Stanley Ramaila

Born on 22 March 1961,{{Cite web |date=10 April 2024 |title=Final Candidate Lists for 2024 National and Provincial Elections: National Candidates |url=https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Documents/Candidates-List-NPE2024/National%20Candidates%20List.pdf |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=Electoral Commission of South Africa}} Ramaila became politically active during apartheid as a high school student and member of his school's student representative council.{{Cite web |last=Motseo |first=Thapelo |date=2021-12-01 |title=Spotlight on Sekhukhune district’s executive mayor position |url=https://sekhukhunetimes.co.za/2021/12/01/spotlight-on-sekhukhune-districts-executive-mayor-position/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Sekhukhune Times |language=en-US}} After he dropped out of school, he continued his activism in the National Union of Mineworkers while working as a miner in Emalahleni. Later he returned to school to complete his matric, completed a teaching diploma at the Sekhukhune College of Education in Sekukhune, and became a teacher, continuing his union activism in the teaching union.

After the end of apartheid, Ramaila joined local government as a representative of the African National Congress (ANC). He was elected as a local councillor in the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality when it was established in the December 2000 local elections.

On 26 August 2016, following that month's local elections, the ANC's majority caucus elected Ramaila unopposed as executive mayor of the Sekukhune District Municipality.{{Cite web |date=2016-09-02 |title=Stan Ramaila inaugurated as Sekhukhune District mayor |url=https://www.citizen.co.za/lowvelder/news-headlines/2016/09/02/stan-ramaila-inaugurated-as-sekhukhune-district-mayor/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Lowvelder |language=en-US}} His mayoral term coincided with political and fiscal tumult in the municipality. Near the end of his term, in February 2020, he described widespread corruption in the municipality, telling City Press, "There is a syndicate in this municipality that we must uproot. Last week I told officials that my life is under threat because I’m fighting corruption but, like a soldier, I will die with my boots on."{{Cite web |last=Yende |first=Sizwe Sama |date=12 February 2020 |title=‘Mr Ma-Millions’ cracks the whip over missing millions in Limpopo |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/mr-ma-millions-cracks-the-whip-over-missing-millions-in-limpopo-20200212 |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=City Press |language=en-US}}

At the next local elections in November 2021, the ANC retained its majority in Sekhukhune, but Ramaila's presumptive re-election was challenged by a group of his opponents inside the ANC, who challenged his nomination with the party's National Executive Committee and sued to challenge the decision in court.{{Cite news |date=2021-11-25 |title=Some ANC members in Sekhukhune District obtain interdict against appointment of new mayor |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/some-anc-members-in-sekhukhune-district-obtain-interdict-against-appointment-of-new-mayor/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20221127023721/https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/some-anc-members-in-sekhukhune-district-obtain-interdict-against-appointment-of-new-mayor/ |archive-date=2022-11-27 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=SABC News |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2021-11-26 |title=First council sitting for Sekhukhune District Municipality to take place within 10 days: Manager |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/first-council-sitting-for-sekhukhune-district-municipality-to-take-place-within-10-days-manager/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230913050606/https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/first-council-sitting-for-sekhukhune-district-municipality-to-take-place-within-10-days-manager/ |archive-date=2023-09-13 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=SABC News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Tandwa |first=Lizeka |date=2021-11-30 |title=ANC halts mayoral elections in Limpopo |url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2021-11-30-anc-halts-mayoral-elections-in-limpopo/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} The legal challenge was dismissed in the Limpopo High Court,{{Cite web |last=Molefe |first=Russel |date=1 December 2021 |title=Aggrieved ANC members lose court challenge to the election of Sekhukhune and Vhembe mayors |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/aggrieved-anc-members-lose-court-challenge-to-the-election-of-sekhukhune-and-vhembe-mayors-20211201 |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} and shortly afterwards the Sekhukhune council met and re-elected Ramaila as mayor.{{Cite web |date=2021-12-08 |title=District Council finally elects office bearers |url=https://sekhukhunetimes.co.za/2021/12/08/district-council-finally-elects-office-bearers/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Sekhukhune Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2021-12-03 |title=Sekhukhune Mayor working on helping put corrupt officials behind bars |url=https://www.capricornfm.co.za/sekhukhune-mayor-working-on-helping-put-corrupt-officials-behind-bars/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Capricorn FM |language=en-US}} However, later the same month, Ramaila was ousted from his position as ANC regional chairperson by the speaker in his council, Julia Mathebe.{{Cite news |date=2021-12-17 |title=Julia Mathebe elected chairperson of ANC’s Sekhukhune region |url=http://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/julia-mathebe-elected-chairperson-of-ancs-sekhukhune-region/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230930090107/https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/julia-mathebe-elected-chairperson-of-ancs-sekhukhune-region/ |archive-date=2023-09-30 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=SABC News |language=en-US}} Ramaila subsequently resigned from the mayoral seat and Mathebe was elected to succeed him in February 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-09 |title=Julia Mathebe elected mayor of Sekhukhune District Municipality |url=https://www.capricornfm.co.za/julia-mathebe-elected-mayor-of-sekhukhune-district-municipality/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Capricorn FM |language=en-US}} He served as Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Services in Mathebe's government, but her government was shortlived and her successor, Mayor Maleke Mokganyetji, fired Ramaila from the mayoral committee in December 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-15 |title=New SDM Executive Mayor re-deploys MMCs |url=https://sekhukhunetimes.co.za/2022/12/15/new-sdm-executive-mayor-re-deploys-mmcs/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Sekhukhune Times |language=en-US}}

In May 2024 general election, Ramaila stood as a candidate for election to the national Parliament of South Africa, ranked 176th on the ANC's national party list.{{Cite web |title=Keamotseng Stanley Ramaila |url=https://www.pa.org.za/person/keamotseng-stanley-ramaila/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=People's Assembly |language=en}} He was elected to a seat in the National Assembly, where he serves in the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation and Portfolio Committee on Social Development.

• [https://www.parliament.gov.za/person-details/5413 Keamotseng Stanley Ramaila] at Parliament of South Africa
• {{People's Assembly (South Africa)|id=keamotseng-stanley-ramaila|name=Keamotseng Stanley Ramaila}}

{{Current MPs of South Africa}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramaila, Stanley}}

Category:Living people

Category:1961 births

Category:African National Congress politicians

Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2024–2029

Category:Politicians from Limpopo