30 Facts About Thandi Moraka

Thandi Moraka joined the National Assembly of South Africa in the 2024 general election.

Between 2009 and 2024, Moraka was a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature.

Thandi Moraka formerly served as Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC Youth League from 2015 to 2019 and as a member of the Limpopo ANC's Provincial Executive Committee from 2018 to 2022.

Thandi Moraka rose to prominence as an activist in the African National Congress and ANC Youth League.

Thandi Moraka served three terms in her seat, gaining re-election in the 2014 general election, ranked 13th on the ANC's provincial party list, and in the 2019 general election, ranked 26th on the party list.

On 10 April 2010, as Thandi Moraka drove home from the chaotic Makhado conference, she was arrested by an off-duty traffic officer on the N1 near Botlokwa and detained briefly at Mphephu police station.

Thandi Moraka's arrest was viewed as retaliation by the pro-Malema faction of the ANCYL.

The national leadership of the ANCYL laid a criminal charge of theft against Thandi Moraka, pertaining to the documents allegedly taken by her, and released a statement providing the following account of the incident:.

The former Deputy Secretary of the ANCYL Cde Thandi Moraka stole the conference credentials and attempted to flee from Makhado en route to Polokwane.

Thandi Moraka was then located by the police and found in possession of the conference credentials, an ID document and accreditation tags of delegates determined to collapse [render inquorate] the Provincial Conference of the ANCYL.

On 19 July 2010, Thandi Moraka appeared in the Dzanani Magistrate's Court and the theft case was struck off the court roll.

Thandi Moraka welcomed the decision, saying that the matter was an internal political dispute unsuitable for litigation.

Madonsela pointed out that the arrest had been unnecessary because Thandi Moraka had voluntarily cooperated with the officer who pulled her over and because no criminal charge had been laid against her at that time.

On 4 May 2015, at a provincial league elective conference near Tzaneen, Thandi Moraka returned to the provincial leadership of the Limpopo ANCYL.

Thandi Moraka was elected as the Deputy Provincial Chairperson, serving under Provincial Chairperson Vincent Shoba.

Later in 2015, on 4 September, the national ANCYL held its 25th national elective conference in Gauteng's Midrand and Thandi Moraka was elected unopposed to the more senior position of national ANCYL Deputy Secretary-General.

Thandi Moraka's remarks followed Maine's public confession that he had met with the controversial Gupta family; according to Moraka, this revelation showed that, during the presidency of Jacob Zuma, Maine had been hypocritical in benefitting from state capture while publicly denying that it existed.

In June 2018, at a provincial elective conference of the mainstream ANC, Thandi Moraka was elected to an ordinary seat of the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC in Limpopo.

Shortly afterwards, in late July 2018, Thandi Moraka was appointed to the Limpopo Executive Council by the Premier of Limpopo, Stan Mathabatha.

Thandi Moraka became MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture, succeeding Onicca Moloi.

Thandi Moraka was retained in the position after the 2019 general election.

In September 2021, News24 published an expose alleging that Thandi Moraka had received R600,000 in kickbacks from a slush fund funded by Eskom contractors.

Thandi Moraka apparently received the money between 2016 and 2017 at the instruction of senior Eskom official France Hlakudi, who was accused of corruption in relation to the contract to build Kusile Power Station.

Thandi Moraka said the payments were a loan from a friend.

The opposition Democratic Alliance called for Thandi Moraka to be investigated for corruption, and Premier Mathabatha commissioned an internal investigation.

In May 2022, as the next ANC provincial elective conference approached, Thandi Moraka confirmed that she had been asked to stand for election as Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the Limpopo ANC, and intended to do so, running against the incumbent, Florence Radzilani.

Thandi Moraka failed to gain re-election to the Provincial Executive Committee.

The reshuffle was viewed as connected to the recent ANC elective conference: the other two MECs fired in the reshuffle, Polly Boshielo and Dickson Masemola, had, like Thandi Moraka, failed to gain re-election to the Provincial Executive Committee.

At the National Executive Committee's first meeting in February 2023, Thandi Moraka was elected as chairperson of the subcommittee on arts and culture, deputised by Donald Selamolela.

Thandi Moraka was ranked 26th on the ANC's national party list.