Mmaphefo Lucy "Wendy" Matsemela was born on 11 June 1968 and is a South African politician who was Member of the Executive Council for Education in the North West from May 2019 to December 2022.
13 Facts About Wendy Matsemela
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Wendy Matsemela represented the African National Congress in the National Assembly from 2004 to 2009 and in the North West Provincial Legislature from 2009 to 2022.
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Wendy Matsemela resigned from the provincial legislature in December 2022 after Premier Bushy Maape fired her as an MEC.
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Wendy Matsemela subsequently enrolled at North-West University, where she became politically active in the student representative council and South African Students Congress.
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Wendy Matsemela rose through the regional and provincial ranks of the African National Congress and its Youth League, ultimately securing election as ANCYL Secretary in the Bojanala region and ANC Chairperson in the Rustenberg region.
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In 2005, Wendy Matsemela left teaching to represent the ANC in the National Assembly, the lower house of the South African Parliament, where she served for four years.
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On 25 November 2010, after less than two years in the Executive Council, Wendy Matsemela was fired by Modiselle's successor, Thandi Modise.
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Wendy Matsemela remained an ordinary Member of the Provincial Legislature until 27 June 2013, when Modise announced that she would return to the Executive Council as MEC for Education and Training; she succeeded Louisa Mabe, who had been implicated in procurement irregularities in the portfolio.
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Wendy Matsemela was re-elected to her legislative seat in the 2014 general election, ranked seventh on the ANC's party list in the North West.
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On 8 May 2016, Mahumapelo announced that he had fired Wendy Matsemela and replaced her with Sello Lehari.
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Wendy Matsemela remained a Member of the Provincial Legislature, and in December 2018 she was returned to the Executive Council by Mahumapelo's successor, Job Mokgoro, who appointed her MEC for Finance, Economy and Enterprise Development.
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However, Mokgoro's successor as Premier, Bushy Maape, announced in November 2022 that Wendy Matsemela would be replaced as MEC on 7 December 2022.
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Wendy Matsemela was replaced as Education MEC by Viola Motsumi.