Tina Joemat-Pettersson

Tina Monica Joemat-Pettersson (16 December 1963 – 5 June 2023) was a South African politician who served as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police from July 2019 until her death in June 2023.

The fourth out of six children, Joemat-Pettersson was born as Tina Monica Joemat on 16 December 1963 in Kimberley in South Africa's former Cape Province.

She attended William Pescod High School in Kimberley.

She held a Bachelor of Arts in English and History as well as a Higher Diploma in Education from the University of the Western Cape.

From the University of Cape Town, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Executive Management in Education.

Joemat-Pettersson was a member of the Azanian Students' Organisation from 1985 to 1986.

She taught at Pescodia High School in 1987 and worked as a history tutor between 1989 and 1991.

In 1990, she worked as a research assistant to the English Department head at the University of the Western Cape.

She was an English tutor for the National Education Coordinating Committee and the Education Development Trust and taught at the Homevale Senior Secondary School from 1992 until 1993.

In 1992, Joemat-Pettersson was also a member of the National People's Education Panellist.

In the same year, she was a South African Democratic Teachers Union national representative, a member of the Union of Democratic University Staff Association and a regional delegate to the national education and cultural desk of the African National Congress.

Joemat-Pettersson worked as a lecturer at the English Department of the University of the Free State from 1993 until 1994.

Joemat-Pettersson was elected to the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature in the 1994 general elections as a member of the African National Congress.

Having entered the provincial legislature, she was appointed the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education, Arts and Culture.

A member of the African National Congress, Joemat-Pettersson was elected to the newly established Northern Cape Provincial Legislature in the 1994 general elections, the first elections to be held under universal suffrage.

Having entered the provincial legislature, Joemat-Petterson was appointed to the first Executive Council of the Northern Cape by premier Manne Dipico as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the Education, Arts and Culture portfolio.

She was 30 years old at the time and her appointment was met with skepticism.

After the 1999 general elections when she was appointed MEC for only the education portfolio.

Following the 1999 general elections, she remained as a Member of the Executive Council, now with the responsibility for only the Education portfolio.

During her tenure as MEC for Education, the Northern Cape had the highest matriculation rate and managed to reduce the amount of schools with a pass rate of less than 20% to zero in 2000.

She became the MEC for Agriculture and Land Reform in 2004.

After the 2004 general elections, Dipuo Peters succeeded Dipico as premier and announced her executive council, in which she appointed Joemat-Pettersson as the MEC for Agriculture and Land Reform.

Gomolemo Lucas took over the Education portfolio.

In 2006, Joemat-Pettersson was ranked as the best-performing MEC for Agriculture in the country by an agricultural magazine.

A member of the African National Congress, Joemat-Petterson had previously served as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 2009 until 2014 and as the Minister of Energy from May 2014 until March 2017 under President Jacob Zuma.

Born in Kimberley, Joemat-Pettersson attended William Pescod High School.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Executive Management in Education from the University of Cape Town as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English and History and a Higher Diploma in Education from the University of the Western Cape.

Joemat-Pettersson worked as an educator before becoming active in politics.

Following the 2009 general elections, Joemat-Pettersson entered the National Assembly of South Africa.

Thereafter, she was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the First Cabinet of Jacob Zuma.

Joemat-Pettersson was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa in the 2009 national elections.

Shortly afterwards, she was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries by president Jacob Zuma.

In November 2012, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that Joemat-Pettersson had violated the Executive Ethics Code by unlawfully incurring return flights for her children and an au pair from Sweden to South Africa in January 2010.

The plane tickets, which costed R151 878, had been paid for with public money, in contravention of the guidelines of the Ministerial Handbook.

Madonsela also found that she had violated the Ethics Code by staying at expensive hotels in Pretoria and Cape Town, which amounted to R900 795, while waiting for official residencies to be allocated to her.

Madonsela recommended that Joemat-Pettersson be reprimanded by Zuma.

Zuma wrote to National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu in March 2013, informing him that he had reprimanded Joemat-Pettersson for violating the Executive Ethics Code.

After the 2014 general elections, Joemat-Pettersson became the Minister of Energy in the second cabinet of Jacob Zuma.

She was fired as a minister in a cabinet reshuffle in March 2017 and then resigned her seat in the National Assembly.

Joemat-Pettersson returned to the National Assembly after the 2019 general elections, was elected to chair the Portfolio Committee on Police.