Rosemary Molapo was sworn in as Speaker of the Limpopo Legislature by Judge President Ephraim Makgoba of the Limpopo Division of the High Court during a special sitting of the Legislature last Thursday. Molapo replaces Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya who was redeployed.
Molapo joined the Limpopo Legislature during the 5th Administration and has assumed numerous roles in various Portfolio Committees of the Legislature. Molapo is in her second term as a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) and brings with her the position of the Speaker and numerous years of experience as a former Director of Strategic Planning with the Fetakgomo Tubatse Municipality.
Before this appointment, Molapo was the Deputy Chief Whip of the Legislature and the local steward of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) – an organisation of legislators that works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.
She has a BA degree and a Higher Education Diploma from the then University of the North (now University of Limpopo), and countless post-graduate diploma certificates from institutions such as Regenesys and the Universities of Free State, Witwatersrand and Pretoria.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) congratulated Molapo on her new role and said that she is well poised to bring organised local government and the provincial legislature closer together. “This is even more important when we consider the new national thinking that is championed by the district-based development planning model. As the Salga Provincial Executive Committee, we stand ready to work hand in glove with the Speaker,” Salga said in a media release.
Story: Barry Viljoen
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