2017, Legoete, along with Mahumapelo, reportedly became involved in national ANC politics as a key ally of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who stood unsuccessfully for the ANC presidency at the party's 54th National Conference. [9] According to the Daily Maverick , as Provincial Secretary Legoete was instrumental in obstructing the efforts of Dlamini-Zuma's opponent, Cyril Ramaphosa, to campaign in the North West. [10]

Luthuli House: 2018–2024

At the ANC's 54th National Conference, which was held in December 2017 and which elected Ramaphosa as party president, Legoete was elected for the first time to the party's National Executive Committee (NEC). [11] In February 2018, the ANC announced that Legoete would be employed full-time at Luthuli House, the party's national headquarters in Johannesburg, as deputy head of the organising department; in that capacity he deputised Senzo Mchunu and worked closely with the office of ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule. [12] He vacated the ANC's North West secretariat to take up the national party position. [13]

Legoete had reportedly been Magashule's preferred choice for Mchunu's position, while Mchunu's appointment was pushed by supporters of Ramaphosa. [14] [15] Indeed, Legoete became known as a prominent political ally of Magashule, including during Magashule's efforts to contest his suspension from the ANC in 2021. [16] [17] [18] [19]

In 2019, during the ANC's campaign in the upcoming general election, Legoete acted as ANC spokesperson when Pule Mabe and Zizi Kodwa "stepped aside" simultaneously to address separate sexual misconduct allegations against them. [20] In July of that year, he was also appointed to a national task team, convened by Tandi Mahambehlala, that was assembled to lead the ANC Youth League after the league's elected leadership corps was disbanded. [21]

Although Mchunu was replaced by Nomvula Mokonyane by 2020, [22] Legoete remained in the deputy head of organising role until the end of the NEC's term in December 2022. [23] In that month, at the ANC's 55th National Conference, Legoete was re-elected to a second five-year term on the NEC; by number of votes received, he was ranked 61st of the 80 candidates elected, receiving 1,111 votes across the 4,029 ballots cast in total. [24] In March 2024 he returned to Luthuli House, now employed in the ANC's communications unit under spokeswoman Mahlengi Bhengu. [25]

National Assembly: 2024–present

In the May 2024 general election, Legoete was elected to an ANC seat in the National Assembly, ranked third on the party list for the North West region. He was elected to chair the assembly's Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans. [26]

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References

  1. ↑ "Final Candidate Lists for 2024 National and Provincial Elections: Regional Candidates" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  2. ↑ du Plessis, Carien (26 February 2019). "ANC emerges from 'longest NWC meeting ever' to manage Mabe, Kodwa scandals and finalise lists". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "'More Willingness Now' to Solve Sannieshof Services Crisis". Business Day. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2023– via allAfrica.
  4. 1 2 "Dubious officials hired by the state elsewhere". Sunday Times. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Legoete elected ANC NW provincial secretary". The Mail & Guardian. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Two ANC mayors 'recalled' in North West". News24. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Battle for Tlokwe heats up as provincial alliance grows". The Mail & Guardian. 29 November 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Supra Mahumapelo re-elected ANC North West leader". The Mail & Guardian. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  9. ↑ du Plessis, Carien (2 November 2017). "Dlamini Zuma supporters in battle to secure the final prize – the Eastern Cape". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Grootes, Stephen (21 January 2018). "SA holds its breath as Ramaphosa solidifies his grip on ANC power". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "Here is the ANC's new NEC". Citypress. 21 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Mchunu's sights are on the 2019 prize". The Mail & Guardian. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  13. ↑ du Plessis, Carien (27 February 2018). "Ramaphosa's state of the nation is taking shape, but the provinces are in dire need of TLC". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  14. ↑ du Plessis, Carien (25 February 2018). "Analysis: Cabinet shake-up predictions intensify, with both Mabuza and Mbete a shoo-in for deputy presidency". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Ace Magashule unfazed by Senzo Mchunu appointment". The Mail & Guardian. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Magashule's forces want early conference to elect new national executive". The Mail & Guardian. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Allies warned Ace against taking his party to court". The Mail & Guardian. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "No escape from the step-aside deadline, says Mantashe". The Mail & Guardian. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  19. ↑ du Plessis, Carien (8 May 2021). "ANC NEC meeting characterised by deep 'hate' between members". News24. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  20. ↑ Mabasa, Nkateko (26 February 2019). "Dakota Legoete steps in after Kodwa and Mabe 'step aside' amidst sex scandals". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  21. ↑ "ANCYL crisis committee wants interdict against 'eldership' running party's youth affairs". Daily Maverick. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  22. ↑ Makinana, Andisiwe (23 November 2020). "Ramaphosa praises 'Mama Action' Nomvula Mokonyane's ANC work". Sunday Times. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  23. ↑ Makhaye, Chris (17 December 2022). "Ramaphosa and Mkhize in 'neck-and-neck battle' for ANC's top job – NEC insider". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  24. ↑ "ANC NEC election results". Politicsweb. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  25. ↑ Amashabalala, Mawande (3 March 2024). "Legoete returns to Luthuli House as ANC greases its PR machine". Sunday World. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  26. ↑ "Molefi David Legoete". People's Assembly. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
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