 South Africaportal |
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 June 2023 by Phophi Ramathuba.
Cassel Mathale was elected to his first full term as Premier in the 2009 general election and on 6 May 2009 announced his new Executive Council, in which seven of ten MECs were new to the provincial cabinet. [1] In August 2009, Public Works MEC Pandelani Ramagoma died and was replaced by George Phadagi. [2] However, Phadagi and others were moved to new portfolios on 28 January 2011, when a cabinet reshuffle was announced. [3] A subsequent reshuffle was announced on 13 March 2012 and saw four ministers exit the Executive Council: Phadagi, Dikeledi Magadzi, and Joyce Mashamba were fired, while Soviet Lekganyane resigned pursuant to his election as Provincial Secretary of the Limpopo ANC. [4]
| Post | Member | Term | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of Limpopo | Cassel Mathale | 2009 | 2013 | ANC |
| MEC for Treasury | David Masondo | 2011 | 2013 | ANC |
| Saad Cachalia | 2009 | 2011 | ANC | |
| MEC for Health and Social Development | Norman Mabasa | 2012 | 2013 | ANC |
| Dikeledi Magadzi | 2011 | 2012 | ANC | |
| Miriam Segabutla | 2009 | 2011 | ANC | |
| MEC for Education | Dickson Masemola | 2009 | 2013 | ANC |
| MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism | Pinky Kekana | 2012 | 2013 | ANC |
| Pitsi Moloto | 2009 | 2012 | ANC | |
| MEC for Agriculture | Jacob Marule | 2012 | 2013 | ANC |
| Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba | 2009 | 2012 | ANC | |
| MEC for Safety and Security | Florence Dzombere | 2012 | 2013 | ANC |
| George Phadagi | 2011 | 2012 | ANC | |
| Dikeledi Magadzi | 2009 | 2011 | ANC | |
| MEC for Public Works | Thabitha Mohlala | 2011 | 2013 | ANC |
| George Phadagi | 2009 | 2011 | ANC | |
| Pandelani Ramagoma | 2009 | 2009 | ANC | |
| MEC for Roads and Transport | Pitsi Moloto | 2012 | 2013 | ANC |
| Pinky Kekana | 2009 | 2012 | ANC | |
| MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs | Clifford Motsepe | 2012 | 2013 | ANC |
| MEC for Local Government and Housing | Soviet Lekganyane | 2009 | 2012 | ANC |
| MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture | Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba | 2012 | 2013 | ANC |
| Joyce Mashamba | 2009 | 2012 | ANC | |
Stan Mathabatha was elected Premier in July 2013 after the ANC asked Mathale resign. On 19 July 2013, he announced the composition of his first Executive Council, firing eight of Mathale's ten MECs; only Dickson Masemola and Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba retained their spots in the cabinet, although they were moved to new portfolios. [5]
| Post | Member | Term | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of Limpopo | Stan Mathabatha | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Treasury | Rudolph Phala | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Health | Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Education | Dikeledi Magadzi | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Economic Development | Seaparo Sekoati | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Agriculture | Rosina Semenya | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Human Settlements | Ishmael Kgetjepe | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Roads and Transport | Lehlogonolo Masoga | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Public Works | Dickson Masemola | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Safety and Security | Joyce Mashamba | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
| MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture | Mirriam Ramadwa | 2013 | 2014 | ANC |
In the 2014 general election, Mathabatha was elected to a full term as Premier and announced his new Executive Council, which disbanded the former roads and transport portfolio, merging roads with safety and liaison and roads with public works. [6] On 27 May 2015, he announced a reshuffle affecting only three portfolios (education, health, and treasury); a vacancy had arisen after the death of Education MEC Thembisile Nwedamutswu in January 2015, and Rudolph Phala was the only MEC to be fired. [7] Another three-portfolio reshuffle was announced on 15 September 2016, two months after the death of Agriculture MEC Joy Matshoge. [8]
Mathabatha effected a more comprehensive reshuffle in October 2017 ahead of the ANC's 54th National Conference; his critics, including in the provincial ANC Youth League, labelled the reshuffle a purge of supporters of national President Jacob Zuma because it entailed demotions for Zuma loyalists, such as Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana and Makoma Makhurupetje. [9] Finally, in July 2018, Mathabatha made two appointments to fill vacancies created by the death of Agriculture MEC Joyce Mashamba and the resignation of Sports, Arts and Culture MEC Onicca Moloi. [10]
| Post | Member | Term | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of Limpopo | Stan Mathabatha | 2014 | 2019 | ANC |
| MEC for Treasury | Rob Tooley | 2015 | 2019 | ANC |
| Rudolph Phala | 2014 | 2015 | ANC | |
| MEC for Health | Phophi Ramathuba | 2015 | 2019 | ANC |
| Ishmael Kgetjepe | 2014 | 2015 | ANC | |
| MEC for Education | Ishmael Kgetjepe | 2015 | 2019 | ANC |
| Thembisile Nwedamutswu | 2014 | 2015 | ANC | |
| MEC for Economic Development | Seaparo Sekoati | 2014 | 2019 | ANC |
| MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development | Basikopo Makamu | 2018 | 2019 | ANC |
| Joyce Mashamba | 2017 | 2018 | ANC | |
| Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana | 2016 | 2017 | ANC | |
| Joy Matshoge | 2014 | 2016 | ANC | |
| MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure | Nandi Ndalane | 2017 | 2019 | ANC |
| Jerry Ndou | 2014 | 2017 | ANC | |
| MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison | Makoma Makhurupetje | 2017 | 2019 | ANC |
| Nandi Ndalane | 2016 | 2017 | ANC | |
| Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana | 2014 | 2016 | ANC | |
| MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs | Jerry Ndou | 2017 | 2019 | ANC |
| Makoma Makhurupetje | 2014 | 2017 | ANC | |
| MEC for Social Development and Welfare | Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana | 2017 | 2019 | ANC |
| Joyce Mashamba | 2014 | 2017 | ANC | |
| MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture | Thandi Moraka | 2018 | 2019 | ANC |
| Onicca Moloi | 2016 | 2018 | ANC | |
| Nandi Ndalane | 2014 | 2016 | ANC | |
On 22 May 2019, shortly after he was re-elected in the 2019 general election, Premier Mathabatha announced his new Executive Council, with wide-ranging changes from the cabinet installed in his previous term. [11] [12] On 23 March 2020, he announced his first second-term reshuffle, a minor reshuffle affecting two departments in which one MEC, Monicca Mochadi, was fired. [13]
In June 2022, Mathabatha was re-elected to a third term as ANC Provincial Chairperson in a hotly contested party elective conference. Although he said after the conference that internal party competition would not lead him to reshuffle his executive, he announced a reshuffle at the end of the same month. [14] In the reshuffle, Public Works MEC Dickson Masemola swapped portfolios with Social Development MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale, while Education MEC Polly Boshielo swapped portfolios with Community Safety MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya. This was perceived as a demotion for Masemola and Boshielo and was linked to the ANC elective conference, at which Masemola had run against Mathabatha. [14] Then, in October 2022, Mathabatha announced a wider-ranging reshuffle, affecting five departments, in which he fired Masemola and Boshielo outright; he also sacked the MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture, Thandi Moraka, who, like Masemola and Boshielo, had failed to gain re-election to the ANC Provincial Executive Committee at the party conference in June. [15]
| Post | Member | Term | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of Limpopo | Stan Mathabatha | 2019 | 2024 | ANC |
| MEC for Treasury | Seaparo Sekoati | 2019 | 2024 | ANC |
| MEC for Health | Phophi Ramathuba | 2019 | 2024 | ANC |
| MEC for Education | Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya | 2022 | 2024 | ANC |
| Polly Boshielo | 2019 | 2022 | ANC | |
| MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism | Rodgers Monama | 2022 | 2024 | ANC |
| Thabo Mokone | 2019 | 2022 | ANC | |
| MEC for Transport and Community Safety | Florence Radzilani | 2022 | 2024 | ANC |
| Polly Boshielo | 2022 | 2022 | ANC | |
| Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya | 2020 | 2022 | ANC | |
| Dickson Masemola | 2019 | 2020 | ANC | |
| MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure | Nkakareng Rakgoale | 2022 | 2024 | ANC |
| Dickson Masemola | 2020 | 2022 | ANC | |
| Monicca Mochadi | 2019 | 2020 | ANC | |
| MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development | Thabo Mokone | 2022 | 2024 | ANC |
| Nandi Ndalane | 2019 | 2022 | ANC | |
| MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs | Basikopo Makamu | 2019 | 2024 | ANC |
| MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture | Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana | 2022 | 2024 | ANC |
| Thandi Moraka | 2019 | 2022 | ANC | |
| MEC for Social Development | Nandi Ndalane | 2022 | 2024 | ANC |
| Dickson Masemola | 2022 | 2022 | ANC | |
| Nkakareng Rakgoale | 2019 | 2022 | ANC | |
Following the 2024 general election, the MEC for Health, Phophi Ramathuba, was elected to succeed Mathabatha as Premier of Limpopo. She named her executive council on 18 June 2024 and the new MECs were sworn in two days later on 20 June. [16] [17]
| Post | Member | Term | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of Limpopo | Phophi Ramathuba | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development | Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism | Tshitereke Matibe | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Education | Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Health | Dieketseng Masesi Mashego | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs | Basikopo Makamu | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure | Sebataolo Rachoene | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Sport, Arts & Culture | Jerry Maseko | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Transport and Community Safety | Violet Mathye | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Social Development | Florence Radzilani | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
| MEC for Provincial Treasury | Kgabo Mahoai | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC |
Chupu Stanley Mathabatha is a South African politician who served as the 4th Premier of Limpopo and is currently serving as a member of South Africa's 7th Parliament. He was elected to the position of premier 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. He was succeeded by the former Limpopo MEC of Health Phophi Ramathuba on 14 June 2024.
