Senate: 1994–1996 In South Africa's
first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Moloto was elected to an ANC seat in the
Senate of South Africa, where he represented
Limpopo Province (then still called the Northern Transvaal). He served in his seat until 1996, The following year, he was elected as Deputy
Provincial Secretary of the ANC, though he was not ultimately elected.
Premier of Limpopo: 2004–2009 In
the next general election in 2004, Moloto was re-elected to the Limpopo Provincial Legislature. Although Ramatlhodi's term as
Premier of Limpopo had expired, and although Moloto was ranked first on the ANC's party list in the election, he was not viewed as the frontrunner to succeed Ramatlhodi –
Joyce Mabudafhasi was viewed as the likely candidate, or perhaps
John Nkadimeng. However, on 21 April, the ANC announced that it would nominate Moloto to serve as Premier. He was sworn in on 26 April. His administration emphasised continuity: he retained eight of ten of Ramatlhodi's provincial ministers and a similar economic policy.
Mounting opposition By the middle of his term as Premier, Moloto was increasingly politically embattled, particularly as a perceived ally of President
Thabo Mbeki. Several influential political groupings in the Limpopo ANC were becoming vocal supporters of Mbeki's rival, ANC Deputy President
Jacob Zuma. Reports suggested that Moloto's influence in the ANC did not match his influence in government. In December 2006, the provincial
ANC Youth League lambasted Moloto for having said that Zuma's criminal charges were personal problems and did not call for the support of ANC structures. The league accused Moloto of having an anti-Zuma "political agenda". In October 2007, when Moloto took the podium at
Norman Mashabane's funeral, he was heckled, reportedly by a group of ANC Youth League members. The heckling continued until Zuma himself intervened, and the ANC later issued a statement condemning the hecklers' "despicable conduct". The situation worsened after the ANC's
52nd National Conference, held in
Polokwane in December 2007. Under Moloto's leadership, Limpopo was one of four provincial branches that supported Mbeki's bid for a third term as ANC President. However, Zuma ousted Mbeki from the presidency, and Moloto himself failed to gain election to the National Executive Committee. The outcome of the conference was viewed as having rendered Moloto's political position – and premiership – highly precarious. In early 2008, he came under pressure – mostly from the Limpopo branch of the ANC Youth League – to resign from the premiership and ANC chairmanship. ANC Youth League Provincial Secretary
Julius Malema said that if Moloto did not resign of his own accord, "we will get the branches to take him out". In response, Moloto said, "I’m doing my job. I will step down only if the people I am serving say my contribution is no longer needed." Moloto's term as ANC Provincial Chairperson expired at the party's provincial conference in
Thohoyandou in July 2008, and his bid for re-election was hotly contested. The run-up to the conference was marked by incidents of
political violence, leading to several arrests. The week before the conference, the
Mail & Guardian reported that Moloto appeared to be in the lead, having outperformed his challenger – outgoing Provincial Secretary Mathale, backed by the ANC Youth League – during the nominations stage. Pro-Zuma candidates were also elected to the other top leadership positions. After Moloto lost the ANC chairmanship, and amid sustained political pressure, he was frequently linked to the
Congress of the People (COPE), an ANC breakaway party that had been formed after the Polokwane conference by
Sam Shilowa,
Mosiuoa Lekota, and other pro-Mbeki ANC members.
Defection to COPE On 3 March 2009, the ANC announced that Moloto had resigned from the premiership and provincial legislature. The party said that it "wishe[d] him good luck in his new endeavour". Newspapers immediately reported that Moloto had agreed to stand as COPE's candidate for Premier in the
2009 general election. COPE's elections chief,
Mlungisi Hlongwane, said the same. However, Moloto refused to confirm the rumours, saying that his resignation was not effective until his successor was elected and that "If I confirm that, it will mean that COPE has a premier in South Africa. [Yet] COPE has never contested any elections". Later on 3 March, the Limpopo Executive Council convened and appointed Mathale to replace Moloto as acting Premier. It was subsequently confirmed that Moloto had left the ANC to join COPE and that he would stand as the new party's Premier candidate in the upcoming elections.
Return to the Provincial Legislature: 2009–2011 In the 2009 general election, COPE became the official opposition in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature, winning four seats, but it did not come close to unseating the ANC from the provincial government. It was initially reported that, with the premiership out of reach, Moloto would decline to serve in the provincial legislature and would instead be sent to COPE's caucus in the national Parliament; according to these reports, becoming an ordinary
Member of the Provincial Legislature would be perceived as a demotion for a former premier. However, he was sworn in to the provincial legislature, where he served as Leader of the Opposition. During this period, he also served as Provincial Chairperson of COPE's Limpopo branch. In April 2011, COPE announced that Moloto had resigned from the party and therefore from his legislative seat. It was rumoured that he had lost interest in the party due to the ongoing factional battles between its co-founders, Lekota and Shilowa. His COPE deputy, Solly Mkhatshwa, succeeded him as the party's acting Provincial Chairperson. == Diplomatic career ==