Prior to serving in the provincial government, he was the Executive Mayor of the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality.
Monakali is a member of the African National Congress and the party's Pixley ka Seme regional chairperson.
He taught at the school until 2004, when he was employed as a skills development facilitator at the Department of Education's regional office.
[2] He filled the seat left vacant by the death of Mac Jack, the previous Member of the Executive Council for Education.
Premier Zamani Saul announced on 15 September that Monakali would succeed Jack as the MEC for Education.