Pinky Sharon Kekana is a South African politician who currently serves as the Deputy Minister in the Presidency. She was appointed to the national executive in February 2018 when President Cyril Ramaphosa named her Deputy Minister of Communications, an office she held until she was appointed to her current position in August 2021.
Mathume Joseph Phaahla is a South African politician who served as the Minister of Health from August 2021 until the elections of 29 May 2024. He was formerly the Deputy Minister of Health from May 2014 to August 2021, and on 30 June 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa reappointed back to Deputy Minister of Health. He had been a deputy minister since May 2009, when he joined the National Assembly. He is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC).
Phophi Constance Ramathuba is a South African politician and medical doctor serving as Premier of Limpopo since June 2024. A member of the African National Congress, she was sworn into the provincial legislature in May 2015. Ramathuba served as the Limpopo MEC for Health and from May 2015 to June 2024.
Mavhungu Maureen Lerule-Ramakhanya is a South African politician. A member of the African National Congress, Lerule-Ramakhanya is a former mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality. She was elected as a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in May 2019. She was then elected as the speaker of the legislature. In March 2020, Lerule-Ramakhanya was appointed as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport and Community Safety. She was moved to the Education portfolio of the executive council in June 2022.
Dipuo Bertha Letsatsi-Duba 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.
Thabo Andrew Mokone is a South African politician and businessman. As a member of the African National Congress, he was elected to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in 2019. He was appointed Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism shortly after his election. In October 2022, Mokone became MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Chritian Nkakareng Rakgoale is a South African politician. From June 2022 until June 2024, she served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure in the Limpopo provincial government. She previously served as the MEC for Social Development from May 2019 to June 2022. Rakgoale was elected to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in May 2019. Before that, she served as the Executive Mayor of the Mopani District Municipality. Rakgoale is a member of the African National Congress.
Fulufhelo Florence Radzilani is a South African politician who is currently serving as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Social Deevelopment 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.
Gannye Rodgers Monama is a South African politician and a member of the African National Congress. Monama was elected to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in the 2019 general election. In October 2022, he was appointed the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in the Limpopo provincial government. Monama was re-elected to the Provincial Legislature but was not reappointed to the executive council in 2024.
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.
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 has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2024. He was a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature from 2004 until 2024 and served in the Limpopo provincial government as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health and Social Development from 2004 to 2009 and, before serving as the MEC for Finance from 2019 until 2024, 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 been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2024. She served in the Limpopo Executive Council from 2014 and in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature from 1999 until 2024.
Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana is a South African politician who is currently serving as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Limpopo provincial government. She was previously the MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture, a position she was appointed to in October 2022, shortly after she was elected Provincial Treasurer of the Limpopo branch of her political party, the African National Congress (ANC). She was first elected as a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in the 2019 general election and before that was Mayor of Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality from August 2016 until December 2018, when the ANC asked her to resign during the corruption scandal at VBS Mutual Bank.
Makoma Grace Makhurupetje is a South African politician who has been the Speaker of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature since 2024. She has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the 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.
Jacob Boy Otto Marule is a South African politician who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature since 2019. During an earlier period of service in the provincial legislature, he was Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture from March 2012 until July 2013. A former member of Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), he is active in the ANC Veterans' League.
Pitsi Paul Moloto is a South African politician and businessman who served in the Limpopo Executive Council from May 2009 to July 2013. Under Premier Cassel Mathale, he served as Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs, and Tourism from 2009 to 2012 and as MEC for Roads and Transport from 2012 to 2013. He represented the African National Congress in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature but did not seek re-election in the 2014 general election.