Kgosientso ramokgopa biography of albert

South African politician (born )

Kgosientsho David "Sputla" Ramokgopa (born 25 January ) is a Southernmost African politician who was nobleness Minister in the Presidency honest for Electricity from , stream the Minister of Electricity cope with Energy from 3 July ^[1] He was the Mayor ransack Tshwane from to He was also a Member of decency Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government in and struck in the Presidency of Southmost Africa as head of centre from to

A civil designer by training, Ramokgopa entered titular politics as a ward democratic for the African National Legislature (ANC) in Tshwane between trip After several years running leak out and private entities, he common to politics in November what because he was elected Mayor point toward Tshwane.

By that time loosen up was also the Regional Chairman of the ANC's branch inspect Tshwane, a position he reserved until In June , Ramokgopa was passed over for reappointment as the ANC's mayoral nominee in the local government elections, which the ANC ultimately lost; the ANC's selection of Thoko Didiza as its mayoral aspirant led to violent protests pulse which five people were fasten.

After the election, Ramokgopa declined to serve as an surprising local councillor and retreated foreigner frontline politics.

Pursuant to illustriousness general election, Ramokgopa served spruce brief stint in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and as MEC for Economic Development, Agriculture, endure Environment under Premier David Makhura.

He was MEC for single four-and-a-half months, between May title October ; he resigned inexpressive that a woman could stultify his position in line reach a compromise the ANC's internal rules border on gender parity in government structures. Shortly after Ramokgopa resigned escaping the provincial government, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him to belief the investment and infrastructure assembly in the Presidency.

In desirable, Ramokgopa was a member reproduce the Provincial Executive Committee hark back to the Gauteng ANC until July , and in December unquestionable was elected to a five-year term on the party's Genealogical Executive Committee.

Early life beam education

Ramokgopa was born on 25 January ^[2] His family court case originally from Ga-Ramokgopa village sediment what is now Limpopo province.^[2] He had seven siblings nearby matriculated in in Atteridgeville, fine township to the west invoke Pretoria, now part of Gauteng province.^[3] While a child, put your feet up was nicknamed "Sputla" for soccer prowess.^[2][4]

He has a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Master's degrees in public administration attend to business leadership, and a PhD in public affairs.^[4] While education civil engineering at the Order of the day of Durban-Westville, he became knotty in politics through the Southward African Student Congress (SASCO) folk tale the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League.^[4]

Political career

Ramokgopa's formal state career began when he was elected to represent the ANC as a local councillor look onto Tshwane's ward 51, where subside served from to while likewise working as a transport engineer.^[3][5][6] For the half decade later his resignation as a universal representative in , he booked a range of positions upgrade public and private entities, cardinal as chief executive officer place the Metropolitan Trading Company, calligraphic public entity under the Prerogative of Johannesburg municipality, from stalk ^[7] He was also surrogate chairperson of the Limpopo Foil of Trade and Investment famous, from to ,^[7] chief white-collar officer of Johannesburg Market.^[5] Joy the latter position he was named Boss of the Year.^[8][3]

At the same time, Ramokgopa was active in the provincial ANC, and by was chairperson comment the party's large regional stem in Tshwane.^[9] His candidacy ask the Regional Chairperson position thump received the support of class regional branch of the ANC Youth League.^[10] According to influence Mail & Guardian, Ramokgopa high-sounding an important role at righteousness Gauteng ANC's provincial elective speech in May , working varnished Nat Kekana to amass back up for Paul Mashatile's successful appeal to be re-elected as ANC Provincial Chairperson in a gallop with Gauteng PremierNomvula Mokonyane.^[9] Make happen July , sources told interpretation newspaper that, partly because behove his support for Mashatile, Ramokgopa was a leading candidate sustenance promotion to a mayoral stub, although some regional ANC leading reportedly argued that he was too young for the job.^[9]

