Joy Matshoge
{{Short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| birth_date = {{Birth based on age at death|56|2016|06|25}}
| death_date = {{death date|2016|06|25|df=yes}} (aged 56)
| office = Member of the Limpopo Executive Council for Agriculture and Rural Development
| premier = Stan Mathabatha
| successor = Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana
| predecessor = Rosina Semenya (for Agriculture)
| party = African National Congress
| citizenship = South Africa
| death_place = Limpopo, South Africa
}}
Bertha Amanda Joyce Matshoge (1959/1960 – 25 June 2016), commonly known as Joy Matshoge, was a South African politician who served as Limpopo's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture and Rural Development from May 2014 until her death in June 2016. Before that, from 2013 to 2014, she was the Deputy Speaker of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature, where she had represented the African National Congress (ANC) since 2008. At the time of her death, she was also the Provincial Chairperson of the ANC Women's League in Limpopo, a position to which she had been elected in September 2015.
Political career
Matshoge was formerly a nurse{{Cite web |date=26 June 2016 |title=Limpopo MEC killed in crash |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/limpopo-mec-killed-in-crash-20160626 |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} and later worked as a manager in the social services division at Modimolle Local Municipality and Waterberg District Municipality.{{Cite web |date=27 June 2016 |title=Limpopo sends condolences on passing of MEC Joy Matshoge |url=https://www.polity.org.za/article/limpopo-limpopo-sends-condolences-on-passing-of-mec-joy-matshoge-2016-06-27 |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Polity |language=en}} She was first sworn in as a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in 2008. She was re-elected to her seat in the 2009 general election and in July 2013 she succeeded Joyce Mashamba as Deputy Speaker in the provincial legislature, deputising Elias Nong.{{cite news |date=25 July 2013 |title=Nong succeeds Phala |newspaper=Polokwane Observer |url=https://issuu.com/observernews/docs/polokwane_observer_25_july_2013/14 |accessdate=6 April 2020}}
The following year, in the 2014 general election, she was re-elected to her legislative seat, ranked 18th on the ANC's provincial party list.{{Cite web |title=Bertha Amanda Joyce Matshoge |url=http://www.pa.org.za/person/ms-matshoge-bertha-amanda-joyce/ |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=People's Assembly |language=en}} She was also appointed to the Limpopo Executive Council by Premier Stan Mathabatha, who named her as MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development.{{Cite web |date=21 May 2014 |title=Limpopo's Dickson Masemola runs out of lives |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/limpopos-dickson-masemola-runs-out-of-lives-20150430 |access-date=30 December 2022 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} While she was in office, the opposition Democratic Alliance lodged a formal complaint against her with the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, alleging that she had benefitted unduly from a government project devised to award cattle to poor farmers. Specifically, it was alleged that Matshoge had awarded herself 51 Nguni cattle, worth about R1-million, between November 2013 and July 2014.{{Cite web |date=22 November 2015 |title='Cattle' MEC may still be put out to pasture |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2015-11-22-cattle-mec-may-still-be-put-out-to-pasture/ |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |date=4 November 2015 |title=Charges laid against Limpopo MEC for alleged cattle scandal |url=https://reviewonline.co.za/365910/charges-laid-against-limpopo-mec-for-alleged-cattle-scandal/ |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Polokwane Observer |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=3 November 2015 |title=Cattle for the poor now belong to Limpopo MEC |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/cattle-for-the-poor-now-belong-to-limpopo-mec-20151103 |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} As of November 2015, the Public Protector's investigation was ongoing.
Also during her tenure as an MEC, in September 2015, Matshoge was elected unopposed as Provincial Chairperson of the Limpopo branch of the ANC Women's League; she succeeded Maite Marutha, who declined a nomination to stand for re-election.{{Cite web |last=Moloto |first=Moloko |date=28 September 2015 |title=Limpopo MEC elected ANCWL chair |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/limpopo-mec-elected-ancwl-chair-1922131 |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=IOL |language=en}} She remained in that office at the time of her death in 2016.
Personal life and death
Matshoge was married to Chesane and had two sons, Fandi and Karabo, and one daughter, Gontse.{{Cite web |last=Sebola |first=Joshua |date=30 June 2016 |title='My mum was a complete joy and magic to us!' |url=https://www.snl24.com/dailysun/news/national/my-mum-was-a-complete-joy-and-magic-to-us-20160629 |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Daily Sun |language=en-US}} She died in a car accident on 25 June 2016 at the age of 56.{{Cite web |date=26 June 2016 |title=Limpopo MEC dies in car crash |url=https://www.enca.com/south-africa/limpopo-mec-dies-in-car-crash |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=eNCA |language=en}} She had been travelling alone on the N1 between Mookgophong and Mokopane when her vehicle overturned.{{Cite web |date=26 June 2016 |title=Statement on the Death of MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development in Limpopo |url=https://www.transport.gov.za/minister-of-transport-statement-on-the-death-of-mec-for-agriculture-and-rural-development-in-limpopo |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Department of Transport}}{{Cite web |date=27 June 2016 |title=ANC pays tribute to Matshoge |url=https://reviewonline.co.za/157007/anc-pays-tribute-to-matshoge/ |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Polokwane Observer |language=en-US}} President Jacob Zuma granted her a provincial official funeral,{{Cite web |date=28 June 2016 |title=Limpopo holds memorial service in remembrance of late MEC Joy Matshoge, 29 June |url=https://www.gov.za/speeches/memorial-service-28-jun-2016-0000 |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=South African Government}} and Pinky Kekana, then the Deputy Minister of Communications, spoke at a memorial lecture held in her honour in August 2018.{{Cite web |date=16 August 2018 |title=Pinky Kekana calls for naming and shaming of the corrupt |url=https://diepos.co.za/49526/pinky-kekana-calls-naming-shaming-corrupt/ |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Die Pos |language=en-US}} In September 2016, Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana was appointed to succeed her as MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development.{{Cite web |date=15 September 2016 |title=Limpopo cabinet reshuffled |url=https://www.enca.com/south-africa/limpopo-cabinet-reshuffled |access-date=30 December 2022 |website=eNCA |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{People's Assembly (South Africa)|ms-matshoge-bertha-amanda-joyce/|Bertha Amanda Joyce Matshoge}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matshoge, Joy}}
Category:Members of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature
Category:African National Congress politicians