TheExecutive Council of Gauteng is the cabinet of the executive branch ofthe provincial government in the South Africanprovince ofGauteng. The Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are appointed from among the members of theGauteng Provincial Legislature by thePremier of Gauteng, an office held since October 2022 byPanyaza Lesufi.

The first Premier of Gauteng,Tokyo Sexwale, was elected to office in the1994 general election and appointed Gauteng's inaugural Executive Council, with representation for the oppositionNational Party (NP) in line with the constitutional requirement to form aGovernment of National Unity.^[1] PremierMathole Motshekga, who took office after Sexwale's resignation in 1998, largely preserved Sexwale's Executive Council.

In June 1999, pursuant to the1999 general election, newly elected PremierMbhazima Shilowa announced his new Executive Council, the composition of which was controversial in the provincial ANC – most of the members, for example, were members of theSouth African Communist Party.^[13]

On 29 April 2004, following the2004 general election, the Gauteng Executive Council, still led by Shilowa, was sworn in to office.^[14] On 23 March 2006, Shilowa announced a minor reshuffle, appointingKgaogelo Lekgoro as Social Development MEC – a position vacated byBob Mabaso earlier that year amid asexual harassment scandal – and replacing Health MECGwen Ramokgopa withBrian Hlongwa.^[15]

Paul Mashatile was elected Premier in October 2008 when the incumbent Premier,Mbhazima Shilowa, resigned in order to defect from the governingAfrican National Congress (ANC) to the oppositionCongress of the People. Mashatile entirely preserved the composition of Shilowa's Executive Council, except that he appointedMandla Nkomfe to replace himself as MEC for Finance and Economic Affairs.^[16]

On 8 May 2009, pursuant to the2009 general election, newly elected PremierNomvula Mokonyane announced the new Gauteng Executive Council.^[17][18] A month later, on 9 June, she announced thatNandi Mayathula-Khoza had been appointed MEC forAgriculture and Rural Development following the resignation ofNomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.^[19]

On 2 November 2010, Mokonyane announced a major cabinet reshuffle, which she said she had devised "after consultations withthe provincial leadership" of the ANC.^[20] However, it was widely believed that Mokonyane had been forced to make the changes by allies of former PremierPaul Mashatile, who had recently beaten Mokonyane in an election for the position ofProvincial Chairperson of the Gauteng ANC.^[21][22] On 16 July 2012, Mokonyane announced another reshuffle, affecting four portfolios and occasioned by the resignation of Local Government and Housing MECHumphrey Mmemezi.^[23] In August 2013,Eric Xayiya was appointed to replace Economic Development MECNkosiphendule Kolisile, who died in a car accident in July 2013.^[24]

On 23 May 2014, pursuant to the2014 general election, newly elected PremierDavid Makhura announced his new Executive Council.^[25] On 2 February 2016, he announced a reshuffle affecting three portfolios: Human Settlements, Social Development, and Infrastructure Development.^[26] In October 2015, he announced thatFaith Mazibuko andMolebatsi Bopape would swap portfolios, with some adjustments to the portfolios themselves: Mazibuko became MEC for Sports, Heritage, Arts and Culture, and Bopape became MEC for Social Development.^[27]

In February 2017,Qedani Mahlangu resigned as Health MEC in the wake of theLife Esidimeni scandal, and Makhura appointedGwen Ramokgopa to replace her.^[28] Finally, in March 2018,Uhuru Moiloa was appointed to the Executive Council to replacePaul Mashatile, who resigned to take up the full-time post of ANC Treasurer-General.^[29]

On 29 May 2019, following the2019 general election, Makhura announced his new Executive Council, to be sworn in the following day.^[30] Not reflected in the table is the fact thatPanyaza Lesufi was initially appointed MEC for Finance and E-Government andNomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko was initially MEC forEducation:^[30] Makhura reversed these appointments two days later, acquiescing in public calls for Lesufi to remain in the education portfolio (where he had been installed in 2014) and therefore appointing Nkomo-Ralehoko as MEC for Finance and E-Government.^[30]

On 11 October 2019,Kgosientso Ramokgopa resigned as MEC for Economic Development, Agriculture and Environment and was replaced byMorakane Mosupyoe;^[31] on 19 June 2020,Nomathemba Mokgethi became MEC for Social Development, filling a vacancy left byThuliswa Nkabinde-Khawe's death in November 2019.^[32] On 2 December 2020, Makhura announced a reshuffle affecting three portfolios – Economic Development, Social Development, and Health – after the former MEC for Health,Bandile Masuku, was fired amid aCOVID-19 procurement scandal.^[33]

On 7 October 2022, the day after he replaced PremierDavid Makhura, PremierPanyaza Lesufi appointed a new Executive Council in which he retained seven of Makhura's MECs but transferred them to new portfolios. His Executive Council comprised himself and ten additional members.^[34]

After the ANC lost its majority in theGauteng Provincial Legislature, Lesufi was voted to return to office as premier of the province with the support of theDemocratic Alliance on 14 June 2024. The parties negotiated and attempted to form a "Provincial Government of Unity" but negotiations ultimately collapsed in early-July 2024 which led to Lesufi announcing his executive council comprising members of theAfrican National Congress, thePatriotic Alliance, theInkatha Freedom Party, andRise Mzansi on 3 July 2024. Lesufi said that he intends to lead a minority government, while the DA has said that it will take up its position as the official opposition again.^[35]

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