Gwen Ramokgopa | |
---|---|
Treasurer-General of the African National Congress | |
Assumed office 19 December 2022 | |
President | Cyril Ramaphosa |
Preceded by | Paul Mashatile |
Chancellor of the Tshwane University of Technology | |
Assumed office 10 June 2015 | |
Preceded by | Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka |
Gauteng MEC for Health | |
In office February 2017 –May 2019 | |
Premier | David Makhura |
Preceded by | Qedani Mahlangu |
Succeeded by | Bandile Masuku |
In office 1999–2006 | |
Premier | Mbhazima Shilowa |
Preceded by | Mondli Gungubele |
Succeeded by | Brian Hlongwa |
Deputy Minister of Health | |
In office 31 October 2010 –May 2014 | |
President | Jacob Zuma |
Minister | Aaron Motsoaledi |
Succeeded by | Joe Phaahla |
Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the Gauteng African National Congress | |
In office May 2010 –October 2014 | |
Chairperson | Paul Mashatile |
Preceded by | Nomvula Mokonyane |
Succeeded by | David Makhura |
Mayor of Tshwane | |
In office 17 March 2006 –31 October 2010 | |
Preceded by | Smangaliso Mkhatshwa |
Succeeded by | Kgosientso Ramokgopa |
Personal details | |
Born | Gwen Malegwale Ramokgopa Atteridgeville,Transvaal,South Africa |
Political party | African National Congress |
Spouse | Allen Lephoko |
Children | 3 |
Education | Medical University of South Africa (MBChB) |
Gwen Malegwale Ramokgopa is a South African politician who was elected the Treasurer-General of the governing African National Congress (ANC) in December 2022. She was formerly the Deputy Minister of Health under President Jacob Zuma from October 2010 to May 2014.
A medical doctor by training,Ramokgopa began her political career in the provincial government of Gauteng. She was the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health in Gauteng from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2017 to 2019. She was also the first female Mayor of Tshwane from 2006 until 2010,when she was elevated to national office. At the same time,she was a member of the ANC Provincial Executive Committee in Gauteng,serving as ANC Deputy Provincial Chairperson to Paul Mashatile (2010 to 2014) and then as ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary to Hope Papo (2014 to 2018). She was elected to the party's National Executive Committee for the first time in 2017.
Ramokgopa was born and raised in Atteridgeville,a township outside Pretoria in what is now Gauteng province (then the Transvaal). [1] [2] She qualified as a medical doctor in 1989 at the Medical University of South Africa [2] and worked as a medical officer at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital until 1992. [3] In subsequent years she held several positions in public health, [2] [3] and later,in 2007,she received a Master's degree in public health. [3]
In 1999,she was appointed Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health in the Gauteng provincial government of Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa, [2] [4] with whom she was reported to be close. [5] In 2003,she caused mild controversy by insisting that the Ga-Rankuwa Hospital (where she previously worked) should be renamed after a local doctor and activist named George Mukhari;the opposition Democratic Alliance claimed that Ramokgopa had not consulted the community about the decision and that she was motivated by her personal friendship with the Mukhari family. [6] [2] She vacated the MEC position in 2006. [7]
In March 2006,pursuant to the 2006 local elections,Ramokgopa was elected the first female Mayor of Tshwane,leading the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. [1] [8] While mayor she pursued a stubborn campaign to rebrand Pretoria –the administrative capital of South Africa and part of the Tshwane municipality –as Tshwane. [2] [5] [9] The Daily Maverick said she was "a disaster" as Mayor. [10] She left the job in November 2010 and was replaced by her nephew, [11] Kgosientso "Sputla" Ramokgopa. [12] [13]
Ramokgopa left the mayoral office because President Jacob Zuma,in a cabinet reshuffle on 31 October,had appointed her national Deputy Minister of Health under Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. [14] In May 2014,after the 2014 general election,she was replaced as Deputy Minister by Joe Phaahla. [15]
The following year,during the #FeesMustFall student protests,she was appointed the Chancellor of the Tshwane University of Technology,a primarily ceremonial position; [16] she remained Chancellor as of November 2021. [17]
