Matšepo Ramakoae (née Molise; born 3 March 1954) is a

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

politician. She was serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations from May 2020 to October 2022. She is the legislator from the Matsieng constituency No. 45. Ramakoae served as the Deputy Minister of Finance from 2012 until 2015.

Early life and career

'Matšepo Molise was born on 3 March 1954 in

Morija Morija is a town in western Lesotho, located 35 kilometres south of the capital, Maseru. Morija is one of Lesotho's most important historical and cultural sites, known as the Selibeng sa Thuto— the Well-Spring of Learning. It was the site of the ...

as the second out of nine children of James Koko Molise and 'Mamolise Molise. Her father worked as a miner in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, while her mother was the domestic worker of French missionaries. Molise attended Lesotho High School in Maseru. Soon after finishing school, she married and took her husband's surname. She started her professional career as a civil servant. She attained a degree in accounting and went on to attend the

National University of Lesotho The National University of Lesotho, the main and oldest university in Lesotho, is located in Roma, southeast of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The Roma valley is broad and is surrounded by a barrier of rugged mountains which provides magnifi ...

, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1981. From then on, she was employed in the office of the Prime Minister. At the same time, she attended management courses in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. In 1991, she obtained a master's degree in Policy Analysis in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Around this time, she separated from her husband. Upon her return from the Netherlands, she was appointed to the Auditor General's office where she worked in the performance audit department. In 1999, she began working as a principal secretary in the newly established Ministry of Defence. She was the first woman to work in the department and was primarily responsible for the budget.

Political career

In 2006, Ramakoae joined the newly founded

All Basotho Convention The All Basotho Convention (ABC; ) is a political party in Lesotho. The party was formed in October 2006 and founded by Tom Thabane, a former minister in the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) led by the government of Prime Minister Pakalitha ...

. She left public service and ran as the ABC candidate in the Matsieng constituency in the 2007 election. She lost to the

Lesotho Congress for Democracy The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) is a political party in Lesotho. In 1997, Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle left the Basutoland Congress Party to form with his faction the new Lesotho Congress for Democracy. The new party won the 1998 ele ...

candidate. She then started working as a farmer and ran a catering service. Politically, she was active at the ABC's grassroots level. In the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, she ran again in the Matsieng constituency. She won this time and was sworn in as a Member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. Prime Minister Thomas Thabane named her the Deputy Minister of Finance in his first cabinet. The coalition government collapsed in 2015 and was voted out in the subsequent general election. She lost re-election as an MP, but won the constituency back in the

2017 general election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November ...

. She was selected to head the parliamentary committee for women's issues. In early-2020, Thabane came under pressure to resign as Prime Minister due to his alleged involvement in his former spouse's murder. Ramakoae was considered a strong contender, but was ultimately not selected as the party chose Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro to succeed Thabane. Majoro was sworn in on 20 May. He appointed her Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations in his cabinet. She took office on 21 May. Ramakoae is the first woman to hold this role.

References

External links

Honourable 'Matṥepo Ramakoae – Government of LesothoHon. Mats'epo Ramakoae – WOC Summit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramakoae, 'Matsepo Living people 1954 births National University of Lesotho alumni All Basotho Convention politicians Members of the National Assembly (Lesotho) Women government ministers of Lesotho 21st-century women politicians Foreign Ministers of Lesotho Female foreign ministers People from Maseru District