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Mcebisi Skwatsha

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The Honourable
Mcebisi Skwatsha
MP
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
In office
29 May 2019 – 19 June 2024
Serving with Rosemary Capa and Sdumo Dlamini
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
MinisterThoko Didiza
Preceded byPortfolio established
Member of the National Assembly
In office
21 May 2014 – 28 May 2024
Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform
In office
26 May 2014 – 7 May 2019
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
Jacob Zuma
MinisterMaite Nkoana-Mashabane
Gugile Nkwinti
Preceded byPam Tshwete
Succeeded byPortfolio abolished
Provincial offices
2004–2014
Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
In office
26 April 2004 – 6 May 2014
Western Cape Provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works
In office
April 2004 – July 2005
PremierEbrahim Rasool
Succeeded byMarius Fransman
Party offices
1998–2009
Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress in the Western Cape
In office
September 2008 – July 2009
DeputyLynne Brown
Preceded byJames Ngculu
Succeeded byMarius Fransman
Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress in the Western Cape
In office
April 1998 – September 2008
DeputyMarius Fransman
Max Ozinsky
ChairpersonEbrahim Rasool
James Ngculu
Preceded byJames Ngculu
Succeeded bySipho Kroma
Personal details
Born (1964-07-31) July 31, 1964 (age 60)
Political partyAfrican National Congress
Alma materUniversity of the Western Cape

Mcebisi Skwatsha (born 31 July 1964) is a politician from the Western Cape. He is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development since May 2019. Before that portfolio was established, he was Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform from 2014 to 2019.

Skwatsha is a teacher by training and a former student activist. He rose to prominence as the Provincial Secretary of the Western Cape branch of the African National Congress (ANC), an office he held between 1998 and 2008. He went on to become ANC Provincial Chairperson from September 2008 until July 2009, when his leadership corps was disbanded by the national ANC. During this period, Skwatsha represented the ANC in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament from 2004 to 2014, and he was Provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works from 2004 to 2005.

He joined the National Assembly in the 2014 general election and in the aftermath was appointed as a deputy minister by President Jacob Zuma. He was also a member of the ANC National Executive Committee from 2012 to 2017.

Early life and career

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Born on 31 July 1964,[citation needed] Skwatsha matriculated at Fezeka Senior Secondary School in Gugulethu, a township in Cape Town.[1] He became politically active at an early age, joining underground structures of the African National Congress (ANC) and assuming an activist role in the Congress of South African Students, Cape Youth Congress, and South African Youth Congress. He was also a member of the United Democratic Front.[1]

Skwatsha enrolled in undergraduate study at the University of Fort Hare, but was unable to complete his degree in the political turmoil of the late apartheid period; later, in 1990, he completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of the Western Cape. He also has a teaching diploma from the same university.[1] He went on to become a primary school teacher in New Crossroads, Cape Town.[1] At the same time, he became a member of the ANC Youth League, which had been unbanned by the apartheid government in 1990; he was later the league's provincial chairperson and a member of its national executive committee.[1]

Western Cape ANC

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Provincial Secretary: 1998–2008

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In 1998, Skwatsha was elected as Provincial Secretary of the ANC's Western Cape branch, serving under Provincial Chairperson Ebrahim Rasool; Marius Fransman was his deputy. Early in his tenure, in July 1999, he and five other ANC members were arrested in connection with the 1997 murder of a political activist, Milton Mbewana. The charges were dropped a day later.[2]

Concurrently with his party office, Skwatsha held business interests, including in a private security company.[3][4] By 2008, however, he said that his only commercial interests were ten mobile toilets that he owned with a friend.[5] In addition, he joined the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in the April 2004 general election.[1] He was ranked fourth on the ANC's provincial party list,[6] and he was considered a possible contender for election as Premier of the Western Cape; however, the ANC selected Ebrahim Rasool for that office, and it was Skwatsha who formally nominated Rasool for the position during the parliament's first sitting.[7]

