Angie Motshekga's biography: Get to know South Africa's current Defense Minister

Angie Motshekga's biography: Get to know South Africa's current Defense Minister

Angie Motshekga is the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans of South Africa and has former experience within the national government. What are some interesting facts about Angie Motshekga? This article discusses Angie Motshekga's biography in detail.

Angie Motshekga’s biography
Angie Motshekga is an ANC member. Photo: ANC’s Facebook page and Gallo Images (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Angie's political career began in 1999 when she was elected to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. In 2000, she was appointed MEC for Social Development and MEC for Education from 2004 to 2009.

Angie Motshekga's biography summary

Full nameMatsie Angelina Motshekga
Nickname'Angie'
Date of birthJune 19, 1955
Age69 years old in 2024
BirthplacePimville, Soweto, Gauteng
Current residenceJohannesburg, Gauteng
Current nationalitySouth African
Marital statusMarried to Mathole Motshekga
EthnicityAfrican
GenderFemale
Hair colourDark brown
Eye colourDark brown
ProfessionPolitician
EducationUniversity of LimpopoUniversity of the Witwatersrand (Wits)
Net worthBetween $2 million and $2.5 million

How old is Angie Motshekga?

Matsie Angelina Motshekga (age 69 as of 2024) was born on June 19, 1955, in Soweto, South Africa.

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Angie Motshekga's children include Kabelo Motshekga and Makgatho Mmathari Motshekga. Kabelo is a businessman in the property sector. Her daughter, Makgatho, graduated from UNISA in 2011, obtaining an LLB degree while doing her articles at the Tim du Toit law firm in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

Angie Motshekga’s history
Angie hails from Pimville, Soweto. Photo: Gallo Images (modified by author)
Source: Original

Angie Motshekga's house

There is no information available on the political figure's current home. However, Angie's name was thrust into the headlines in May 2018 when her son was embroiled in a legal dispute over a repossessed property worth millions of rands.

According to the Sunday World, the home's former owners, Danica Agliotti and Kabelo, were at odds regarding who was legally entitled to the home. Kabelo requested that the registrar of deeds stop registering the home back into Danica's name after he purchased it at an auction in December 2017.

Background and allegations

The Sunday World states they saw papers stating Danica's house was repossessed in 2017 after she missed three monthly payments and her account was put in arrears. Absa obtained a sale in execution order to authorise the sheriff of the court to auction the home in November 2017.

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Kabelo obtained the home at the auction via his company, Mukoni Properties. Still, according to the documents, Danica privately raised money through an unknown individual and cleared the arrears on the house in March.

Following payments, the lawyers tasked with registering the property into Kabelo's company halted the process on the alleged instruction of Absa. They stated that they reinstated Danica's bond on the property because she cleared all arrears on her accounts. Kabelo said that since then, Danica had been harassed by fake police officers attempting to evict him from his home illegally.

Angie Motshekga's husband

Angie is married to South African politician Professor Mathole Serofo Motshekga. Mathole is the former Premier of Gauteng, ANC Chief Whip, and lawyer but is now retired from all titles.

Angie Motshekga's childhood

Angie attended various primary schools in Soweto and reportedly matriculated from the Matatiele Boarding School.

Angie Motshekga's life
Angie is married to former ANC Chief Whip, Professor Mathole Serofo Motshekga. Photo: Brenton Geach (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Angie Motshekga's qualifications

The South African politician studied at the University of the North (now the University of Limpopo) and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. She then obtained a Bachelor of Educational Science degree and a master's degree at the University of Witwatersrand.

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Angie Motshekga's educator background

According to South African History Online, Angie began teaching at Orlando High School in 1981 and worked there until 1983. She then became a lecturer at the Soweto College of Education and soon joined the University of the Witwatersrand in 1985, where she worked until 1994.

The educator's focus then turned to educational leadership and advocacy for disadvantaged groups. She became involved in organisations and national youth empowerment initiatives that focused on bridging the gap of quality education for all South Africans. This work and experience helped her obtain the role of Minister of Basic Education.

Angie Motshekga's role as Minister of Basic Education

Angie joined parliament and became a cabinet member of Basic Education on May 11, 2009. She was reappointed in the same role following the 2014 and 2019 National Elections and became South Africa's current Defense Minister on July 3, 2024.

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Eusebius McKaiser interviewed Angie in 2018 during his segment on 702 Talk Radio. They discussed various topics related to the educational system in South Africa, from a lack of resources to what subjects should be included in the school curriculum.

Angie tackled the concern regarding eradicating pit toilets, stating that adequate toilet facilities cannot be implemented due to a lack of available funds. She said that R10 billion would be used to fix the concern about pit toilets in rural schools, emphasising money constraints.

Angie Motshekga's life
The politician was South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education from 2009 until 2024. Photo: Gallo Images (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Expenditure versus results

Eusebius highlighted that South Africa's per capita spending on education is amongst the highest in the world, but Angie pointed out that SA is considered a developing country, claiming:

'While we have to redress past inequalities, we have to cope with the current [situation].'

Compulsory subjects

A week before the interview, a Department of Education task team announced its recommendation that history should be a compulsory subject by 2023. Eusebius asked Angie about the issue, and she echoed the task team's sentiments, expressing:

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'Every child should be exposed to history as it is being conceptualised. History is about identity and nationhood.'

Who was the Minister of Education in 1994?

Sibusiso Bengu was the Minister of Education in 1994. He served until 1999, when Kader Asmal took over. Following his exit from the role, Sibusiso became the ambassador to Germany and then retired.

Who is the Head of Education in South Africa?

As of June 30, 2024, Siviwe Gwarube is the head of the Ministry of Basic Education in South Africa. Siviwe is a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and was the DA's Chief Whip between August 2022 and June 2024.

Angie Motshekga's net worth

Various sources have reported the political figure's net worth differently. Wiki South Africa reports a net worth of $2 million, but Biography Baze reports a value of $2.5 million. According to online sources, Angie Motshekga's salary is R2,211,937.00 pa.

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Angie Motshekga's biography showcases an individual driven by a passion for education and inclusivity for all South Africans. Although her role in the South African government has changed, her years of experience in government reflect her capabilities and passion.

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Since its inception in December 2023, many former ANC members have joined the MK party. Briefly.co.za wrote about what joining the party entails and who the party leader is.

How can you obtain an MK party membership? This article provides a step-by-step guide to joining uMkhonto weSizwe and other essential information about the political party.

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Authors:
Justine De Lange avatar

Justine De Lange (Lifestyle writer) Justine De Lange has over 6 years of experience in lifestyle, corporate and freelance writing. She started at Now Media for their lifestyle publication 'Let's Go', then joined 'travSIM' and 'Metavaro'. She now writes for Briefly News as a content writer, working with beats such as studies, services, business tips, and celebrity biographies (joined in 2022). In 2023, Justine finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can contact her directly via JustinedeLange14@gmail.com.