NomvulaPaulaMokonyane is the Minister of Water Affairs and Sanitation of South Africa, having been appointed on May 25, 2014. She previously served as the Premier of Gauteng province from 2009 to 2014. Mokonyane's political career began in the 1980s as a student activist opposing apartheid. She held various positions in the Gauteng provincial government before being selected as Premier in 2009, becoming the first woman to hold the position. However, she was replaced as Premier in 2014 following criticism of comments she made after protests in the Bekkersdal area.

1. NomvulaPaulaMokonyane (born28 June 1963, Kagiso,Gauteng) isthe Ministerof WaterAffairsand
Sanitationof SouthAfrica,appointedonMay25th 2014 inthe cabinetof SouthAfricaunderJacob
Zuma.She is alsothe formerPremierof Gautengprovince,SouthAfricaelectedfollowingthe 2009
SouthAfricangeneral election,she wasreplacedbyANCSecretaryDavidMakhurain May 2014.[1] She
isalso HonoraryPresidentof SA-ChinaPeople'sFriendshipAssociation.
Contents
1 Early Life
2 Early Political Career
3 Political Career
4 Premierof Gauteng
5 Ministerof Water AffairsandSanitation
6 References
Early Life
NomvulaPaulaMokonyane,Premierof GautengProvince,wasbornon 28 June 1963 in the WestRand
townshipof Kagiso.She isthe youngestinafamilyof 12, withsix sistersandfive brothers.She
matriculatedatMasupatselaHighSchool,Kagiso.She isa Catholicandstill anactive memberof her
social networkingclub
Early Political Career
Her political careerbeganinthe early1980s as a studentactivist.Duringthatperiodshe became a
memberof the YoungChristianStudents(YCS) anda foundermemberof the Congressof SouthAfrican
Students(Cosas).She wasalsothe publicitysecretaryof the Krugersdorpbranchof the United
DemocraticFrontand an organiserof the Federationof Transvaal Women(Fedtaw),anorganisation
that supportedthe familiesof detaineesandthe youthintheirfightfordemocraticstudent
representative councils.

2. Because of her political activities,Mokonyanewascontinuouslyharassedanddetainedbythe apartheid
securitypolice.Afterthe unbanningof political organisationsin1990, Mokonyane wasinvolvedinthe
re- establishmentof the ANC andSACPstructures.
Political Career
Mokonyane servedinthe GautengLegislature from1994 invariousportfoliocommitteesbefore shewas
appointedMECof Agriculture,ConservationandEnvironmentin1996. She became MEC for Safetyand
Liaisonfrom1999 to 2004, andwas appointedHousingMECbetween2004 and 2009. Mokonyane isalso
a memberof the National Executive Committee (NEC)of the AfricanNational Congresselectedatthe
52nd national conference in2007 inPolokwane.
Premierof Gauteng
Followingthe SouthAfricangeneral election,MokonyanewassworninasPremierof Gautengon May
6th 2009, becomingthe firstfemale premier.She succeededoutgoingPremierPaul Mashatile.Uponher
appointmentasPremier,she re-organisedthe Gautengprovincial administration,includingaplanning
department.Herselectionbythe NECcame as a surprise giventhatthe incumbentPaul Mashatilewas
widelyexpectedtoretainthe post.The ANCdecidesnationallyonpremiers(of provincesinwhichithas
majorities) and theninstructsprovincial MPLstoelecttheirnomineeinthe official election.[2]
Priorto the South Africangeneral election,Mokonyane wasnotplacedfirstonthe ANC'slistfor
Provincial Legislature.Followingthe elections,the ANCwon53% of the Provincial vote andshe was
subsequentlysucceededasPremierbyDavidMakhura,the provincial secretaryof the ANC.This
followedharshcriticismsof Mokonyane aftershe hadaddressedthe Bekkersdalcommunityfollowing
protestsinthe area, sayingthatthe ANC doesn’twanttheir“dirtyvotes”.The commentwaswidely
criticizedbythe communityandpublic.The ANCYouthLeague wasamongthe mostprominentcriticsof
the decision,andindeedcalledonthe rulingpartytoreconsiderandreappointMashatile,who had
earliertakenoverfromMbhazimaShilowaonthe latter'sdefectionfromthe ANCtoformthe
breakawaypartyCongressof the People.[2]
Ministerof Water AffairsandSanitation
On May 25 2014, Mokonyane wasappointedMinisterof WaterAffairsandSanitation,anew Ministry
createdto combat waterissuesandserioussanitationproblemsacrossthe country.Mokonyane isnota
Memberof Parliament,butthe Constitutionof SouthAfricaallowsfortwoMinisterstobe appointed

3. fromoutside the National Legislature.InJune 2014, Mokonyane visitedBloemhof,inthe Lekwa
Teemananenglocal municipalityinthe NorthWestProvince,followinganoutbreakof Diarrhoeainthe
area thoughtto be linkedtodirtydrinking water.