Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba

Last updated

Mose Jacob Duba
​
(died 2008)​
Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba
Member of the National Assembly
In office
21 May 2014 –5 June 2019

Dipuo Bertha Letsatsi-Duba (born 25 September 1965) is a South African politician who is currently serving as South African Ambassador to Turkey. She served as Minister of State Security in the first cabinet of President Cyril Ramaphosa from February 2018 to May 2019. Before that, she was Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration from March 2017 to February 2018.

Contents

A member of the African National Congress (ANC), Letsatsi-Duba previously served in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature from 2009 to 2014, holding three different portfolios in the Limpopo Executive Council under Premiers Cassel Mathale and Stan Mathabatha. After that, from 2014 to 2019, she served in the National Assembly, where she was chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises until President Jacob Zuma appointed her as a deputy minister in 2017. She resigned from the National Assembly in early June 2019 after failing to gain an appointment to Ramaphosa's second-term cabinet.

Born in Gauteng, Letsatsi-Duba entered politics during apartheid as a recruit of Umkhonto we Sizwe in exile. She has been a member of the ANC National Executive Committee since December 2012.

Early life and career

Letsatsi-Duba was born on 25 September 1965[ citation needed ] in Katlehong, a township east of Johannesburg in the former Transvaal Province. [1] In 1982, aged 18, she went into exile with the outlawed African National Congress (ANC), joining the party's military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. [1] She completed her secondary education at Luanshya Girls High School in Luanshya, Zambia, and she later completed two postgraduate diplomas, one in Cuba in 1987 and another in Zimbabwe in 1992. [2] Her work for the exiled ANC included service in the party's intelligence structures. [1]

In 1992, during the negotiations to end apartheid, Letsatsi-Duba returned to South Africa. [1] From then until 1994, she was a media liaison officer in the ANC's headquarters at Shell House. [3] She was also editor-in-chief of Voice of Women, the official journal of the ANC Women's League. [1] She later moved to Limpopo, where she entered business. [2] However, she remained active in the ANC: she was elected to the party's Provincial Executive Committee in Limpopo in 2007, [3] and in July 2008, she was elected as Provincial Treasurer, serving under Provincial Chairperson Cassel Mathale. [4] She remained in the treasury until December 2011, when she was succeeded by Pinky Kekana. [5]

Provincial government: 2009–2014

While serving as ANC Provincial Treasurer, Letsatsi-Duba stood as an ANC candidate in the 2009 general election and was elected to a seat in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature. [2] In addition, Cassel Mathale, in his capacity as Premier of Limpopo, appointed her to the Limpopo Executive Council as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture. [6] Mathale subsequently moved her to become MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture in March 2012. [7] While serving in the latter position, Letsatsi-Duba attended the ANC's 53rd National Conference in December 2012 and won election to a five-year term as a member of the ANC National Executive Committee. [8]

When Stan Mathabatha succeeded Mathale as Premier in July 2013, Letsatsi-Duba was one of only two of Mathale's ministers whom Mathabatha retained, the other being Dickson Masemola. [9] Mathabatha appointed her as MEC for Health, [10] a position which she retained until the 2014 general election. [11]

National government: 2014–2019

Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises: 2014–2017

In the 2014 election, Letsatsi-Duba was elected to an ANC seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of the South African Parliament. In the aftermath of the election, the ANC announced that it would nominate her to chair Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises. [12]

Letsatsi-Duba's tenure in the committee coincided with revelations about alleged state capture, especially affecting state-owned entities. Later, in February 2021, she was summoned to appear before the Zondo Commission to testify about the committee's apparent failures of oversight. She was asked in particular about her refusal to launch – as suggested by opposition politician Natasha Mazzone – a committee inquiry into the Gupta family's contracts with state-owned entities. [13]

Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration: 2017–2018

Just after midnight on 31 March 2017, President Jacob Zuma announced a cabinet reshuffle which saw Letsatsi-Duba named as Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration. She deputised newly appointed Minister Faith Muthambi. [14] In December 2017, at the ANC's 54th National Conference, she was re-elected to the ANC National Executive Committee. [15]

