Ronald Mofokeng Explained

Party:	African National Congress
Office1:	Member of the National Assembly
Termstart1:	June 1999
Termend1:	May 2009
Birth Date:	21 May 1947
Birth Place:	Bethlehem, Orange Free State Union of South Africa
Birth Name:	Tsokudu Ronald Mofokeng
Otherparty:	South African Communist Party

Tsokudu Ronald Mofokeng (21 May 1947 – 4 July 2020) was a South African politician and trade unionist. He was the national treasurer of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) from 1987 until 1999, when the union nominated him for election to the National Assembly. He served two terms in the assembly from 1999 to 2009, representing the African National Congress (ANC).

Early life and union career

Mofokeng was born on 21 May 1947^[1] in Bethlehem in the former Orange Free State.^[2] He entered the labour movement in 1971, when he was elected chairperson of a liaison committee at his workplace, PG Glass in Germiston. The committee was involved in founding the Glass and Allied Workers' Union (GAWU). GAWU later merged with the Chemical Workers' Industrial Union (CWIU), an affiliate of the Federation of South African Trade Unions, and Mofokeng was elected treasurer of CWIU in 1981.

When COSATU was formed in 1985, Mofokeng became a prominent figure in the congress.^[3] He served as a COSATU regional treasurer until 1987, when he was elected national treasurer. He remained in that office throughout the 1990s,^{[4] [5]} leaving only after he was elected to Parliament in June 1999.^[6] He had declined an earlier nomination to stand for Parliament in the 1994 general election, preferring to remain with the labour movement.

In tandem with his union activism, Mofokeng was involved in anti-apartheid organising. He also joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) during the democratic transition.

Legislative career

In the 1999 general election, Mofokeng was nominated to stand on the ANC's party list by COSATU, which was represented on the list within the framework of the Tripartite Alliance. He was a member of the Gauteng caucus during his first term but won re-election to his second term from the ANC's national list in 2004.^[7] He served for a period as chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Minerals and Energy, and he was also a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.^[8]

Death

Mofokeng died on 4 July 2020.

Notes and References

1. 11 June 1999 . General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures . . Pretoria, South Africa . . 408 . 20203 . 26 March 2021.
2. News: 6 July 2020 . SACP sends heartfelt condolences to the family of former Cosatu National Treasurer Comrade Ronald Mofokeng . Polity . 15 May 2023.
3. Web site: 2023-03-08 . The seeds of the 1973 Durban strikes still grow . 2023-05-15 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
4. Web site: 1994-09-09 . Is This The House That Jay Built . 2023-05-15 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
5. Web site: 1997-09-12 . Cosatu top brass likely to keep jobs at congress . 2023-05-15 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
6. Web site: 1999-08-18 . Two dominate Cosatu leadership race . 2023-05-15 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
7. 20 April 2004 . General Notice: Notice 717 of 2004 - Electoral Commission – List of Names of Representatives in the National Assembly and the Nine Provincial Legislatures in Respect of the Elections Held on 14 April 2004 . . Pretoria, South Africa . . 466 . 2677 . 4–95 . 26 March 2021.
8. Web site: 2008-02-13 . Scopa rebuffs DA effort to discuss arms deal . 2023-05-15 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.