Ngoako Ramatlhodi

{{Short description|South African politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Ngoako Ramatlhodi

| honorific-suffix = MP

| image =

| office = 1st Premier of Limpopo

| term_start = 10 May 1994

| term_end = 22 April 2004

| office1 = Deputy Minister of Correctional Services

| president1 = Jacob Zuma

| term_start1 = 1 November 2010

| term_end1 = 25 May 2014

| office2 = Minister of Mineral Resources

| president2 = Jacob Zuma

| deputy2 =

| term_start2 = 25 May 2014

| term_end2 = 23 September 2015

| office3 = Minister of Public Service and Administration

| president3 = Jacob Zuma

| deputy3 = Godfrey Oliphant

| term_start3 = 23 September 2015

| term_end3 = 31 March 2017

| predecessor3 = Susan Shabangu

| successor3 = Mosebenzi Zwane

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|8|21|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Northern Transvaal, South Africa

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = African National Congress

}}

Ngoako Ramatlhodi (born 21 August 1955), a senior member of the African National Congress, was South Africa's Minister of Public Service and Administration from 2015{{Cite web|url = http://whoswho.co.za/ngoako-ramatlhodi-2190|title = Who's Who SA: Ngoako Ramatlhodi|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170825021225/http://whoswho.co.za/ngoako-ramatlhodi-2190|archive-date = 2017-08-25|url-status = dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dmr.gov.za/about-us/the-ministry/minister.html |title=Biographical Notes: Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi|publisher=Department of Mineral Resources}} to March 2017. In the first Zuma administration he had been an MP and a controversial member of the Judicial Service Commission. He resigned as MP in 2017.

Up to 2015 he was Minister of Mineral Resources. Ramatlhodi claimed in 2017 that Eskom chairperson Ben Ngubane and chief executive Brian Molefe requested that he terminate Glencor's mining licenses in an apparent ruse to facilitate the sale of its Optimum coal mine to the Gupta family.{{cite news|last1=Staff reporter|title=Former mining minister says Brian Molefe helped Guptas ‘capture’ Optimum coal mine|url=https://mg.co.za/article/2017-05-16-former-mining-minister-reveals-how-brian-molefe-helped-guptas|accessdate=24 August 2017|agency=Mail & Guardian|date=2017-05-16}}{{cite news|last1=Staff writer|title=Brian Molefe helped the Guptas ‘hijack a mine’, says Ngoako Ramatlhodi|url=https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/companies/energy/2017-05-16-brian-molefe-helped-the-guptas-hijack-a-mine-says-ngoako-ramatlhodi/|accessdate=26 August 2017|agency=BusinessDay|date=2017-05-16}} He was assigned to his subsequent ministerial post after he supposedly did not comply.

He was axed in the cabinet reshuffle of March 2017, allegedly without being given reasons.{{cite news |last1=Citizen reporter |title=I’m relieved to be out of Zuma’s Cabinet, says Ngoako Ramatlhodi |url=http://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1473540/im-relieved-zumas-cabinet-ngoako-ramatlhodi-says/|accessdate=24 August 2017 |agency=The Citizen|date=2017-03-31}} His position was taken by a known Zuma ally, the then Free State economic development MEC Mosebenzi Zwane. In the same reshuffle, finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, were also replaced. He was appointed Prime Minister of the Bapedi Nation in December 2024 by Her Majesty Queen Manyaku "Hlapogadi 'a Phaahle" Leganabatho II Thulare. He is the first person to hold the office aimed at improving relations between government and the royal house and nation.