Minister of State Security: 2018–2019

On 26 February 2018, Letsatsi-Duba was promoted to replace Bongani Bongo as Minister of State Security. [16] She was appointed to the position by Cyril Ramaphosa, who had recently succeeded Zuma as President. According to the Mail & Guardian , though previously regarded as a political supporter of Zuma, Letsatsi-Duba had supported Ramaphosa's successful bid to be elected ANC president at the party's 54th National Conference. [17]

After taking office, Letsatsi-Duba said that her major priority would be a "clean-up" of the State Security Agency, including a skills audit and investigations into alleged financial mismanagement. [1] In addition, in June, Ramaphosa appointed a high-level review panel, chaired by Sydney Mufamadi, to assess the agency's mandate, capacity, and integrity. [18] The review found that the agency had been subject to extensive dysfunction and political abuse. [19]

Spying allegations

In May 2019, the Sunday Independent published a front-page exposé that alleged that Letsatsi-Duba had lived a "double life" as a spy for the State Security Agency. [20] According to anonymous sources of journalists Piet Rampedi and Mzilikazi wa Afrika, Letsatsi-Duba had been an asset of the agency between 2005 and March 2017, when former State Security Minister David Mahlobo allegedly terminated her contract. In this account, she had earned millions of rands for spying on other ANC politicians; among other things, she had "infiltrated" the ANC's 2007 national conference. In conducting these activities, she had apparently relied on her directorships in several companies, notably a Polokwane-based security company called Motse Pele, which the report claimed was a front company. The article also claimed that Letsatsi-Duba had fired Arthur Fraser as head of the State Security Agency partly because he had refused to pay her money that she claimed the agency owed her. [20] In response, Letsatsi-Duba's ministry released a terse statement stating "categorically... that Minister Letsatsi-Duba has never been a source or agent of the SSA." [21] [22]

Succession

Pursuant to the May 2019 general election, Letsatsi-Duba was re-elected to the National Assembly but was excluded from Ramaphosa's second-term cabinet. Ayanda Dlodlo replaced her as Minister of State Security. [23] Several days after the cabinet announcement, on 5 June 2019, [11] Letsatsi-Duba resigned from her parliamentary seat. [24]

Ambassador to Turkey: 2021–present

Letsatsi-Duba subsequently underwent diplomatic training as Ramaphosa's Ambassador-Designate to Turkey. In March 2020, the Sunday Times reported that her deployment was delayed because she had been denied the requisite security clearance due to undisclosed commercial and financial interests. [25] [26] However, she presented her credentials in Ankara, Turkey on 5 November 2021. [27]

During her time in Ankara, at the ANC's 55th National Conference in December 2022, Letsatsi-Duba was re-elected to another five-year term as a member of the ANC National Executive Committee. [28]

Personal life

She was married to Mose Jacob Duba, [21] a businessman from Polokwane who formerly served as a minister in the government of the Lebowa bantustan. He died of cancer in Johannesburg in August 2008. [29]

Related Research Articles

Cassel Mathale is a South African politician who was the third Premier of Limpopo between March 2009 and July 2013. He is currently the Deputy Minister of Police in the South African government and before that was Deputy Minister of Small Business Development from February 2018 to May 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Mathabatha</span> 4th Premier of Limpopo

Chupu Stanley Mathabatha is a South African politician who is currently the Premier of Limpopo. He was elected to the position in July 2013 after the resignation of Cassel Mathale. He was previously a public servant in Limpopo province and from 2012 to 2013 completed a brief stint as a diplomat, serving as South African Ambassador to Ukraine under President Jacob Zuma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinky Kekana</span> South African politician (born 1966)

Pinky Sharon Kekana is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Deputy Minister in the Presidency. She was first appointed to the national executive in February 2018 when President Cyril Ramaphosa named her as Deputy Minister of Communications, an office she held until she was appointed to her current position in August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candith Mashego-Dlamini</span>

Kwati Candith Mashego-Dlamini is a South African politician from Mpumalanga. She has been the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since May 2019, and she formerly served as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform from 2014 to 2019.

