| Party: | African National Congress |
| Office1: | Member of the National Assembly |
| Termstart1: | May 1994 |
| Termend1: | May 2009 |
| Citizenship: | South Africa |
| Birth Date: | 15 January 1948 |
| Constituency1: | North West |
Makatse Sophia Maine (15 January 1948 – 18 August 2020) was a South African politician from the North West. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2009 and was a former chairperson of the ANC Women's League in the Western Transvaal.
Maine was born on 15 January 1948.[1] She rose to prominence through the ANC Women's League in present-day North West Province and served as inaugural chairperson of the league's branch in Ipelegeng in Schweizer-Reneke after the league was relaunched in 1990. She was later elected as regional chairperson of the league in the broader Western Transvaal.[2]
In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Maine was elected to represent the ANC in the National Assembly, the lower house of the new South African Parliament.[3] She served three terms, gaining re-election in 1999 and 2004,[4] and served the North West constituency. During her third term, she was appointed as the ANC's whip in the Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry.[5]
In August 2004, the Scorpions named Maine as one of several politicians who was under investigation in connection with the Travelgate scandal, which involved the widespread abuse of parliamentary air-travel vouchers. During related liquidation inquiries, it had been alleged that Maine had made unauthorised claims for car hire and hotel stays worth over R200,000; she said that the travel agency had told her that she was allowed to claim the benefits from Parliament.[6] She faced criminal charges and in October 2006 accepted a plea deal, in terms of which she pled guilty to a single count of fraud in relation to R206,000 in service benefits.[7] [8] She was sentenced to pay a fine of R100,000, in lieu of serving five years' imprisonment, and was additionally handed a mandatory five-year prison sentence suspended conditionally for five years.
Maine and other convicted politicians received a formal reprimand during a parliamentary sitting in March 2007.[9] In August 2007, the ANC announced that she had been demoted from her position as a committee whip.[10] She left Parliament after the next general election in 2009.
Maine died on 18 August 2020 after a short illness.[11] The provincial government of the North West granted her a special provincial official funeral.