Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi

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Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi (born May 31, 1951 ) is a Botswana politician ( Botswana Democratic Party ) and journalist. She headed various ministries from 2001 and was dismissed from the cabinet in 2018 after she announced that she would run for the party's presidency against the incumbent president and fellow party member Mokgweetsi Masisi .

Life

Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi studied journalism and worked for the Zambia Daily Mail in Zambia and Mmegi wa Dikgong. She earned a masters degree in public administration from Central Michigan University . In 1999 Venson-Moitoi was one of the appointed MPs of the National Assembly . In 2001 she became Minister of Works, Transport and Communications, from 2002 to 2004 she was Minister of Trade, Industry, Wildlife and Tourism, and later Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism . She was re-elected to parliament in 2004 in the Serowe constituency and became Minister of Communications, Science and Technology. In the following legislative period, she kept her parliamentary seat and portfolio under Ian Khama until she was appointed Minister of Education and Skills Development . From 2014 to 2018 she was Foreign Minister. In 2017 she ran in vain for the chairmanship of the Commission of the African Union . Under the new President Masisi, she became Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in 2018 .

When she announced her candidacy for the office of president of the BDP against her fellow party member Masisi in December 2018, he immediately dismissed her from the cabinet. She is still a member of parliament. She is supported by members of the traditional ruling family, including Ian Khama, and former military personnel who did business with the state under Khama's government. She withdrew her candidacy a few hours before the vote on April 6, 2019. Had she been elected, Masisi would have had to resign as President of Botswana.

Venson-Moitoi is married to Prince Moitoi. They had three children, of whom the older son died early. She lives on a farm in Kang .

Honors

Venson-Moitoi holds several honorary doctorates , including since 2012 from the Malaysian Limkokwing University of Creative Technology , which operates a branch in Botswana.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Thale catcher Charles: Third Force behind Venson-Moitoi's presidential bid. mmegi.bw of January 11, 2019 (English), accessed on February 8, 2019
  2. ↑ a b Eric Oteng, Agencies: Botswana's ruling party picks president Masisi to contest October poll. africanews.com, April 6, 2019, accessed April 6, 2019
  3. ^ 10 things you didn't know about Dr Venson-Moitoi. botswanaunplugged.com, accessed February 8, 2019
  4. ↑ Should Venson-Moitoi be campaigning for AU post as "Dr"? sundaystandard.info of November 29, 2016 (English), accessed on February 8, 2019
personal data
SURNAME Venson-Moitoi, Pelonomi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Botswana Democratic Party politician and journalist
DATE OF BIRTH May 31, 1951