Sakhiwo Belot Explained

Party:	African National Congress
Office1:	Member of the Free State Executive Council for Tourism and Environmental and Economic Affairs
Termstart1:	June 2001
Termend1:	May 2004
Citizenship:	South Africa
Office:	Member of the Free State Executive Council for Health
Premier:	Beatrice Marshoff
Termstart:	May 2004
Termend:	May 2009
Successor:	Sisi Mabe
Predecessor:	Mantsheng Tsopo
Predecessor1:	Benny Kotsoane
Successor1:	Benny Malakoane
Premier1:	Winkie Direko
Birth Date:	27 November 1953

Sakhiwo Tobias Belot (born 27 November 1953) is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly and Free State Provincial Legislature until 2009. He also served in the Free State Executive Council, most proximately as the Free State's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health from 2004 to 2009 and MEC for Tourism and Environmental and Economic Affairs from 2001 to 2004.

Legislative career: 1994–2009

Belot was born on 27 November 1953.^[1] After South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, he was elected to an ANC seat in the Free State Provincial Legislature, where he served as the province's MEC for Education.^[2] However, he left during the legislative term in order to take up a seat in the National Assembly.^[3] He was elected to a full term in the National Assembly in the 1999 general election.^[4]

In 2001, Belot again changed seats during the legislative term: he resigned from the National Assembly on 28 June, and later the same day it was announced that he would return to the Free State to serve as MEC for Tourism and Environmental and Economic Affairs in Premier Winkie Direko's newly reshuffled Executive Council.^[5] He traded seats with Sisi Ntombela, who vacated the Free State Provincial Legislature to fill Belot's seat in the National Assembly. It was reported that Belot had an extremely poor relationship with the head of his department, Noby Ngombane.^{[6] [7]}

Belot was elected to a full term in the provincial legislature in the 2004 general election, and Direko's successor, Beatrice Marshoff, appointed him as MEC for Health.^[8] While in that position, in November 2006, he was hospitalised after a car accident.^[9] In May 2007, he served as acting Premier of the Free State when Marshoff was briefly hospitalised.^[10] He remained in the health portfolio until the 2009 general election, in which he was not re-elected to the provincial legislature; he was succeeded as MEC by Sisi Mabe.^[11]

Personal life

He has three sons.

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. Web site: 1994-12-23 . Finding a good school is rather like getting blood from a stone . 2023-04-21 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
3. Web site: 1998-06-03 . Members of the National Assembly . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/19980628034746/http://www.parliament.gov.za/mps/mps.html . 1998-06-28 . 2023-04-12 . Parliament of South Africa.
4. Web site: 2002-06-02 . The National Assembly List of Resignations and Nominations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20020602095739/http://parliament.gov.za/na/resign.htm . 2 June 2002 . 2023-04-21 . Parliament of South Africa.
5. Web site: 29 June 2001 . Direko axes three MECs . 2023-04-21 . News24 . en-US.
6. Web site: 2004-11-05 . For hers is the power . 2023-04-21 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
7. Web site: 2005-03-23 . Controversial Free State official murdered . 2023-04-21 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
8. Web site: 3 May 2004 . Marshoff names new Free State council . 2023-01-03 . IOL . en.
9. Web site: 2 November 2006 . S Belot in motor vehicle accident . 2023-04-21 . South African Government.
10. Web site: 15 May 2007 . Premier in hospital . 2023-04-21 . Sowetan . en-ZA.
11. Web site: 2009-05-11 . Free State provincial ministers announced . 2023-01-03 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.