In February 2017,Ramokgopa was returned to her earlier position as Gauteng MEC for Health,this time by Premier David Makhura. She succeeded Qedani Mahlangu,who had resigned shortly after the Life Esidimeni scandal broke. [4] Upon taking office,Ramokgopa promised of the tragedy that her department would "reflect on this experience,as difficult as it is,and find ways to restore the confidence of our people in our health system". [2] In the May 2019 general election she was not re-elected to a seat in the Gauteng provincial legislature and she vacated her seat on the Executive Council. [18]
In May 2010,while still Tshwane Mayor,Ramokgopa was elected Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the ANC in Gauteng,deputising Paul Mashatile. She beat Bafana Sibisi to be elected to the position,receiving 513 votes against Sibisi's 364, [19] and was viewed as having run on an informal slate aligned to Mashatile. [5] At the party's next provincial elective conference in October 2014,she was elected ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary,serving under Hope Papo, [20] and completed a four-year term in that office before she was succeeded by Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in 2018. [21]
At the ANC's 54th National Conference in December 2017,Ramokgopa was elected to the party's National Executive Committee (NEC). [22] She was later co-opted [23] onto the NEC's National Working Committee. [24] In 2022 she assumed additional duties at the ANC's headquarters at Luthuli House:as ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule was suspended and Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte was ill,she was recruited as a coordinator in the Secretary-General's office to assist acting Secretary-General Paul Mashatile (who was simultaneously fulfilling his main role as Treasurer-General). [7] [25] [26] Ramokgopa was generally described as a political ally of incumbent national President and ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa. [26] [27]
Ahead of the ANC's 55th National Conference,Ramokgopa was viewed as a likely candidate for the position of ANC Secretary-General. [7] [26] In October 2022,she was listed as the preferred Treasurer-General on a slate of candidates endorsed and circulated by figures in the party's pro-Ramaphosa faction. [28] [29] [30] [31] During the nominations phase,however,local party branches were not sufficiently supportive of her campaign for her to appear on the provisional ballot. [32]
When the conference began in December 2022,Ramokgopa received two last-minute nominations from the floor of the conference. She declined a nomination to stand as Deputy Secretary-General, [33] but accepted a nomination to stand as Treasurer-General. [34] On 19 December,it was announced that she had won the election with 41.76% of the vote in a crowded race:she received 1,809 votes,compared with 1,652 to Pule Mabe,590 to Bejani Chauke,and 281 to Mzwandile Masina. [35]
She is married to Allen Lephoko,with whom she has three children. [2] [36]
Paulus Shipokosa Mashatile is a South African politician who is the 9th Deputy President of South Africa. He became Deputy President of the governing African National Congress (ANC) in December 2022. Before his election to that position,he was ANC Treasurer-General from December 2017 and acting ANC Secretary-General from January 2022.
Nomvula Paula Mokonyane is a South African politician who is currently the First Deputy Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC). She was the first female Premier of Gauteng from 2009 to 2014 and subsequently served in the national government as Minister of Water and Sanitation from 2014 to 2018,Minister of Communications in 2018,and Minister of Environmental Affairs from 2018 to 2019.
David Dabede Mabuza is a South African politician who served as deputy president of South Africa from February 2018 to February 2023. He was the deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018,throughout the presidency of his former political ally Jacob Zuma. Mabuza served as a Member of Parliament from 2018 until his resignation in 2023.
Kopeng Obed Bapela is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises since 6 March 2023. Before that,he was Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 to 2023. A member of the African National Congress (ANC),he has been a member of the National Assembly since 2002 and a deputy minister since 2010.
Tokozile Xasa is a South African politician who was the Minister of Sport and Recreation from February 2018 to May 2019. Before that,she was the Minister of Tourism from March 2017 to February 2018. A member of the National Assembly between 2009 and 2019,she took office as South African Ambassador to Belgium in February 2021.
