SA’s new Minister of Electricity: Who is Kgosientsho Ramokgopa?

Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has been appointed as South Africa’s first Minister of Electricity to address the country’s unprecedented power shortages.

On Monday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Ramokgopa’s appointment as the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity during his Cabinet reshuffle.

According to Ramaphosa, Ramokgopa will be tasked with “significantly reducing the severity and frequency of load shedding”.

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The new minister will also have political responsibility, authority and control over all critical aspects of the energy action plan.

“This will help to deal with the challenge of fragmentation of responsibility across various departments and ministers which, while appropriate under normal circumstances, is not conducive to a crisis response,” Ramaphosa said.

Here’s what you need to know about Ramokgopa:

Background

Born in 1975, Ramokgopa hails from Atteridgeville, a township located in the west of Pretoria.

The 48-year-old, who matriculated in 1991, holds a number of academic qualifications which include a BSc Civil Engineering (University of Durban-Westville), Master of Public Administration (University of Pretoria) and Master of Business Leadership (Unisa).

He also has a Certificate in Executive Development from Stellenbosch University and a PhD in Public Affairs from the University of Pretoria.

Early career

Ramokgopa’s involvement in politics dates back to the 80’s when he participated in the Atteridgeville-Saulsville Residents Organisation (ASRO), according to Black Business Council.

During his time at the University of Durban-Westville, Ramokgopa led the South African Student Congress (SASCO).

He also joined the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).

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Ramokgopa formally entered politics as an ANC ward councillor in Tshwane, in the early 2000s.

He served as a local councillor from 2000 to 2005.

Following his resignation, Ramokgopa held the position of CEO for both the Metropolitan Trading Company and the Johannesburg Market.

He also served as the deputy chairperson of the Board of Trade and Investment in Limpopo.

Tenure as mayor

Ramokgopa returned to politics in 2010, when he was elected mayor of Tshwane, a position he held until 2016.

He also served as the ANC regional chair in Tshwane until 2018.

Prior to being appointed as the head of investment and infrastructure in the Presidency in December 2019, Ramokgopa was the Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Agriculture and Environment.

Role as Electricity Minister

Ramokgopa will serve as the Minister of Electricity until the country’s energy crisis has been resolved

He will work with various departments and entities involved in the power crisis response, including Eskom leadership, to turn around the performance of existing power stations and speed up procurement of new generation capacity.

In addition, the minister will oversee the national state of disaster and “will be able to issue directions to exclude critical facilities from load shedding”.

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