Biography
Kgosientso Ramokgopa (born January 25, 1975) is a South African politician. He is the Minister of Electricity for the Presidency.
From 2010 to 2016, he served as the Mayor of Tshwane and was a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial in 2019.
Sputla was a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government in 2019. His first formal political office was as a ward councilor for the ANC in Tshwane for five years (2000 – 2005).
Until 2018, he was the Regional Chairperson of the Tshwane ANC branch. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Ramokgopa the Minister of Electricity during the power crisis.
Kgosientso Ramokgopa  | |
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| Personal Information | |
| Full Name: | Kgosientso David Ramokgopa |
| Nickname: | Sputla |
| Born: | January 25, 1975 (age 48 years old) |
| Origin: | Ga-Ramokgopa village, Limpopo |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Education: | Civil engineering |
| Alma mater: | University of Durban Westville University of Pretoria |
| Relation: | Gwen Ramokgopa (aunt) |
| Siblings: | 7 |
| Spouse: | Georgia Shekeshe (m.2015) |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Party: | African National Congress |
| Office: | Minister of Electricity |
Early life
Kgosientso David Ramokgopa was born on January 25, 1975, in a family of eight children. His family hail from Ga-Ramokgopa village, Limpopo, South Africa.
David is a brother to seven siblings, and his love for soccer earned him the nickname Sputla as a child.
Education
David Ramokgopa has a CV fortified with many academic qualifications. He holds a BSc in civil engineering from the University of Durban Westville.
The politician obtained a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pretoria. He finished from the University of South Africa with a Master of Business Leadership.
Sputla holds a certificate in executive development from Stellenbosch University. He did a Ph.D. in public affairs at the University of Pretoria.
Career
Non-political
Kgosientso stayed in politics for five years after his resignation as a public representative in 2005. He worked in establishments owned by public and private entities.
Between 2004 to 2006, he worked as the Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Trading Company. He was the deputy chairperson of the Limpopo Board of Trade and Investment.
His managerial capacity earned him the position of the Chief Executive Officer of Johannesburg Market.
Politics
In 2000, Kgosientso was elected to represent the ANC as a local councilor in Tshwane’s ward 51. He was working as a transport engineer at that time.
Ever since Ramokgopa has been active in the provincial African National Congress. He became the chairperson of ANC’s large regional branch in Tshwane in 2010.
On November 2, 2010, Kgosientso was elected as Mayor of Tshwane by the Tshwane council. He continued serving as the ANC Regional Chairperson in Tshwane and won re-elections in 2011 and 2014.
Kgoši Maepa replaced him in July 2018 after he did not stand for re-election as ANC Regional Chairperson. He won an election to a four-year term on the Provincial Executive Committee of the Gauteng ANC.
Kgosientso won a seat in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature after the 2019 general election. In November 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him as the head of the new Investment and Infrastructure Office.
President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Ramokgopa as the Minister of Electricity on March 6, 2023.
According to the President, Ramokgopa will remain in office only for as long as it is necessary to resolve the electricity crisis.
Personal life
Kgosientso Ramokgopa married Georgia Shekeshe on January 25, 2015. The couple earlier had a traditional wedding ceremony in Atteridgeville in late 2014.
Ramokgopa met his wife during his mayoral term while Shekeshe was a personal assistant in his office.