In the aftermath of the election, on 30 April 2004, he was named to the Western Cape Provincial Cabinet as Provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works.[8] However, he served in that office for only a little over a year. In June 2005, at a provincial elective conference at Cape Town's Good Hope Centre, Skwatsha was re-elected as Provincial Secretary, while Rasool was ousted as Provincial Chairperson by James Ngculu, who ran with the support of Skwatsha's so-called "Africanist" faction.[9][10][11] In the aftermath, the ANC said that Skwatsha had agreed to step down from the Western Cape Provincial Cabinet in order to focus on his full-time party office.[12] After some wrangling,[13][14] Marius Fransman was appointed to replace him on 26 July 2005.[15] Skwatsha retained his seat in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament,[1] and his behaviour in the Transport and Public Works portfolio remained controversial after his departure:[16] he was later investigated – and cleared – on a misconduct charge by the provincial parliament's public accounts committee.[17]

Provincial Chairperson: 2008–2009

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Ahead of the ANC's next provincial conference, Skwatsha launched a campaign to succeed Ngculu as Provincial Chairperson. Skwatsha and Ngculu were increasingly at odds as the broader ANC became divided in a national succession contest between Jacob Zuma and President Thabo Mbeki; Skwatsha was a prominent supporter of Zuma's presidential bid.[18][19] The provincial succession contest was also hotly contested. During this period, in June 2008, Skwatsha was stabbed in the neck at a heated ANC meeting in Worcester.[20][21] An ANC Youth League member, Ndikho Tyawana, was convicted of attempted murder.[22]

On 25 September 2008 in Cape Town, Skwatsha was elected unopposed as ANC Provincial Chairperson. Lynne Brown, the recently appointed Premier of the Western Cape, was elected as his deputy.[23] Although Skwatsha stood unopposed, the elections were boycotted by some members, especially supporters of Lerumo Kalako, a supporter of Ngculu and a leadership contender, who claimed that there had been electoral irregularities.[24][25]

Removal from office

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His tenure in the party chairmanship was brief. The ANC lost control of the Western Cape government in the April 2009 general election, and the ANC's National Executive Committee appointed an internal inquiry to investigate the party's poor performance in the province. Chris Nissen, who was appointed by Luthuli House to lead the provincial election task team, said openly after the election that he believed the ANC's provincial leadership corps should be dissolved, because "Skwatsha, Max Ozinsky and Garth Strachan were responsible for destroying the ANC in the province in the run-up to the election".[26]

In July 2009, the ANC's national leadership implemented Nissen's recommendation, dissolving the Western Cape Provincial Executive Committee and therefore removing Skwatsha from his office prematurely.[27] Skwatsha conceded that the provincial party was affected by factionalism, but pointed out that he had not had sufficient time to address it during his short tenure in office.[27]

Aftermath

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According to the Mail & Guardian, Skwatsha began lobbying for his re-election almost immediately after being removed from the ANC office.[27] That campaign lasted almost two years:[28] the provincial party did not hold fresh leadership elections until it met in Cape Town on 12 February 2011.[29] Yet when the conference opened, Skwatsha unexpectedly withdrew from the race, allowing Marius Fransman to gain election unopposed.[29] Skwatsha's supporters claimed that Skwatsha had not participated because the proceedings were "fraudulent", in particular because the ANC Youth League had not been allowed to vote in the elections.[30]

Although removed from top party office, Skwatsha remained an ordinary Member of the Provincial Parliament during this period.[31][32] Indeed, in late 2009, he was at the centre of a row that broke out in the provincial parliament after Premier Helen Zille claimed that Skwatsha and Max Ozinsky had leaked government information to Zille's Democratic Alliance. Skwatsha strongly denied Zille's claim, calling it tantamount to "treason".[33][34] In addition, at the ANC's 53rd National Conference in December 2012, Skwatsha was elected to a five-year term as a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee.[35]

