Lorato Venus Blennies-Magage (born 25 September 1995) is a South African politician who has been the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism of the Northern Cape since June 2024 and a Member of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature since October 2022.
In September 2022, Blennies and two other ANC Youth League officials, Khulekani Mondli Skhosana and Stella Mondlane, had been given permission by the Russian government to be election observers of the internationally condemned referendums Russia held in occupied territories of Eastern Ukraine asking citizens if they want their regions to be annexed into Russia.
Blennies said in an interview with a Russian journalist that she had spoken to voters in the Donetsk Oblast and they told her: "This is a moment they have always been waiting for.
[2][3] On 18 October 2022, Blennies was sworn in as a member of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature for the ANC.
[4] On 26 October 2022, premier Zamani Saul reconstituted his executive council and announced that Blennies had been appointed the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the newly created Youth, Women, Disability, Communication and E-Government portfolio.