Minister of Electricity and Energy

Last updated
Minister of Electricity and Energy
Flag of South Africa.svg
Flag of South Africa
City of Tshwane Mayor, Mr Kgosientso Ramokgopa (cropped).jpg
since 3 July 2024
Department of Electricity and Energy
Style The Honourable
Appointer President of South Africa
Inaugural holderKgosientso Ramokgopa
Formation3 July 2024
Deputy Samantha Graham

The Minister of Electricity and Energy is the energy minister in the Cabinet of South Africa. The office in its current form was established in June 2024 in a merger between the Minister in the Presidency for Electricity and the energy functions of the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. The energy portfolio was formerly the provenance of the Minister of Energy between 2009 and 2019.

Contents

During other periods, the energy portfolio was conjoined with other portfolios, including under the Minister of Minerals and Energy, until 1994, and under the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy from 2019 to 2024. The Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity was appointed for the first time in March 2023 and had a mandate to oversee the government's response to the ongoing electricity crisis.

The incumbent Minister of Electricity and Energy is Kgosientso Ramokgopa of the African National Congress, who was also the first and only Minister in the Presidency for Electricity.

Post-apartheid history

In the Government of National Unity (GNU) between 1994 and 1999, the energy portfolio was part of the brief of the Minister of Minerals and Energy, a post that had also existed during apartheid. [1] Pik Botha of the National Party was the minister between 1994 and 1996, [2] making him the last politician to hold the office who was not a member of the African National Congress.

Zuma presidency: 2009–2018

When he announced his first cabinet on 10 May 2009, President Jacob Zuma bifurcated the Department of Minerals and Energy into two disparate departments. The Department of Energy and Department of Mineral Resources were henceforth overseen by a Minister of Energy and Minister of Mineral Resources respectively. [3] The Minister of Energy gained a deputy minister from 31 October 2010. [4]

Over the next decade, during Zuma's presidency, the Ministry of Energy was frequently the target of cabinet reshuffles. Commentators linked the dismissals of energy ministers to Zuma's efforts to carry out a proposed nuclear power deal with Russia. [5] [6] [7]

Ramaphosa presidency: 2018–present

Appointing his second cabinet on 29 May 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the energy portfolio would be merged with the minerals portfolio, as it had been before Zuma's tenure. [8] Soon after the ministries were merged into the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, the respective departments were likewise merged into the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. [9]

During his State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2023, Ramaphosa announced his intention to appoint a Minister of Electricity, based in the Presidency, to oversee all aspects of the country's response to the ongoing electricity crisis, including leading the National Energy Crisis Committee. [10] [11] [12] The first Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle on 6 March 2023. [13] [14] [15]

Among other things, the Minister of Electricity had responsibility for procurement of new electricity generation capacity. [16] However, he served alongside the incumbent mineral resources and energy minister, Gwede Mantashe, and there was uncertainty about the delineation of functions between them – especially given that a third minister, the Minister of Public Enterprises, oversaw Eskom. [17] [18]

On 30 June 2024, appointing his third cabinet, Ramaphosa announced that the relevant ministries would be reconfigured: energy would be detached from the mineral resources portfolio and become the sole prerogative of a new Minister of Electricity and Energy. [19]

List of ministers

List of ministers responsible for energy, 1994–present
PortfolioMinisterTermPartyPresident
Minerals and Energy Pik Botha 19941996 NP Mandela (I)
Penuell Maduna 19961999 ANC
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka 19992004 ANC Mbeki (I)
Lindiwe Hendricks 20042006 ANC Mbeki (II)
Buyelwa Sonjica 20062009 ANC Mbeki (II) and Motlanthe (I)
Energy Dipuo Peters 20092013 ANC Zuma (I)
Ben Martins 20132014 ANC
Tina Joemat-Pettersson 20142017 ANC Zuma (II)
Mmamoloko Kubayi 20172017 ANC
David Mahlobo 20172018 ANC
Jeff Radebe 20182019 ANC Ramaphosa (I)
Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe 20192024 ANC Ramaphosa (II)
Electricity Kgosientso Ramokgopa 20232024 ANC
Electricity and Energy Kgosientso Ramokgopa 2024– ANC Ramaphosa (III)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwede Mantashe</span> South African Politician

Samson Gwede Mantashe is a South African politician and former trade unionist who is currently serving as the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, with the function of Minister of Electricity and Energy having been accorded to Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Mantashe was Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy from May 2019 to June 2024, and Minister of Mineral Resources from February 2018 to May 2019. He is also serving his second term as the national chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindiwe Sisulu</span> South African politician (born 1954)

Lindiwe Nonceba Sisulu is a South African politician. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly of South Africa between April 1994 and March 2023. During that time, from 2001 to 2023, she served continuously in the cabinet as a minister under four consecutive presidents. President Cyril Ramaphosa sacked her from his cabinet in March 2023, precipitating her resignation from the National Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of Correctional Services (South Africa)</span> Former Minister of the South African government

The Minister of Correctional Services is a minister in the Cabinet of South Africa. The minister is responsible for overseeing the Department of Correctional Services. The office was re-established in June 2024; between May 2014 and June 2024, the correctional services portfolio was the purview of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Motshekga</span> South African politician

Matsie Angelina "Angie" Motshekga is a South African politician and educator who is currently serving as the Minister of Defense and Military Veterans since 3 July 2024. She is currently serving as the acting president of the Republic of South Africa since 17 August 2024, as President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community in Harare, Zimbabwe. Motshekga also served as the Minister of Basic Education from May 2009 to 2024. She was previously a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government. Motshekga is a member of the African National Congress. She is a former president of the party's women's league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Shabangu</span> South African politician (born 1956)

Susan Shabangu is a South African politician and former trade unionist. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly of South Africa between May 1994 and June 2019. During that time she was a cabinet minister from 2009 to 2019.