National government

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Rural Development and Land Reform: 2014–2019

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In the 2014 general election, Skwatsha was elected to an ANC seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of the South African Parliament. After the election, President Zuma appointed him as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform; he was one of two deputy ministers in the portfolio, the other being Candith Mashego-Dlamini.[36] Concurrently, he served the rest of his term as a member of the ANC National Executive Committee, but he was not re-elected to the committee upon the expiry of his term in December 2017.[37]

Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development: 2019–2023

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After the 2019 general election, Zuma's successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, merged the ministry with the Ministry of Agriculture, creating the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. Skwatsha was retained as one of two deputy ministers in the new portfolio.[38]

Personal life

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He is married to Nolusapho Skwatsha.[39]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Mcebisi Skwatsha, Mr". South African Government. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ "ANC arrests investigated". The Mail & Guardian. 13 August 1999. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Raid deepens W Cape ANC rift". The Mail & Guardian. 29 July 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Skwatsha cleared on interests claim". The Mail & Guardian. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Against all odds". The Mail & Guardian. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Top jobs up for grabs". The Mail & Guardian. 31 October 2003. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Western Cape: 'The circus is over'". The Mail & Guardian. 26 April 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Rasool: Announcement of Western Cape Cabinet". Polity. 30 April 2004. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  9. ^ "W Cape divided". The Mail & Guardian. 24 June 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Rasool ousted as ANC Western Cape chairperson". The Mail & Guardian. 12 June 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  11. ^ "New ANC chief vows to heal the deep divide". IOL. 13 June 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  12. ^ "W Cape transport MEC to resign". News24. 10 July 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Uncertainty over W Cape minister continues". The Mail & Guardian. 15 July 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Rasool over a barrel on Skwatsha". The Mail & Guardian. 24 July 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Rasool names new MECs". News24. 26 July 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  16. ^ "How Skwatsha favoured cronies". The Mail & Guardian. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Skwatsha cleared on land deal". The Mail & Guardian. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  18. ^ "Mbeki lobbying starts for real". The Mail & Guardian. 19 April 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Plan to embarrass Moloto at funeral". The Mail & Guardian. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Skwatsha stabbed at ANC meeting". The Mail & Guardian. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Skwatsha: Leather jacket saved my life". The Mail & Guardian. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  22. ^ "Skwatsha vindicated". The Mail & Guardian. 18 April 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  23. ^ "Zuma camp takes top posts in Western Cape ANC". The Mail & Guardian. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  24. ^ "'ANC values are being undermined'". The Mail & Guardian. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Western Cape ANC denies obvious rift". The Mail & Guardian. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Axe hovers over W Cape ANC". The Mail & Guardian. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  27. ^ a b c "ANC faces same old squabbles". The Mail & Guardian. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  28. ^ "ANC Western Cape conference only in 2011". The Mail & Guardian. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Marius Fransman crowned Cape ANC chairperson". The Mail & Guardian. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  30. ^ "Skwatsha says Cape ANC vote 'fraudulent'". The Mail & Guardian. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  31. ^ "Cape ANC battles over legislature". The Mail & Guardian. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Western Cape ANC gets back to basics". The Mail & Guardian. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Skwatsha denies 'treasonous' leak". The Mail & Guardian. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  34. ^ "Rasool, Ozinsky censured by ANC after 'public spat'". The Mail & Guardian. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  35. ^ "Don't bet against Zuma: ABZ left out of the NEC". The Mail & Guardian. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  36. ^ "Full list – Jacob Zuma's Cabinet: Who's in". News24. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  37. ^ "Meet the new ANC NEC". News24. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  38. ^ Nicolson, Greg (29 May 2019). "Ramaphosa cuts Cabinet from 36 to 28 ministers, half of whom are women". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  39. ^ "Skwatsha's wife to tell her side of story". IOL. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
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