 South Africaportal |
The Executive Council of the Eastern Cape is the cabinet of the executive branch of the provincial government in the South African province of the Eastern Cape. The Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are appointed from among the members of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature by the Premier of the Eastern Cape, an office held since the 2019 general election by Oscar Mabuyane of the African National Congress (ANC).
Following his election as Premier in the 2009 general election, Noxolo Kiviet announced his Executive Council in May 2009. [1] On 27 November 2010, he announced a major cabinet reshuffle, which included restructuring more than half of the ten portfolios in the Executive Council. [2] [3]
| Post | Member | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of the Eastern Cape | Noxolo Kiviet | 2009 | 2014 |
| MEC for Provincial Planning and Finance | Phumulo Masualle | 2010 | 2014 |
| MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism | Mcebisi Jonas | 2010 | 2014 |
| MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Environmental Affairs | Mcebisi Jonas | 2009 | 2010 |
| MEC for Health | Sicelo Gqobana | 2010 | 2014 |
| Phumulo Masualle | 2009 | 2010 | |
| MEC for Education and Training | Mandla Makupula | 2010 | 2014 |
| MEC for Education | Mahlubandile Qwase | 2009 | 2010 |
| MEC for Public Works, Roads and Transport | Thandiswa Marawu | 2010 | 2014 |
| MEC for Roads and Public Works | Pemmy Majodina | 2009 | 2010 |
| MEC for Human Settlements, Safety and Liaison | Helen Sauls-August | 2010 | 2014 |
| MEC for Housing | Nombulelo Mabandla | 2009 | 2010 |
| MEC for Transport and Safety | Ghishma Barry | 2009 | 2010 |
| MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform | Zoleka Capa | 2010 | 2014 |
| MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development | Mbulelo Sogoni | 2009 | 2010 |
| MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs | Mlibo Qoboshiyane | 2010 | 2014 |
| Sicelo Gqobana | 2009 | 2010 | |
| MEC for Social Development, Women, Youth and People with Disabilities | Pemmy Majodina | 2010 | 2014 |
| MEC for Social Development | Nonkosi Mvana | 2009 | 2010 |
| MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture | Xoliswa Tom | 2009 | 2014 |
Phumulo Masualle was elected Premier in the 2014 general election and he announced his new Executive Council on 23 May 2014. [4] Near the end of his term, on 10 May 2018, Masualle announced a major reshuffle, effective from the day before; four MECs – Mlibo Qoboshiyane, Thandiswa Marawu, Sakhumzi Somyo and Nancy Sihlwayi – were sacked, and others changed portfolios. [5] In a minor reshuffle in November that year, Babalo Madikizela was appointed to the Executive Council to take over the portfolio of Human Settlements MEC Mlungisi Mvoko, who in turn was appointed to fill the vacancy left by the death of Education MEC Mandla Makupula in October. [6]
| Post | Member | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of the Eastern Cape | Phumulo Masualle | 2014 | 2019 |
| MEC for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism | Oscar Mabuyane | 2018 | 2019 |
| Sakhumzi Somyo | 2014 | 2018 | |
| MEC for Health | Helen Sauls-August | 2018 | 2019 |
| Pumza Dyantyi | 2014 | 2018 | |
| MEC for Education | Mlungisi Mvoko | 2018 | 2019 |
| Mandla Makupula | 2014 | 2018 | |
| MEC for Transport, Roads and Public Works | Pemmy Majodina | 2018 | 2019 |
| Thandiswa Marawu | 2014 | 2018 | |
| MEC for Human Settlements | Babalo Madikizela | 2018 | 2019 |
| Mlungisi Mvoko | 2018 | 2018 | |
| Helen Sauls-August | 2014 | 2018 | |
| MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform | Xolile Nqatha | 2018 | 2019 |
| Mlibo Qoboshiyane | 2014 | 2018 | |
| MEC for Community Safety and Liaison | Weziwe Tikana | 2014 | 2019 |
| MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | Fikile Xasa | 2014 | 2019 |
| MEC for Social Development | Pumza Dyantyi | 2018 | 2019 |
| Nancy Sihlwayi | 2014 | 2018 | |
| MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture | Bulelwa Tunyiswa | 2018 | 2019 |
| Pemmy Majodina | 2014 | 2018 | |
On 28 May 2019, following the 2019 general election, newly elected Premier Oscar Mabuyane announced his new Executive Council; he retained four MECs from the previous administration, although three of those four had not joined until 2018. [7] [8] On 18 February 2021, Mabuyane announced that he had fired Sindiswa Gomba as Health MEC amid allegations that she had been involved in procurement irregularities. [9] Gomba's replacement was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle affecting four portfolios, announced by Mabuyane in early March. [10]