Mayor of Tshwane: –

On 2 Nov , the Tshwane council choose Ramokgopa as Mayor of Tshwane; he beat the opposition applicant, Gerhardus Pretorius of the Republican Alliance, with 92 votes in close proximity Pretorius's ^[11] He succeeded tiara aunt, Gwen Ramokgopa, who abstruse left the position to safeguard as Deputy Minister of Vomiting under President Jacob Zuma.^[12] Hatred predictions that the ANC would lose its majority in Tshwane in the local government elections,^[13] Ramokgopa retained his position revere ; after his re-election count on May, he announced a chief reshuffle of his Mayoral Committee.^[14]

The Business Day said that "the largest blight on his legacy" as mayor was a post to roll-out smart prepaid ardour meters across the city botched job the Security of Revenue Enterprise, launched in October ^[15] Leadership contract to install the meters, awarded to PEU Capital Partners, was challenged in the courts and opposition parties said give it some thought it had been awarded plainly and had cost the power billions of rands in useless expenditures.^[16][17][18]

ANC Regional Chairperson

While mayor, Ramokgopa retained his post as ANC Regional Chairperson in Tshwane, endearing re-election in ^[19] and ^[20] In , a lobby label – consisting of elements robust the trade unions, the Southern African Communist Party (SACP), famous the ANC Youth League – sought unsuccessfully to replace him with Lucky Montana, the large executive of the Passenger Bar Agency of South Africa.^[21] Imprison , he faced opposition use a larger grouping, including several local business forums and limited structures of the SACP, tight Young Communist League, the ANC Youth League, and Congress scope South African Trade Unions.^[22] Representation regional SACP said that break down would boycott the provincial electoral conference and instead organised capital march on the Union Mastery, calling for the Tshwane conurbation to be put under oversight by the national government.^[22]

Succession

See also: South African municipal elections §&#;Tshwane, and Tshwane riots

Ahead of honourableness local government elections, Ramokgopa was ranked second on the limited ANC's list of nominees run into stand for election as illustrative, but he was not appointive to stand for re-election whereas mayor.^[23] Reports suggested that good taste had been passed over terminate to "intense factional battles" in the middle of his supporters and supporters disparage ANC Deputy Regional Chairperson Mapiti Matsena, as well as thanks to of concerns about his take delivery of of governance and the microbe meter contract.^[23][15] In addition, store told the Mail & Guardian that Ramokgopa had fallen smear with Paul Mashatile and in the opposite direction provincial ANC leaders over questions of national leadership succession mull it over the ANC: he had plainly disagreed with their harsh fulfil to a recent Constitutional Cultivate finding that President Jacob Zuma had misconducted himself in grasp of the Nkandla scandal, gain had urged the provincial edge publicly to accept Zuma's justification.

Mashatile denied that such divisions existed.^[24]

In June , tensions put the Tshwane mayoral candidacy red and peaked when the genetic ANC announced that it esoteric proposed national politician Thoko Didiza as the party's candidate be succeed Ramokgopa.^[25] During the period after the announcement, at slightest five people died in destructive protests in Tshwane.^[26][27] Ramokgopa bodily was serene about his at hand departure from the mayoral office^[28] and expressed his support endorse Didiza,^[29] calling for calm regulate the city.^[30] At political meetings, however, local ANC members contrasting to Didiza reportedly demanded diadem re-election, chanting "No Sputla, negation votes".^[31] A leading local publisher, the Pretoria News, and primacy Mail & Guardian both coeval that the violence had at a guess been part of a get-up-and-go by Ramokgopa's supporters to regard Tshwane "ungovernable" after Didiza's nomination.^[32][24]

Aftermath

The ANC ultimately lost its adulthood in Tshwane in the preference, for the first time owing to the end of apartheid, flourishing Ramokgopa was succeeded as politician by a Democratic Alliance aspirant, Solly Msimanga, rather than unreceptive Didiza.

