Casca Mokitlane

Mokitlane was born on 17 September 1951[1] in Vredefort in the former Orange Free State.[2] As a young adult, he enrolled at the University of the North, where, in 1974, he joined the South African Students' Organisation, a national anti-apartheid organisation aligned to the Black Consciousness Movement.[3]

In 1975, he abandoned his studies and worked a stint as a site clerk. The following year, he entered the Tshiya College of Education in Qwaqwa, where he trained to become a teacher.[3] In later decades, he obtained a diploma in computer programming from the University of Zululand in 1986 and a postgraduate diploma in management from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2015.[1]

After the end of apartheid, from 1994 to 1995, Mokitlane represented the governing African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly, the lower house of the new South African Parliament.[1] In 1998, he was elected Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the ANC's branch in the newly constituted Free State province; he served under Provincial Chairperson Ace Magashule.[4]

The following year, after the 1999 general election, Mokitlane was elected to represent the ANC in the Free State Provincial Legislature.[1] The third Premier of the Free State, Winkie Direko, appointed Mokitlane to the Free State Executive Council as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Safety and Security. However, in a cabinet reshuffle on 28 June 2001, Mokitlane was fired from the Executive Council and replaced by Benny Kotsoane;[5] his sacking confirmed reports, published earlier that year, that Direko was planning to replace him.[6] However, he served the remainder of the legislative term as an ordinary Member of the Provincial Legislature,[5] and he was re-elected as ANC Deputy Provincial Chairperson in 2002.[7]

In late 2003, Mokitlane performed well in internal ANC processes to select candidates for the 2004 general election: he received the highest number of nominations from party branches in the province.[8] He was re-elected to his legislative seat in 2004 and served as Chief Whip of the Majority Party in the provincial legislature from 2004 to 2005.[2] In early April 2005, he returned to the Executive Council when Direko's successor, Premier Beatrice Marshoff, appointed him MEC for Agriculture.[9][10] In that capacity he replaced Ace Magashule – whom he continued to deputise in the ANC – and the Mail & Guardian speculated that the reshuffle was an attempt by Marshoff to "take advantage of divisions within the ANC" and particularly of divisions between Magashule and Mokitlane.[9]

In the weeks following his appointment as Agriculture MEC, Mokitlane campaigned to succeed Magashule as ANC Provincial Chairperson. However, when the party's provincial conference was held on 25 June 2005 in Bloemfontein, Magashule won re-election; Mokitlane was succeeded as Deputy Provincial Chairperson by Pat Matosa and did not secure election to any of the other top leadership positions.[11] He continued as MEC for Agriculture until August 2007, when, in another reshuffle, he was appointed MEC for Education.[12] While he was in that role, and as another party election approached, Mokitlane was reportedly again viewed as a possible candidate to challenge Magashule;[13] however, at the party conference in July 2008, Magashule was re-elected unopposed to a fourth term as Provincial Chairperson.[14]

In 2017, President Jacob Zuma appointed Mokitlane as South Africa's High Commissioner to Singapore.[23] He presented his credentials on 29 November 2017[1] and served at the High Commission for four years before returning to South Africa, where he retired in Parys in the Free State.[2]

• C Mokitlane at People's Assembly