Constance Seoposengwe Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Her Excellency
Constance Seoposengwe
Office:Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
Term Start:5 July 2019
Term End:18 July 2022
Successor:Mookgo Matuba
Office1:Speaker of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature
Term Start1:2004
Term End1:2009
Predecessor1:Ethne Papenfus
Successor1:Goolam Akharwaray
Office2:Northern Cape MEC for Safety and Liaison
Term Start2:2000
Term End2:2004
Office3:Deputy Speaker of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature
Term Start3:1999
Term End3:2000
Nationality:South African
Party:African National Congress
Profession:Politician

Constance Seoposengwe is a South African politician, anti-apartheid activist and diplomat. A member of the African National Congress, she is currently the South African High Commissioner to Lesotho. She had previously served as a member of the National Assembly of South Africa.

Biography

Seoposengwe was a member of the United Democratic Front and an organiser for the South African Domestic Workers Union. She also worked as a teacher.[1]

While pregnant at the age of 22 in 1987, Seoposengwe was tortured and held captive on the sixth floor of the Transvaal Police Station in Kimberley. After apartheid, she became a member of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature in 1994, representing the African National Congress. In 1999 she was elected deputy speaker of the legislature.[2] She was appointed as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Safety and Security in 2000. In the same year, she exposed how she was verbally abused by drunk white police officers at the Hartswater police station.[3]

Seoposengwe was elected speaker of the legislature after the 2004 election,[4] a position she held until 2009.

Seoposengwe has since campaigned for the changing of place names in Kimberley. She campaigned for the changing of the name of the Transvaal Police Station in 2011, and it has since been changed to the Kimberley Police Station. In 2013, she was interviewed for the SABC board.

Seoposengwe appeared on the ANC list of national parliamentary candidates in 2019.[5] She was not elected to parliament at the election, however, she soon entered the National Assembly as a replacement for Sibongile Besani.[6] Seoposengwe was a member of the Standing Committee on Auditor General and an alternate member of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation.[7]

On 18 July 2022, Seoposengwe resigned as a Member of Parliament. She had been appointed South African High Commissioner to Lesotho. She presented her credentials to King Letsie III on 18 August 2022.[8]

Notes and References

  1. News: SABC interviews gear up – and pose a mystery . 23 December 2020 . City Press . 22 August 2013.
  2. Web site: South Africa Local Leaders . guide2womenleaders.com . 23 December 2020.
  3. News: White cops 'harassed' MEC . 23 December 2020 . News24 . 13 October 2000.
  4. News: Van Der Berg . Rene-Jean . South Africa: Three Women Lead the Northern Cape . 23 December 2020 . BuaNews (Tshwane) . 27 April 2004 . Pretoria. AllAfrica.
  5. Web site: ANC national and provincial lists for 2019 elections . Politicsweb . 23 December 2020.
  6. News: Cele . S'thembile . ANC ‘still working on modalities’ to nationalise Reserve Bank . 23 December 2020 . City Press . 9 August 2019.
  7. Web site: Ms Constance Seoposengwe . Parliament of South Africa . 23 December 2020.
  8. Web site: HIS MAJESTY APPLAUDS SA OVER REFORMS – Government Of Lesotho . 2022-11-20 . en-US.