In May 2022, shortly after losing his bid to oust Mabuyane as ANC Provincial Chairperson at a party conference, Public Works MEC Babalo Madikizela announced his intention to resign from government. He officially resigned in late July. [11] His departure occasioned a cabinet reshuffle, announced on 16 August, in which Mabuyane appointed three new MECs and moved three others to different portfolios. [12] [13] The two MECs fired in the reshuffle – Fezeka Nkomonye and Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe – were viewed as having supported Madikizela's campaign at the ANC conference. [14]
| Post | Member | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of the Eastern Cape | Oscar Mabuyane | 2019 | 2024 |
| MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Environmental Affairs | Mlungisi Mvoko | 2019 | 2024 |
| MEC for Health | Nomakhosazana Meth | 2021 | 2024 |
| Sindiswa Gomba | 2019 | 2021 | |
| MEC for Education | Fundile Gade | 2019 | 2024 |
| MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure | Ntombovuyo Nkopane | 2022 | 2024 |
| Babalo Madikizela | 2019 | 2022 | |
| MEC for Human Settlements | Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi | 2022 | 2024 |
| Nonceba Kontsiwe | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Nonqkubela Pieters | 2019 | 2021 | |
| MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform | Nonqkubela Pieters | 2021 | 2024 |
| Nomakhosazana Meth | 2019 | 2021 | |
| MEC for Transport and Community Safety | Xolile Nqatha | 2022 | 2024 |
| Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe | 2019 | 2022 | |
| MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | Zolile Williams | 2022 | 2024 |
| Xolile Nqatha | 2019 | 2022 | |
| MEC for Social Development | Bukiwe Fanta | 2022 | 2024 |
| Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi | 2019 | 2022 | |
| MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture | Nonceba Kontsiwe | 2022 | Incumbent |
| Fezeka Nkomonye-Bayeni | 2019 | 2022 | |
Following the ANC's victory in the Eastern Cape in the 2024 provincial election, premier Oscar Mabuyane was re-elected during the first sitting of the legislature on 14 June 2024. [15] He announced his new executive council a week later which saw five Members of the Executive Council retained in their positions from the previous administration.
| Post | Member | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of the Eastern Cape | Oscar Mabuyane | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Finance | Mlungisi Mvoko | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Education | Fundile Gade | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Health | Ntandokazi Capa | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | Zolile Williams | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs, and Tourism | Nonkqubela Pieters | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture | Sibulele Ngongo | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Social Development | Bukiwe Fanta | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Public Works and Human Settlements | Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Transport and Community Safety | Xolile Nqatha | 2024 | Incumbent |
| MEC for Agriculture | Nonceba Kontsiwe | 2024 | Incumbent |
Godfrey Phumulo Masualle is a South African politician from the Eastern Cape who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly since May 2019. He was Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises from May 2019 to March 2023, and before that he was the sixth Premier of the Eastern Cape from May 2014 to May 2019.
Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane is a South African politician who has been serving as the seventh Premier of the Eastern Cape since May 2019. He was previously Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the Eastern Cape provincial government from May 2018 to May 2019.
Sindiswa Griselda Gomba is a South African politician who was the Eastern Cape MEC for Health from 2019 to 2021. She became a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature in March 2019. Gomba is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and previously served as a municipal councillor of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
Babalo Madikizela is a South African urban planner and politician who served as the Eastern Cape MEC for Public Works from May 2019 to July 2022 and as a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature from November 2018 to August 2022. Madikizela served as the provincial treasurer of the African National Congress (ANC) from October 2017 to May 2022.
