Matsie Angelina "Angie" Motshekga (born 19 June 1955) is a

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

politician and educator, serving as the

Minister of Basic Education The Minister of Basic Education is a Minister in the Cabinet of South Africa, with the responsibility of overseeing the Department of Basic Education, which is responsible for primary and secondary education. Before 10 May 2009 the portfolio for ...

since May 2009. She was also appointed as an acting president of the Republic of South Africa on 2 July 2021, as President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the state funeral of Kenneth Kaunda in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. She was previously a Member of the Executive Council in the

Gauteng provincial government The government of Gauteng province in South Africa consists of a unicameral legislature elected by proportional representation, and an executive branch headed by a Premier who is elected by the legislature. Legislature The provincial legis ...

. Motshekga is a member of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

. She is a former president of the party's women's league.

Early life and teaching career

Motshekga was born on 19 June 1955 in

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

Transvaal Province The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...

. She received her primary school education from different schools in Soweto. She matriculated from a boarding school in

Matatiele Matatiele is a town located in the northern part of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. According to the South African National Census of 2011, its 12,466 residents (1,113.44 per km²) and 4,107 households (366.83 per km²) make Matatiel ...

. Motshekga studied at the University of the North, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. From the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

, Motshekga obtained a Bachelor of Educational Science degree and a master's degree. In 1981, Motshekga was employed as a teacher at Orlando High School. She worked at the school until 1983, when she resigned following her appointment as a lecturer at the Soweto College of Education. Motshekga became a lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1985. She lectured at the university until 1994.

Political career

During the 1980s, Motshekga was a member of the Soweto Education Crisis Committee that later formed part of the National Education Coordinating Committee. She held membership of the United Democratic Front. She was also a member of the National Education Union of South Africa. Motshekga was active in the Pimville Civic Association. Motshekga was the National Convenor of Teacher Unity talks that led to the formation of

South African Democratic Teachers Union The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) is the largest trade union for teachers in South Africa. It is allied to the African National Congress and is an affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). History The ...

. She was the regional chair of the

African National Congress Women's League The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is an auxiliary women's political organization of the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa. This organization has its precedent in the Bantu Women's League, and it oscillated from b ...

in the party's former Kyalami region. From 1994 to 1997, she worked as a director in the office of the presidency. She was elected Deputy Provincial Secretary of the ANCWL in 1997.

Gauteng provincial government

After the 1999 general election, Motshekga was sworn in as a member of the

Gauteng Provincial Legislature The Gauteng Provincial Legislature is the legislature of the South African province of Gauteng. It is a unicameral body of 73 members elected every five years. The current legislature, the sixth, was elected on 8 May 2019 and has an African Natio ...

. She was named the chairperson of the legislature's education committee. In 2000, premier Mbhazima Shilowa appointed her to the Social Development portfolio of the Executive Council. After the 2004 general election, Motshekga returned to the legislature for her second term. Shilowa moved her to the Education portfolio. Motshekga was elected the national president of the ANC women's league in 2008, defeating the league's secretary-general Bathabile Dlamini. She received 1,826 votes.

National government

Motshekga was elected to 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 ...

in April 2009. Newly elected president

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

unbundled the Education portfolio into two new, separate ministries. Motshekga was appointed

. She took office on 11 May 2009. During her first term, textbooks were not delivered to impoverished Limpopo schools between December 2011 and June 2012. She faced calls to resign or be removed, but she remained in the position. Following the 2014 general election, Zuma retained Motshekga in her position. Bathabile Dlamini unseated her as women's league president in August 2015. In 2017, she ran for ANC national president under the women's league banner without asking for permission. The league criticised Motshekga and later endorsed

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma (née Dlamini; born 27 January 1949), sometimes referred to by her initials NDZ, is a South African politician, medical doctor and former anti-apartheid activist. A longstanding member of the African National Cong ...

for the ANC presidency. Zuma resigned as South African president in February 2018 and deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa was designated as his successor. Ramaphosa kept Motshekga in her position. In 2019, she became the longest-serving education minister in South African history. She was re-elected as an MP in that year's

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. She remained as minister of basic education. On 15 February 2021, Motshekga said to pupils at Prospectus High School in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

that an "educated man won't rape". Her comment caused outrage. She responded by saying that her comment was taken out of context. In 2014 Motshekga claimed that the standard of question papers had increased after an English exam paper riddled with basic spelling and grammar errors was given to learners. In 2022 a mathematics examination paper included a problem that was unsolvable due to a typing error. The error was not picked up before the paper was given and Motshekga's department will decide whether an upward mark adjustment of 1% or 2% is necessary.

Personal life

Motshekga is married to former Premier of Gauteng and former ANC chief whip,

Mathole Motshekga Mathole Serofo Motshekga (born 2 April 1949) is a South African lawyer and politician who was elected to his third consecutive term as a Member of Parliament in the 2019 general election. He formerly represented his political party, the Afric ...

. They have children and grandchildren.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Motshekga, Angie Living people Members of the National Assembly of South Africa Government ministers of South Africa Education ministers of South Africa Women government ministers of South Africa University of the Witwatersrand alumni 1955 births Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa 21st-century South African politicians 21st-century South African women politicians