As an activist and politician, Gwen Ramokgopa requires little introduction. She is the treasurer general of the ANC, and sits on the national executive council of the organisation. Over the course of her career, she has worn many hats, serving as the national deputy minister of health, as Gauteng’s minister of health and social development and as an adviser to the presidency.
Born in Atteridgeville, Tshwane, she’s often worked in the city — as a doctor, she worked at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, now known as Dr George Mukhari Hospital, and she was a general practitioner in central Pretoria — and she’s a former chancellor of the Tshwane University of Technology.
Gwen sits on several boards, including those of the South African Medical and Dental Practitioners Association, the Medical Women of South Africa and the Medical Cooperative Bank, and has been on the boards of Netcare, Nozala, Workers’ Health and Medipost.
She serves on the councils of Medunsa and the University of Pretoria and is an associate of the World Health Organisation’s Collaborating Centre, which focuses on health in all policies and social determinants of health.
A patron of several foundations, including her own, she continues to consult in the field of medical research and remains an activist, but these days,for justice, health and development.
The name of the organisation at which you work
Treasurer general of the ANC
Your educational background, listing your qualifications and institutions, if any:
- MBChB, Medunsa
- Master’s in Public Health, University of Limpopo
- Certificate in Executive Leadership, JF Kennedy School of Governance
- Certificate in Leadership, Walter Sisulu Leadership Academy
Your greatest achievement
I am humbled to have been of the generation that fought colonial-apartheid and ushered democracy into South Africa.
I also led a team and worked with families to limit further risks to surviving mental health patients and stabilise the Gauteng Health Department following the Life Esidimeni tragedy, as MEC of Health in Gauteng.
I am humbled by these experiences as they were in service of humanity and in near-impossible situations, but which we ultimately succeeded through collaborative effort. I remain convinced that if we work together, then a just, equitable and advancing world remains a huge and real possibility.