The Minister in the Presidency is a minister in the Cabinet of South Africa, appointed by the President of South Africa. The minister has general responsibility for portfolios in the Office of the President of South Africa. Some former Ministers in the Presidency have been assigned specific portfolios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources</span>

The Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources is a minister in the cabinet of the South African national government. The minister has political responsibility for the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Cabinet of Jacob Zuma</span> South African cabinet of 2009

Following his election as President of South Africa in the 2009 general election, Jacob Zuma announced his first cabinet on 10 May 2009. There were a total of 34 ministerial portfolios in the cabinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Cabinet of Jacob Zuma</span>

The second cabinet of Jacob Zuma was the cabinet of the government of South Africa between 25 May 2014 and 14 February 2018. It was formed by Zuma after his re-election in the 2014 general election, and it served until Zuma resigned as President of South Africa on 14 February 2018. Comprising 35 ministers, the cabinet changed in composition on several occasions between 2015 and 2017, most notably in a major cabinet reshuffle in March 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams</span> South African politician

Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Small Business Development since 5 August 2021. She previously served as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies from November 2018 to August 2021. She is a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NWC) of the African National Congress (ANC).

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Phaahla</span> South African politician

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godfrey Oliphant</span> South African politician (born 1959)

Gaolatlhe Godfrey Oliphant is a South African politician and former trade unionist from the Northern Cape. He was the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources between November 2010 and May 2019. A member of the African National Congress, he served in the National Assembly of South Africa from May 1994 to May 2019, excepting a three-month hiatus in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sindisiwe Chikunga</span> South African politician (born 1958)

Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga is a South African politician who is serving as the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities since 2024. A member of the African National Congress, she has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2004. Chikunga had previously served as Deputy Minister of Transport twice, from 2012 to 2019 and again from 2021 to 2023, as Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration from 2019 until 2021, and as Minister of Transport from 2023 to 2024. She is a midwife by profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa</span> Second cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa

The Second Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa was the cabinet of the government of South Africa between 29 May 2019 and 19 June 2024. It was formed by President Ramaphosa after the 2019 general election and dissolved after the 2024 general election. In the interim it was reshuffled twice – once in August 2021 and once in March 2023 – and augmented in size from 28 ministers to 30 ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mmamoloko Kubayi</span> South African Minister of Tourism

Mmamoloko Tryphosa Kubayi is a South African politician who is the Minister of Human Settlements and a Member of the National Assembly for the African National Congress (ANC). She is also the current head of the African National Congress's economic transformation subcommittee in the national executive committee (NEC). She was the Minister of Energy in 2017, the Minister of Communications from 2017 to 2018, the Minister of Science and Technology from 2018 to 2019, and the Minister of Tourism from 2019 to 2021.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is a department of the South African government which is responsible for the mining industry of South Africa, exploitation of the country's mineral resources, and the energy industry. It was known as the Department of Minerals and Energy until July 2009 when it was divided by President Jacob Zuma into the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Energy. In June 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the two departments were to be reunited under the current name. The political head of the department is the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, who is assisted by a deputy minister. As of August 2020 the minister is Gwede Mantashe while the position of deputy minister is vacant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maropene Ramokgopa</span> South African politician

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kgosientsho Ramokgopa</span> South African politician

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation</span>

The Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is the minister in the Cabinet of South Africa with political responsibility for the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. In recent years the minister is also chairperson of the National Planning Commission.

References

  1. ↑ Keller, Bill (1994-05-12). "Mandela Completes His Cabinet, Giving Buthelezi a Post". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  2. ↑ "Mandela Revamps Cabinet in South Africa". Los Angeles Times. 1996-05-14. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  3. ↑ "Statement by President Jacob Zuma on the appointment of the new Cabinet". South African Government. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  4. ↑ "Zuma Appoints Deputy Ministers of Education, Energy in S. Africa". Bloomberg.com. 2010-10-31. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  5. ↑ Essa, Azad (2017-10-17). "S Africa cabinet shaken up 'in bid to seal energy deal'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  6. ↑ Winkler, Hartmut (2017-03-31). "Zuma's cabinet reshuffle opens the door for nuclear deal in South Africa". eNCA. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  7. ↑ Dlamini, Penwell (2017-10-17). "Cabinet reshuffle about Zuma chasing nuclear deal: Malema". Sowetan. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  8. ↑ "President Cyril Ramaphosa announces changes to the National Executive". South African Government. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  9. ↑ "President Cyril Ramaphosa announces reconfigured departments". South African government. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  10. ↑ "Sona: Ramaphosa announces state of disaster, new electricity minister to tackle energy crisis". The Mail & Guardian. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  11. ↑ "Ramaphosa's new 'electricity minister' is coming whether you like it or not". BusinessTECH. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Minister of Electricity to focus solely on resolving load shedding". SAnews. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  13. ↑ Haffajee, Ferial (2023-03-06). "The shuffle: Can Ramaphosa's new Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, turn around a country without power?". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  14. ↑ Ramaphosa, Cyril (2023-03-06). "Full text: President Ramaphosa's Cabinet reshuffle". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  15. ↑ "Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa appointed Minister of Electricity in the Presidency". SAnews. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  16. ↑ Stoddard, Ed (2023-05-26). "Empowered: Ramaphosa transfers responsibility for new power generation to Ramokgopa, pulling plug on Mantashe". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  17. ↑ "Ramokgopa mix was a ministerial trifecta too far". Business Day. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  18. ↑ "Is Kgosientsho Ramokgopa a powerless power minister?". Miningreview.com. 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  19. ↑ "Ramaphosa announces new cabinet – these are all the new ministers and deputies". BusinessTech. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
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.