Ncediso Goodenough "Zizi" Kodwa is a South African politician and communications strategist who is currently serving as the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture since March 2023. Before that, he was the Deputy Minister of State Security from 2019 to 2023. He was formerly the national spokesperson of the African National Congress (ANC) from 2014 to 2018.

Fulufhelo Florence Radzilani is a South African politician who is currently serving as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo province. She was formerly the executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality from 2011 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2018. She resigned as mayor in December 2018 after being implicated in the corruption scandal at VBS Mutual Bank.

Happy Joyce Mashamba was a South African politician and veteran of the African National Congress (ANC). At the time of her death, she was Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture and Rural Development in the provincial government of Limpopo. She was also a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party and a former member of the ANC National Executive Committee and the ANC Women's League National Executive Committee.

Namane Dickson Masemola is a South African politician who has been a Delegate to the National Council of Provinces since October 2022. Between 2009 and 2022, he was a Member of the Provincial Legislature in the Limpopo provincial government, representing the African National Congress (ANC), and held a variety of positions in the Limpopo Executive Council.

The Executive Council of Limpopo is the cabinet of the executive branch of the provincial government in the South African province of Limpopo. The Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are appointed from among the members of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature by the Premier of Limpopo, an office held since July 2013 by Stan Mathabatha.

Molapi Soviet Lekganyane is a South African politician from Limpopo province. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he was Member of the Limpopo Executive Council for Local Government and Housing from 2009 to 2012 under Premier Cassel Mathale. He served two terms as Provincial Secretary of the ANC in Limpopo, from 2011 to 2013 under Mathale and from 2018 to 2022 under Stan Mathabatha. He was formerly the Provincial Secretary of the South African Communist Party in Limpopo from 2008 to 2011 and in 2022 he was elected to a five-year term on the ANC's National Executive Committee.

Thandi Moraka is a South African politician who is currently serving as a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature. She was Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Sports, Arts and Culture in the Limpopo provincial government between July 2018 and October 2022. She is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and in 2022 was elected to a five-year term on the party's National Executive Committee. She formerly served as Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC Youth League from 2015 to 2019 and as a member of the Limpopo ANC's Provincial Executive Committee from 2018 to 2022.

Azwindini Jeremiah "Jerry" Ndou is a South African politician and diplomat who has served as a Delegate to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) since October 2022. Before that, he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature and Limpopo Executive Council.

Seaparo Charles Sekoati, sometimes misspelled Seaparo Sekwati, is a South African politician who is currently serving in the Limpopo provincial government as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance. He has been a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature since 2004 and was previously MEC for Health and Social Development from 2004 to 2009 and, before his appointment to his current position, MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism from 2013 to 2019. From 2013 to 2017, he was also Regional Chairperson of the Mopani branch of his political party, the African National Congress.

Nandi Annah Ndalane is a South African politician who has served in the Limpopo Executive Council since 2014 and in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature since 1999. She is currently serving, since October 2022, as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Social Development.

Makoma Grace Makhurupetje is a South African politician who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature since 2014. She formerly served as Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport and Community Safety from 2017 to 2019 and as MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs from 2014 to 2017. From 2014 to 2018, she was the Deputy Provincial Secretary of the ANC's Limpopo branch.

Mapula Annah Mokaba-Phukwana (née Mokaba) is a South African politician who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature since 2014. She formerly served as a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) in Limpopo from 2014 to 2019, during the first full term of Premier Stan Mathabatha. She was MEC for Social Development from 2017 to 2019, MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development from 2016 to 2017, and MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison from 2014 to 2016. She was also elected to four-year terms on the Limpopo ANC's Provincial Executive Committee in 2018 and 2022.

