Kgosientsho Ramokgopa
Political career
Political career
----------------

Ramokgopa's formal political career began when he was elected to represent the ANC as a [local councillor](/wiki/Councillor "Councillor") in [Tshwane](/wiki/City_of_Tshwane_Metropolitan_Municipality "City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality")'s ward 51, where he served from 2000 to 2005 while also working as a [transport engineer](/wiki/Transport_engineer "Transport engineer"). For the half decade after his resignation as a public representative in 2005, he held a range of positions in public and private entities, first as [chief executive officer](/wiki/Chief_executive_officer "Chief executive officer") of the Metropolitan Trading Company, a public entity under the [City of Johannesburg municipality](/wiki/City_of_Johannesburg_Metropolitan_Municipality "City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality"), from 2004 to 2006\. He was also deputy chairperson of the Limpopo Board of Trade and Investment and, from 2006 to 2010, chief executive officer of [Johannesburg](/wiki/Johannesburg "Johannesburg") Market. In the latter position he was named 2008 Boss of the Year.

At the same time, Ramokgopa was active in the provincial ANC, and by 2010 was chairperson of the party's large regional branch in Tshwane. His candidacy for the Regional Chairperson position in 2009 received the support of the regional branch of the ANC Youth League. According to the *[Mail \& Guardian](/wiki/Mail_%26_Guardian "Mail & Guardian")*, Ramokgopa played an important role at the Gauteng ANC's provincial elective conference in May 2010, working with [Nat Kekana](/wiki/Nkenke_Kekana "Nkenke Kekana") to amass support for [Paul Mashatile](/wiki/Paul_Mashatile "Paul Mashatile")'s successful campaign to be re\-elected as ANC [Provincial Chairperson](/wiki/Provincial_Chairperson_of_the_African_National_Congress "Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress") in a contest with [Gauteng Premier](/wiki/Premier_of_Gauteng "Premier of Gauteng") [Nomvula Mokonyane](/wiki/Nomvula_Mokonyane "Nomvula Mokonyane"). In July 2010, sources told the newspaper that, partly because of his support for Mashatile, Ramokgopa was a leading candidate for promotion to a mayoral position, although some regional ANC leaders reportedly argued that he was too young for the job.

### Mayor of Tshwane: 2010–2016

[thumb\|Ramokgopa meets Ecuadorian Foreign Minister [Ricardo Patiño](/wiki/Ricardo_Pati%C3%B1o "Ricardo Patiño") in [Quito](/wiki/Quito "Quito"), 11 April 2013](/wiki/File:Canciller_Ricardo_Pati%C3%B1o_se_re%C3%BAne_con_el_Alcalde_de_Tshwane_-_Sud%C3%A1frica_%288641354492%29.jpg "Canciller Ricardo Patiño se reúne con el Alcalde de Tshwane - Sudáfrica (8641354492).jpg")
On 2 November 2010, the Tshwane council elected Ramokgopa as [Mayor of Tshwane](/wiki/Mayor_of_Tshwane "Mayor of Tshwane"); he beat the opposition candidate, Gerhardus Pretorius of the [Democratic Alliance](/wiki/Democratic_Alliance_%28South_Africa%29 "Democratic Alliance (South Africa)"), with 92 votes to Pretorius's 49\. He succeeded his aunt, [Gwen Ramokgopa](/wiki/Gwen_Ramokgopa "Gwen Ramokgopa"), who had left the position to serve as Deputy [Minister of Health](/wiki/Minister_of_Health_%28South_Africa%29 "Minister of Health (South Africa)") under President [Jacob Zuma](/wiki/Jacob_Zuma "Jacob Zuma"). Despite predictions that the ANC would lose its majority in Tshwane in the [2011 local government elections](/wiki/2011_South_African_municipal_elections "2011 South African municipal elections"), Ramokgopa retained his position in 2011; after his re\-election in May, he announced a major [reshuffle](/wiki/Cabinet_reshuffle "Cabinet reshuffle") of his Mayoral Committee.

The *[Business Day](/wiki/Business_Day_%28South_Africa%29 "Business Day (South Africa)")* said that "the largest blight on his legacy" as mayor was a project to roll\-out smart prepaid [electricity meters](/wiki/Electricity_meter "Electricity meter") across the city under the Security of Revenue Project, launched in October 2013\. The contract to install the meters, awarded to PEU Capital Partners, was challenged in the courts and opposition parties said that it had been awarded irregularly and had cost the city billions of [rands](/wiki/South_African_rand "South African rand") in unnecessary expenditures.

