Minister of Electricity and Energy
The Minister of Electricity and Energy is the energy minister in the Cabinet of South Africa. The office in its current form was established in June 2024 in a merger between the Minister in the Presidency for Electricity and the energy functions of the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. The energy portfolio was formerly the provenance of the Minister of Energy between 2009 and 2019.
| Minister of Electricity and Energy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Department of Electricity and Energy | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Appointer | President of South Africa |
| Inaugural holder | Kgosientso Ramokgopa |
| Formation | 3 July 2024 |
| Deputy | Samantha Graham |
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During other periods, the energy portfolio was conjoined with other portfolios, including under the Minister of Minerals and Energy, until 1994, and under the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy from 2019 to 2024. The Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity was appointed for the first time in March 2023 and had a mandate to oversee the government's response to the ongoing electricity crisis.
The incumbent Minister of Electricity and Energy is Kgosientso Ramokgopa of the African National Congress, who was also the first and only Minister in the Presidency for Electricity.
Post-apartheid history
editIn the Government of National Unity (GNU) between 1994 and 1999, the energy portfolio was part of the brief of the Minister of Minerals and Energy, a post that had also existed during apartheid.[1] Pik Botha of the National Party was the minister between 1994 and 1996,[2] making him the last politician to hold the office who was not a member of the African National Congress.
Zuma presidency: 2009–2018
editWhen he announced his first cabinet on 10 May 2009, President Jacob Zuma bifurcated the Department of Minerals and Energy into two disparate departments. The Department of Energy and Department of Mineral Resources were henceforth overseen by a Minister of Energy and Minister of Mineral Resources respectively.[3] The Minister of Energy gained a deputy minister from 31 October 2010.[4]
Over the next decade, during Zuma's presidency, the Ministry of Energy was frequently the target of cabinet reshuffles. Commentators linked the dismissals of energy ministers to Zuma's efforts to carry out a proposed nuclear power deal with Russia.[5][6][7]
Ramaphosa presidency: 2018–present
editAppointing his second cabinet on 29 May 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the energy portfolio would be merged with the minerals portfolio, as it had been before Zuma's tenure.[8] Soon after the ministries were merged into the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, the respective departments were likewise merged into the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.[9]
During his State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2023, Ramaphosa announced his intention to appoint a Minister of Electricity, based in the Presidency, to oversee all aspects of the country's response to the ongoing electricity crisis, including leading the National Energy Crisis Committee.[10][11][12] The first Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle on 6 March 2023.[13][14][15]
Among other things, the Minister of Electricity had responsibility for procurement of new electricity generation capacity.[16] However, he served alongside the incumbent mineral resources and energy minister, Gwede Mantashe, and there was uncertainty about the delineation of functions between them – especially given that a third minister, the Minister of Public Enterprises, oversaw Eskom.[17][18]
On 30 June 2024, appointing his third cabinet, Ramaphosa announced that the relevant ministries would be reconfigured: energy would be detached from the mineral resources portfolio and become the sole prerogative of a new Minister of Electricity and Energy.[19]
List of ministers
edit| Portfolio | Minister | Term | Party | President | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minerals and Energy | Pik Botha | 1994 | 1996 | NP | Mandela (I) | |
| Penuell Maduna | 1996 | 1999 | ANC | |||
| Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka | 1999 | 2004 | ANC | Mbeki (I) | ||
| Lindiwe Hendricks | 2004 | 2006 | ANC | Mbeki (II) | ||
| Buyelwa Sonjica | 2006 | 2009 | ANC | Mbeki (II) and Motlanthe (I) | ||
| Energy | Dipuo Peters | 2009 | 2013 | ANC | Zuma (I) | |
| Ben Martins | 2013 | 2014 | ANC | |||
| Tina Joemat-Pettersson | 2014 | 2017 | ANC | Zuma (II) | ||
| Mmamoloko Kubayi | 2017 | 2017 | ANC | |||
| David Mahlobo | 2017 | 2018 | ANC | |||
| Jeff Radebe | 2018 | 2019 | ANC | Ramaphosa (I) | ||
| Mineral Resources and Energy | Gwede Mantashe | 2019 | 2024 | ANC | Ramaphosa (II) | |
| Electricity | Kgosientso Ramokgopa | 2023 | 2024 | ANC | ||
| Electricity and Energy | Kgosientso Ramokgopa | 2024 | – | ANC | Ramaphosa (III) | |
References
edit- ^ Keller, Bill (1994-05-12). "Mandela Completes His Cabinet, Giving Buthelezi a Post". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ "Mandela Revamps Cabinet in South Africa". Los Angeles Times. 1996-05-14. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ "Statement by President Jacob Zuma on the appointment of the new Cabinet". South African Government. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ "Zuma Appoints Deputy Ministers of Education, Energy in S. Africa". Bloomberg.com. 2010-10-31. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ Essa, Azad (2017-10-17). "S Africa cabinet shaken up 'in bid to seal energy deal'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ Winkler, Hartmut (2017-03-31). "Zuma's cabinet reshuffle opens the door for nuclear deal in South Africa". eNCA. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ Dlamini, Penwell (2017-10-17). "Cabinet reshuffle about Zuma chasing nuclear deal: Malema". Sowetan. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ "President Cyril Ramaphosa announces changes to the National Executive". South African Government. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ "President Cyril Ramaphosa announces reconfigured departments". South African government. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ "Sona: Ramaphosa announces state of disaster, new electricity minister to tackle energy crisis". The Mail & Guardian. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "Ramaphosa's new 'electricity minister' is coming whether you like it or not". BusinessTECH. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ "Minister of Electricity to focus solely on resolving load shedding". SAnews. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ Haffajee, Ferial (2023-03-06). "The shuffle: Can Ramaphosa's new Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, turn around a country without power?". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ Ramaphosa, Cyril (2023-03-06). "Full text: President Ramaphosa's Cabinet reshuffle". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa appointed Minister of Electricity in the Presidency". SAnews. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ Stoddard, Ed (2023-05-26). "Empowered: Ramaphosa transfers responsibility for new power generation to Ramokgopa, pulling plug on Mantashe". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ "Ramokgopa mix was a ministerial trifecta too far". Business Day. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Is Kgosientsho Ramokgopa a powerless power minister?". Miningreview.com. 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "Ramaphosa announces new cabinet – these are all the new ministers and deputies". BusinessTech. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.