Gerald Mlungisi Mvoko is a South African businessman and politician who was elected deputy provincial chairperson of the African National Congress in the Eastern Cape in October 2017. In February 2018, he was sworn in as a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. He became the member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Human Settlements in May 2018 before being moved to the Education portfolio in November of the same year. Mvoko became the MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Environmental Affairs in May 2019 and served in the position until May 2024, when he was appointed MEC for Finance.
Pemmy Castelina Pamela Majodina is a South African politician serving as a Member of the National Assembly since 2019. A member of the African National Congress, she is the party's chief whip in the assembly. She was formerly a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature between 2004 and 2019 and a Member of the provincial Executive Council for five different portfolios from 2008 to 2019, respectively. Majodina was a permanent delegate to the National Council of Provinces from 1994 to 2004.
Nomakhosazana Meth is a South African politician who has been the Eastern Cape MEC for Health since March 2021 and a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since May 2019. She was the MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform from May 2019 to March 2021. Meth is a member of the African National Congress. She was previously both the speaker and mayor of the OR Tambo District Municipality and the speaker of the Mbizana Local Municipality.
Pumza Patricia Dyantyi was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist. A member of the African National Congress, Dyantyi was elected to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature in 2014. She served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health from 2014 to 2018, when she was appointed MEC for Social Development. From 2019 Dyantyi was a member of the South African National Assembly.
Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi is a South African politician, currently a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature for the African National Congress, and the current Member of the Executive Council (MEC) responsible for Public Works and Human Settlements in the Eastern Cape provincial government. Mani-Lusithi previously served as the MEC for the Social Development and Human Settlements portfolios.
Xolile Edmund Nqatha is a South African politician who has been the Eastern Cape MEC for Transport and Community Safety since 2022. A member of the African National Congress, he has been a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 2009. Nqatha served as the MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform from 2018 to 2019 and as the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2019 to 2022. He is also the provincial secretary of the South African Communist Party.
Nonceba Kontsiwe is a South African politician and a veteran African National Congress (ANC) member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. On 9 March 2021, Kontsiwe was appointed as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) responsible for Human Settlements by premier Oscar Mabuyane. During a cabinet reshuffle on 16 August 2022, Kontsiwe was appointed as the MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture. She was appointed MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform after the 2024 general election.
Weziwe Tikana is a South African politician, educator and trade unionist. She was the Eastern Cape MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison from 2014 until 2022. She has been a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 2014. Tikana is a member of the African National Congress.
The 2019 Eastern Cape provincial election was held on 8 May 2019, concurrently with the 2019 South African general election, to elect the 63 members of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. The election was won by the African National Congress, the incumbent governing party in the province.
Sakhumzi Stoffels Somyo is a South African politician. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature in 2014. He was then appointed as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) responsible for the Finance, Economic Development, Environment and Tourism portfolio. In 2018, he was fired as an MEC. Somyo was elected to Parliament in 2019. Soon after, he was elected Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Auditor General.
Fikile Devilliers Xasa is a South African politician currently serving as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs since 2021. He has been a Member of the National Assembly for the African National Congress since 2019.
Gloria Bukiwe Fanta is a South African politician who has served in the Eastern Cape provincial government as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Social Development since August 2022. She has been a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since May 2019. Before joining the provincial legislature, Fanta had briefly been a Member of Parliament for less than three months, serving from February until May 2019. Fanta is the current provincial co-ordinator and former provincial chairperson of the African National Congress Women's League.
Zolile Williams is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Eastern Cape's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. He was appointed to that position in August 2022, several weeks after he was elected Provincial Treasurer of the Eastern Cape branch of his political party, the African National Congress (ANC).
Mlibo Qoboshiyane is a South African politician who has been serving as Deputy Speaker of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 17 May 2018. Before that, he was the Eastern Cape's Member of the Executive Council for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform from 2014 to 2018 under Premier Phumulo Masualle.
Bulelwa Tunyiswa is a South African politician who served as the Eastern Cape's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture from May 2018 to May 2019. Before that, she was the Deputy Speaker of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature from 2010 to 2018. She lost her position on the Executive Council after the 2019 general election, when she failed to gain re-election to the provincial legislature. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), Tunyiswa has also been a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP) since 2012.
Mandla Makupula was a South African politician who served as the Eastern Cape's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) from November 2010 until his death in October 2018. He had represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 1999.