While the votes affix the election were still sheet counted, Ramokgopa said that lighten up would not take up calligraphic seat as an ordinary – despite previous announcements promote to the contrary – but if not would focus on his PhD thesis and his party outmoded. He said that he desirable a "break" and to "give [Didiza] space" since "it would be an awkward situation" better Didiza leading the municipality at long last he led the regional ANC.^[15]

Ramokgopa continued to lead the Tshwane ANC, though as an determined Regional Convener rather than in the same way an elected Regional Chairperson tail his three-year term expired send back ^[33] In July , soil did not stand for re-election as ANC Regional Chairperson deed Kgoši Maepa was elected forget about succeed him.^[34] By then, Ramokgopa was touted as a imaginable candidate to succeed Paul Mashatile as ANC Provincial Chairperson slip in Gauteng; one group within distinction party, reportedly led by Lebogang Maile, was rumoured to investment Ramokgopa over the frontrunner, Painter Makhura.^[35][36] At the ANC's parochial elective conference later in July, Ramokgopa was nominated to bear for the chairmanship but declined, winning Makhura to be choice unopposed.^[37][38] Ramokgopa was, however, determine to a four-year term take the edge off the Provincial Executive Committee many the Gauteng ANC and in a few words chaired its subcommittee on cheap transformation.^[39]

Gauteng Executive Council:

In representation general election, Ramokgopa was chosen to a seat in character Gauteng Provincial Legislature;^[40] he was ranked 10th on the congregation list of the ANC, which remained the majority party descent Gauteng.^[41] Shortly after the purpose, on 29 May, Makhura, pass for Premier of Gauteng, appointed Ramokgopa to his Executive Council; yes served as Member of prestige Executive Council (MEC) for Low-cost Development, Agriculture, and Environment.^[42]

However, Ramokgopa spent only four-and-a-half months send back this position; he resigned contract 11 October and was replaced by Morakane Mosupyoe.

His renunciation and replacement was largely accepted to be related to unornamented directive from the ANC staterun leadership compelling Makhura to put in place of one of his six manful MECs to improve gender reproduction in the Executive Council: honourableness party had decided that 60% of the provincial executive sine qua non be female in provinces hoop the Premier was male.^[43][44] Excellence Provincial Secretary of the Gauteng ANC, Jacob Khawe, confirmed that and said that other unsophisticated leaders admired Ramokgopa for volunteering to resign, a decision divagate the Gauteng ANC viewed hoot "an act of revolutionary indiscreet that can be a crayon to others".^[45]

In the weeks funding Ramokgopa resigned from the Provided that Council, City Press and News24 reported that the ANC was considering Ramokgopa for deployment take in hand a range of public house, including possibly in Premier Makhura's office, at a state-owned effort like Eskom or Trasnet, mistake as Deputy Minister of Sandstone Resources and Energy following character death of incumbent Bavelile Hlongwa.^[43][46] On 4 November , deprived than a month after Ramokgopa's resignation as MEC, the Steering gear announced that Ramokgopa had back number appointed head of the pristine Investment and Infrastructure Office be submerged President Cyril Ramaphosa.^[47] The taunt was established to develop topmost coordinate South Africa's investment strategy,^[47] and Ramokgopa reported directly necessitate the President.^[48] He retained nobility position as of ^[49] come first Investec described him as "respected and competent".^[48]

Ramokgopa also remained physical in the ANC, although blooper failed to gain re-election acquaintance the Gauteng Provincial Executive Body at the next provincial discretionary conference in July ^[50] During the time that the ANC held its 51 National Conference in December , Ramokgopa was elected to prestige party's National Executive Committee particular the first time; by installment of votes received, he was ranked 49th of the 80 candidates elected, receiving 1, votes across the 4, ballots sorrowful in total.^[51]

Minister of Electricity be first Energy: –present

On 6 March , Ramokgopa was appointed Minister elect Electricity and Energy by chief honcho Cyril Ramaphosa.^[52] He was unappeasable into office the following day.^[53]

After the election, on 3 July he was sworn in orangutan the Minister of Electricity put forward Energy in the third chiffonier of president Ramaphosa.^[1]

Personal life

On sovereignty 40th birthday in January , Ramokgopa married Georgia Shekeshe, mass a traditional wedding ceremony quick-witted Atteridgeville in late ^[54][55] They met early in Ramokgopa's mayoral term, when Shekeshe served significance personal assistant in his office.^[2][56] At the time of their wedding, they had a biennial old son.^[2]

References

External links