Pinky Sharon Kekana is a South African politician from Limpopo who is currently the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration. A member of the African National Congress (ANC),she has served in the National Assembly of South Africa since May 2014 and in the national executive since February 2018.
Mondli Gungubele is a South African politician and trade unionist who is the current Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and a member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the African National Congress. He previously served as Executive Mayor of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (2010–2016),as Deputy Minister of Finance (2018–2019),as Chairperson of the Social Development Committee (2019–2021) and as Minister in the Presidency (2021–2023).
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).
Lentheng Helen Mekgwe is a South African politician who was Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 2014 until 2024. Before that,she was a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) in the Gauteng provincial government from 2010 to 2014 and the third Mayor of Ekurhuleni from 2008 to 2010. She is a member of the African National Congress (ANC).
Sihle Zikalala is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2023,representing the African National Congress. He was Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure from March 2023 to June 2024. Before his redeployment to the national government,he had been the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal and a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.
Mzwandile Collen Masina is a South African politician from Gauteng who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly since June 2024. He is the chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Trade,Industry and Competition. He was formerly the Mayor of Ekurhuleni from 2016 to 2021 and the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from 2014 to 2016.
Lebogang Isaac Maile is a South African politician currently serving as Gauteng's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance and Economic Development. A member of the African National Congress (ANC),he has served in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature since May 2009 and in the Gauteng Executive Council since 2010.
Audrey Winifred Morakane Ketlhoilwe Mosupyoe is a South African politician serving as the speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature since June 2024. She was the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development,Agriculture and Environment from October 2019 to December 2020,the MEC for Social Development from December 2020 until October 2022 and the MEC for Sports,Arts,Culture and Recreation from October 2022 until June 2024. Prior to her election to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 2019,she served as a Tshwane city councillor. Mosupyoe is a member of the African National Congress.
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.
The 55th National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) was a party conference of the African National Congress,a political party in South Africa,that took place from 16 to 20 December 2022,at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec,Gauteng. Attended by 4,426 voting delegates,the conference elected the party's 87-member National Executive Committee,including the top officials –for the first time referred to as the "Top Seven," rather than the "Top Six," following an amendment to the party's constitution to introduce a second deputy secretary-general position. Delegates also adopted resolutions on governance and policy,informed by the outcomes of the ANC's 6th National Policy Conference held in July 2022.
Maropene Ramokgopa is a South African politician who has been the Minister in the Presidency Responsible for Planning,Monitoring and Evaluation since March 2023. She has been a Member of the National Assembly since February 2023 and the Second Deputy Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC) since December 2022. She is also the coordinator of the interim task team that was appointed in June 2022 to lead the ANC Women's League.
The Executive Council of Gauteng is the cabinet of the executive branch of the provincial government in the South African province of Gauteng. The Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are appointed from among the members of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature by the Premier of Gauteng,an office held since October 2022 by Panyaza Lesufi.
Kgosientsho David "Sputla" Ramokgopa is a South African politician who was the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity from 2023,and the Minister of Electricity and Energy from 3 July 2024. He was the Mayor of Tshwane from 2010 to 2016. He was also a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government in 2019 and worked in the Presidency of South Africa as head of infrastructure from 2019 to 2023.
Humphrey Mmemezi is a South African politician and civil servant who msotly recently served as a Member of the National Assembly from March 2023 until May 2024. He previously served in the National Assembly between 2014 and 2019 and served as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works from 2017. He was formerly a Member of the Executive Council for Local Government and Housing in the Gauteng provincial government from 2010 to 2012. He resigned from the provincial government in July 2012 when he was found guilty of contravening the legislature's code of conduct and ethics,including in using his government credit card for personal expenses.
Thamsanqa Brian Hlongwa is a South African politician who was Gauteng's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health from March 2006 to May 2009. He is a member of the African National Congress and served multiple terms on the party's Provincial Executive Committee in Gauteng. He was also the party's Chief Whip in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature until October 2018,when he resigned amid a corruption scandal relating to his tenure as Health MEC. He was charged with fraud and corruption in late 2021.