Ms Pinky Sharon Kekana is a South African politician who currently serves as the Deputy Minister for the Public Service and Administration appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 30 June 2024.
Before her current role, Ms Kekana served as Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, a position she has held since 6 March 2023. She also held the position of Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies from 27 February 2018 until 5 August 2021
Born and raised in Bela-Bela, Limpopo Province, Ms Kekana's first job was as a secondary school teacher at Bela-Bela High School, after completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. Her experiences as a teacher fuelled her passion for South Africa's youth, and education including her commitment to improving opportunities for young people from all walks of life.
Ms Kekana's political career began when she was elected to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature in 1999, and she was re-elected in 2009. She has also served as the Executive Mayor of the Waterberg District, the MEC of Limpopo Roads and Transport, and the MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in Limpopo.
In 2014, Ms Kekana was elected as a Member of Parliament. In this role, she has served on several committees, most notably the Standing Committee on Finance and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Filling of Vacancies in the Commission for Gender Equality.
In 2015, Ms Kekana was elected to the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress Women's League and its National Working Committee. She was subsequently appointed as the Women's League Chairperson on International Relations and later the Secretary-General of the Pan African Women's Organisation (PAWO), a position she served in until April 2020.
In December 2017, Ms. Kekana was elected to the African National Congress National Executive Committee, and in this capacity, she serves on several sub-committees of the party. In 2019, she was appointed as a member of the ANC National Youth Task Team (NYTT), a role she served in until 2021. In 2022, she was appointed as a member of the ANC Women's League National Task Team (NTT).
Following the ANC National Conference in December 2022, Ms Kekana was once again elected to the party's National Executive Committee and the ANC Women's League National Executive Committee in July 2023.
In March 2018, Ms. Kekana was appointed as the Deputy Minister of the then Department of Communications by President Cyril Ramaphosa. After the May 2019 national elections, she was reappointed to this role in the 6th administration, within the newly formed Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, where she served until 5 August 2021.
In addition to her political roles, Ms. Kekana is an African Union diplomat and the former Secretary-General of the Pan African Women's Organisation (PAWO). She currently serves as the Patron of the Pan African Business Women's Association (PABWA).