#### ANC Regional Chairperson

While mayor, Ramokgopa retained his post as ANC Regional Chairperson in Tshwane, winning re\-election in 2011 and 2014\. In 2011, a lobby group – consisting of elements of the [trade unions](/wiki/Trade_unions_in_South_Africa "Trade unions in South Africa"), the [South African Communist Party](/wiki/South_African_Communist_Party "South African Communist Party") (SACP), and the ANC Youth League – sought unsuccessfully to replace him with [Lucky Montana](/wiki/Lucky_Montana "Lucky Montana"), the chief executive of the [Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa](/wiki/Passenger_Rail_Agency_of_South_Africa "Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa"). In 2014, he faced opposition from a larger grouping, including various local business forums and regional structures of the SACP, its Young Communist League, the ANC Youth League, and [Congress of South African Trade Unions](/wiki/Congress_of_South_African_Trade_Unions "Congress of South African Trade Unions"). The regional SACP said that it would boycott the 2014 provincial elective conference and instead organised a march on the [Union Buildings](/wiki/Union_Buildings "Union Buildings"), calling for the Tshwane municipality to be put under administration by [the national government](/wiki/Government_of_South_Africa "Government of South Africa").

#### Succession

Ahead of the [2016 local government elections](/wiki/2016_South_African_municipal_elections "2016 South African municipal elections"), Ramokgopa was ranked second on the regional ANC's list of nominees to stand for election as councillor, but he was not nominated to stand for re\-election as mayor. Reports suggested that he had been passed over due to "intense [factional](/wiki/Political_faction "Political faction") battles" between his supporters and supporters of ANC Deputy Regional Chairperson [Mapiti Matsena](/wiki/Mapiti_Matsena "Mapiti Matsena"), as well as because of concerns about his style of governance and the smart meter contract. In addition, sources told the *Mail \& Guardian* that Ramokgopa had fallen out with Paul Mashatile and other provincial ANC leaders over questions of national leadership succession in the ANC: he had apparently disagreed with their harsh response to [a recent Constitutional Court finding](/wiki/Economic_Freedom_Fighters_v_Speaker_of_the_National_Assembly_and_Others%3B_Democratic_Alliance_v_Speaker_of_the_National_Assembly_and_Others "Economic Freedom Fighters v Speaker of the National Assembly and Others; Democratic Alliance v Speaker of the National Assembly and Others") that President Jacob Zuma had misconducted himself in respect of the [Nkandla scandal](/wiki/Nkandla_scandal "Nkandla scandal"), and had urged the provincial leadership publicly to accept Zuma's apology. Mashatile denied that such divisions existed.

In June 2016, tensions about the Tshwane mayoral candidacy rose and peaked when the national ANC announced that it had proposed national politician [Thoko Didiza](/wiki/Thoko_Didiza "Thoko Didiza") as the party's candidate to succeed Ramokgopa. During the week after the announcement, at least five people died in [violent protests in Tshwane](/wiki/2016_Tshwane_riots "2016 Tshwane riots"). Ramokgopa himself was serene about his imminent departure from the mayoral office and expressed his support for Didiza, calling for calm in the city. At political meetings, however, local ANC members opposed to Didiza reportedly demanded his re\-election, chanting "No Sputla, no votes". A leading local newspaper, the *[Pretoria News](/wiki/Pretoria_News "Pretoria News")*, and the *Mail \& Guardian* both reported that the violence had allegedly been part of a campaign by Ramokgopa's supporters to make Tshwane "ungovernable" after Didiza's nomination.

#### Aftermath

The ANC ultimately lost its majority in Tshwane in the 2016 election, for the first time since the end of [apartheid](/wiki/Apartheid "Apartheid"), and Ramokgopa was succeeded as mayor by a Democratic Alliance candidate, [Solly Msimanga](/wiki/Solly_Msimanga "Solly Msimanga"), rather than by Didiza. While the votes in the election were still being counted, Ramokgopa said that he would not take up a seat as an ordinary councillor – despite previous announcements to the contrary – but instead would focus on his PhD thesis and his party work. He said that he wanted a "break" and to "give \[Didiza] space" since "it would be an awkward situation" with Didiza leading the municipality while he led the regional ANC.
[thumb\|Ramokgopa addressing an [Open Government Partnership](/wiki/Open_Government_Partnership "Open Government Partnership") event, September 2015](/wiki/File:Kgosientso_Ramokgopa.jpg "Kgosientso Ramokgopa.jpg")
Ramokgopa continued to lead the Tshwane ANC, though as an appointed Regional Convener rather than as an elected Regional Chairperson after his three\-year term expired in 2017\. In July 2018, he did not stand for re\-election as ANC Regional Chairperson and Kgoši Maepa was elected to succeed him. By then, Ramokgopa was touted as a possible candidate to succeed Paul Mashatile as ANC Provincial Chairperson in Gauteng; one group within the party, reportedly led by [Lebogang Maile](/wiki/Lebogang_Maile "Lebogang Maile"), was rumoured to support Ramokgopa over the frontrunner, [David Makhura](/wiki/David_Makhura "David Makhura"). At the ANC's provincial elective conference later in July, Ramokgopa was nominated to stand for the chairmanship but declined, winning Makhura to be elected unopposed. Ramokgopa was, however, elected to a four\-year term on the [Provincial Executive Committee](/wiki/Provincial_Executive_Committees_of_the_African_National_Congress "Provincial Executive Committees of the African National Congress") of the Gauteng ANC and subsequently chaired its subcommittee on economic transformation.