Matjie Lehlogonolo Alfred Masoga is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature from 2009 to 2019. He was Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council for Roads and Transport from July 2013 to May 2014 and he subsequently served as Deputy Speaker of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature from 2014 to 2019. He rose to prominence as the Provincial Chairperson of the Limpopo branch of the ANC Youth League, although he was expelled from the league in July 2010 after falling out with league president Julius Malema.

Nkomotana Clifford Motsepe is a South African politician and public servant who served in the Limpopo Executive Council from March 2012 to July 2013. He was Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs under Premier Cassel Mathale. He is a member of the African National Congress (ANC), an alumnus of the ANC Youth League, and a former member of the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC's Limpopo branch.

Thabitha Mohlala is a South African politician and public servant who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature until 2014. She served as Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Public Works under Premier Cassel Mathale from January 2011 until July 2013. She failed to gain re-election to the provincial legislature in the 2014 general election.

Miriam Reshoketsoe Keneiloe Segabutla is a South African politician who served as Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health and Social Development from May 2009 to January 2011 during the premiership of Cassel Mathale. In 2013, she was charged with fraud and corruption in connection with contracts that her department had tendered during her time as MEC. She is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and served on the party's National Executive Committee from 2012 to 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "New security minister talks tough on state 'sabotage'". The Mail & Guardian. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "The enigma of the new state security minister". The Mail & Guardian. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba". South African Government. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Mathale elected as new ANC Limpopo chairperson". The Mail & Guardian. 20 July 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Nicolson, Greg (19 December 2011). "Polokwane 2011: Limpopo remains Malema's fortress". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Limpopo's newly elected premier announces his Exco". South African Government News Agency. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Mathale shakes up Limpopo Cabinet". The Mail & Guardian. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "Pro-Zuma NEC announced at Mangaung". The Mail & Guardian. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "New premier Stan Mathabatha fires 8 of 10 Limpopo MECs". News24. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "New premier Stan Mathabatha fires 8 of 10 Limpopo MECs". News24. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Dipuo Bertha Letsatsi-Duba". People's Assembly. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  12. ↑ "ANC announces committee chairs". News24. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  13. ↑ Erasmus, Des (25 February 2021). "Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba's bid to paint herself as a victim of poor advice and lack of resources falls flat". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  14. ↑ Thamm, Marianne (30 March 2017). "The axeman strikes: Gordhan sidelined in Zuma's late-night cabinet reshuffle gamble". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Here is the ANC's new NEC". City Press. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  16. ↑ "New deputy president, finance minister announced in major Cabinet reshuffle". The Mail & Guardian. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Gauteng, Limpopo exact revenge on Mabuza for his 'betrayal'". The Mail & Guardian. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  18. ↑ Herman, Paul (18 May 2018). "Minister Letsatsi-Duba wants to 'arrest the rot' at the SSA". News24. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "SSA Minister Letsati-Duba says she 'inherited a dysfunctional department'". 702. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  20. 1 2 Rampedi, Piet; Wa Afrika, Mzilikazi (19 May 2019). "Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba's 'double life as a spy'". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Letsatsi-Duba rubbishes Sunday Indy report denying spy claims". The Mail & Guardian. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  22. ↑ "State Security Agency denies claims that minister spied on ANC colleagues". Sunday Times. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  23. ↑ "These are the former ministers who did not make it into Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet". Business Day. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  24. ↑ van Diemen, Ethan (6 June 2019). "Former state security minister Letsatsi-Duba resigns as MP". News 24. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  25. ↑ "State Security Agency 'blacklists' Ramaphosa's envoy picks". Sunday Times. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  26. ↑ "SSA denies clearance for two former ministers meant to serve as SA envoys – report". News24. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "Ambassador Tunca Özçuhadar, Director General of Protocol received Ms. Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Ambassador-Designate of Republic of South Africa to Turkey". Diplomatic Portal. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Full list: ANC NEC members". eNCA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "Businessman Duba dies". Sowetan. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 20 July 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.