### Gauteng Executive Council: 2019

In the [2019 general election](/wiki/2019_South_African_general_election "2019 South African general election"), Ramokgopa was elected to a seat in the [Gauteng Provincial Legislature](/wiki/Gauteng_Provincial_Legislature "Gauteng Provincial Legislature"); he was ranked 10th on the [party list](/wiki/Electoral_list "Electoral list") of the ANC, which remained the majority party in Gauteng. Shortly after the election, on 29 May, Makhura, as Premier of Gauteng, appointed Ramokgopa to [his Executive Council](/wiki/Executive_Council_of_Gauteng "Executive Council of Gauteng"); he served as [Member of the Executive Council](/wiki/Member_of_the_Executive_Council "Member of the Executive Council") (MEC) for Economic Development, Agriculture, and Environment.

However, Ramokgopa spent only four\-and\-a\-half months in this position; he resigned on 11 October and was replaced by [Morakane Mosupyoe](/wiki/Morakane_Mosupyoe "Morakane Mosupyoe"). His resignation and replacement was largely understood to be related to a directive from the ANC national leadership compelling Makhura to replace one of his six male MECs to improve [gender representation](/wiki/Gender_representation "Gender representation") in the Executive Council: the party had decided that 60% of the provincial executive should be female in provinces where the Premier was male. The [Provincial Secretary](/wiki/Provincial_Secretary_of_the_African_National_Congress "Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress") of the Gauteng ANC, [Jacob Khawe](/wiki/Jacob_Khawe "Jacob Khawe"), confirmed this and said that other provincial leaders admired Ramokgopa for volunteering to resign, a decision that the Gauteng ANC viewed as "an act of [revolutionary](/wiki/Revolutionary "Revolutionary") consciousness that can be a lesson to others".

### The Presidency: 2019–2022

In the weeks after Ramokgopa resigned from the Executive Council, *[City Press](/wiki/City_Press_%28South_Africa%29 "City Press (South Africa)")* and [News24](/wiki/News24_%28website%29 "News24 (website)") reported that the ANC was considering Ramokgopa for [deployment](/wiki/African_National_Congress%23Cadre_deployment "African National Congress#Cadre deployment") to a range of public offices, including possibly in Premier Makhura's office, at a [state\-owned enterprise](/wiki/State-owned_enterprises_of_South_Africa "State-owned enterprises of South Africa") like [Eskom](/wiki/Eskom "Eskom") or [Trasnet](/wiki/Transnet "Transnet"), or as Deputy [Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy](/wiki/Minister_of_Mineral_Resources_and_Energy "Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy") following the death of incumbent [Bavelile Hlongwa](/wiki/Bavelile_Hlongwa "Bavelile Hlongwa"). On 4 November 2019, less than a month after Ramokgopa's resignation as MEC, the [Presidency](/wiki/President_of_South_Africa "President of South Africa") announced that Ramokgopa had been appointed head of the new Investment and Infrastructure Office under President [Cyril Ramaphosa](/wiki/Cyril_Ramaphosa "Cyril Ramaphosa"). The office was established to develop and coordinate South Africa's [investment](/wiki/Investment_in_South_Africa "Investment in South Africa") strategy, and Ramokgopa reported directly to the President. He retained the position as of 2022 and [Investec](/wiki/Investec "Investec") described him as "respected and competent".

Ramokgopa also remained active in the ANC, although he failed to gain re\-election to the Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee at the next provincial elective conference in July 2022\. When the ANC held its [55th National Conference](/wiki/55th_National_Conference_of_the_African_National_Congress "55th National Conference of the African National Congress") in December 2022, Ramokgopa was elected to the party's [National Executive Committee](/wiki/National_Executive_Committee_of_the_African_National_Congress "National Executive Committee of the African National Congress") for the first time; by number of votes received, he was ranked 49th of the 80 candidates elected, receiving 1,229 votes across the 4,029 ballots cast in total.
### Minister of Electricity and Energy: 2023–present

On 6 March 2023, Ramokgopa was appointed [Minister of Electricity and Energy](/wiki/Minister_of_Electricity_and_Energy "Minister of Electricity and Energy") by president [Cyril Ramaphosa](/wiki/Cyril_Ramaphosa "Cyril Ramaphosa"). He was sworn into office the following day.

After the 2024 election, on 3 July 2024 he was sworn in as the [Minister of Electricity and Energy](/wiki/Minister_of_Electricity_and_Energy "Minister of Electricity and Energy") in the [third cabinet of president Ramaphosa](/wiki/Third_Cabinet_of_Cyril_Ramaphosa "Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa").


What is the significance of Ngoako Ramokgopa being ranked 49th out of 80 candidates elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee?