South Africa

Rosemary Nokuzola Capa is a South African politician serving as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture since June 2024. A member of the African National Congress, she has served as a Member of the National Assembly since 2014. Her previous government roles include Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform, Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, and chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development. Before entering national politics, she was a nurse and midwife, and served as the Executive Mayor of the OR Tambo District Municipality and as a Member of the Executive Council in the Eastern Cape.

Samantha Graham-Maré is a South African politician serving as the Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy since 2024. A member of the Democratic Alliance, she was first elected to the National Assembly in 2019 and re-elected in 2024. Prior to her current ministerial role, she held various shadow cabinet positions, including Shadow Minister of Electricity and Shadow Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. She previously served as a councillor for the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality and holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of South Africa.

Zuko Godlimpi is a South African politician serving as the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition since July 2024. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he was elected to the National Assembly in the May 2024 general election. Previously, he was a prominent student activist and served as a special adviser to the Premier of the Eastern Cape. In 2022, he became the youngest member elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee, where he focused on economic transformation policy.

Cedric Frolick is a South African politician and educator who has served as a Member of the National Assembly since 1999. Currently holding the position of House Chairperson for Committees, Oversight and ICT, he has played a significant role in parliamentary programming and legislative oversight. Before entering politics, Frolick had a career in education, serving as a teacher and school administrator in Port Elizabeth. Throughout his tenure, he has been involved in various portfolio committees and international parliamentary associations. In recent years, he faced allegations regarding the state capture inquiry, though he was subsequently cleared by Parliament's ethics committee.

Enoch Godongwana is a South African politician currently serving as the Minister of Finance, a position he has held since August 2021. A long-standing member of the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee, he previously served as a deputy minister in the departments of Public Enterprises and Economic Development. Before his national cabinet career, he was a prominent trade unionist, notably serving as the general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, and held provincial office as the Member of the Executive Council for Finance in the Eastern Cape. He is recognized for his influential role in shaping the ANC's economic policy, particularly regarding state intervention in the mining sector.

Mary-Ann Lindelwa Dunjwa is a South African politician serving as a member of the National Assembly. First elected in 2009, she has held several significant parliamentary leadership roles, including Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour. Following her re-election in 2024, she chaired the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities before being elected to chair the Joint Multi-Party Women's Caucus in October 2024.

Mluleki Dlelanga is a South African politician who has served as a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature representing the African National Congress (ANC) since 2019. He previously held a seat in the same legislature from 2014 to 2016. Beyond his legislative duties, Dlelanga is a prominent figure in the South African Communist Party (SACP), having served as the National Secretary of the Young Communist League from 2014 to 2018 and as a member of the SACP Central Committee since 2022.

Nqabisa Gantsho is a South African politician serving as a Member of the National Assembly since 2019. Representing the African National Congress, she has held various leadership roles within the party's Sarah Baartman region and the African National Congress Women's League. Following her re-election in 2024, she was appointed to chair the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. She previously served on the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.

Zolile Burns-Ncamashe is a South African politician and traditional leader who has served as the Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs since 2023. A member of the amaRharhabe clan, he joined the National Assembly in 2021 representing the African National Congress. Before his ministerial appointment, he held various roles in traditional leadership and government advisory, including serving as a member of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders and as a traditional affairs advisor to the national government.

Dikeledi Rosemary Direko is a South African politician who has served as a Member of the National Assembly since 2019. A member of the African National Congress, she previously held various leadership roles within the ANC Youth League, including serving as provincial secretary. During her parliamentary tenure, she has been active in the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. She was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 2024 general election.

Zelna Saira Abader is a South African politician serving as a member of the National Assembly for the Gauteng constituency representing the uMkhonto weSizwe party. Elected in the 2024 general election, she serves on the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements and has acted as a whip for the Peace and Security Cluster. Abader has been a vocal critic of the Minister of Human Settlements regarding housing project management and has expressed controversial views on international issues, including the treatment of Uyghurs in China.

Patrick George Atkinson is a South African politician currently serving as a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, a position he assumed in February 2022. Previously, he served as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from 2014 to 2019, during which time he acted as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Economic Development. Following his parliamentary tenure, he served as a municipal councillor for the City of Johannesburg from 2019 to 2022, where he also held the role of shadow MMC for finance. Atkinson is openly gay and has been recognized as one of South Africa's openly LGBTQ public officials.

Janho Engelbrecht is a South African politician serving as a member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the Democratic Alliance. He began his political career as a branch chairperson for the Democratic Party in the 1990s before serving as a ward councillor and chief whip in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Engelbrecht later served in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 2014 until 2021, when he was appointed to the National Assembly. He was subsequently elected to a full term in the 2024 general election.

Mathew John Cuthbert is a South African politician currently serving as a Member of the National Assembly. A member of the Democratic Alliance, he previously served as a councillor in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and as the party's Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from 2019 to 2023. In April 2023, he was appointed as the Democratic Alliance's Head of Policy. Cuthbert is known for his active role in parliamentary committees and his support for the party's leadership.

Michéle Clarke is a South African politician serving as a Member of the National Assembly. She began her political career as a ward councillor in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in 2004, later serving in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 2014 to 2019. Within the Democratic Alliance, she has held several shadow cabinet positions, including Shadow Minister of Health. Clarke is known for her opposition to the National Health Insurance Bill, which she has criticized as a potential burden on the state.

Toby Chance is a British-born South African politician currently serving as a Member of the National Assembly for the Democratic Alliance. First elected to Parliament in 2014, he previously served as the Shadow Minister of Small Business Development and has been a vocal advocate for small enterprise reform, notably introducing a private member's bill to establish an ombud service for small businesses. Before his political career, Chance worked in various sectors including technology, publishing, and event management, and he remains active in heritage preservation through the Chance Heritage Trust.

Khusela Diko is a South African politician and communications strategist who currently serves on the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC). A princess of the Nobetha clan, she previously held prominent roles including spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa and head of communications for the ANC. Her career has been marked by significant public service, though she faced scrutiny in 2020 regarding a COVID-19 procurement scandal involving her late husband's company. Following disciplinary processes and a period of leave, she returned to active political life, securing re-election to the ANC's Provincial Executive Committee in Gauteng and winning a seat on the party's National Executive Committee in 2022.

Naledi Chirwa is a South African politician and activist currently serving as a member of the National Council of Provinces. She rose to prominence as a student leader during the #FeesMustFall movement at the University of Pretoria, where she studied drama and film. Chirwa previously served as a member of the National Assembly from 2019 to 2024, representing the Economic Freedom Fighters. Known for her outspoken parliamentary style, she has been a vocal critic of the government and has advocated for student rights and social justice throughout her career.

Tsholofelo Motshidi-Bodlani is a South African politician serving as a member of the National Assembly for the Democratic Alliance. She previously served as a councillor in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. Her parliamentary career began in March 2018 when she replaced a resigning member, and she later served on the Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology. After an unsuccessful bid for re-election in 2019, she returned to the National Assembly in March 2021.

Nicole Bollman is a South African politician currently serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa. Elected in the 2024 general election, she represents the Democratic Alliance. Prior to her national parliamentary role, she served as a local councillor for Ward 35 in Durban North from 2020 to 2024. Born and raised in Durban, she is a single mother of two children and has transitioned from local municipal governance to national legislative duties.

Nomalungelo Gina is a South African politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation since June 2024. A former teacher, she entered politics through the South African Democratic Teachers Union and has represented the African National Congress in the National Assembly since 2009. She previously chaired the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and served as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from 2019 to 2024. Gina is also active in the South African Communist Party.

Mergan Chetty is a South African politician serving as a Member of the National Assembly for the Democratic Alliance. Elected in 2019, he has held the position of Shadow Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation within the party's shadow cabinet. Throughout his parliamentary tenure, he has been an active member of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation. His political career has occasionally been marked by controversy, including allegations of derogatory language and reports regarding party funding practices.

Russel Nsikayezwe Cebekhulu is a South African politician serving as a Member of the National Assembly for the Inkatha Freedom Party. First elected to Parliament in 2009, he served until 2014 before returning to the National Assembly in 2015. Throughout his tenure, he has been an active member of various parliamentary committees, including those focused on agriculture, land reform, public service, and defence. He was re-elected to his seat in the 2019 and 2024 general elections, continuing his legislative work in the South African Parliament.

Tintswalo Joyce Bila is a South African politician currently serving as a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, representing the African National Congress since June 2024. She previously served as the inaugural mayor of the Collins Chabane Local Municipality from 2016 to 2018, a tenure that ended following a scandal involving illegal municipal investments in VBS Mutual Bank. After her removal, she returned to local government as a councillor and later served on the Vhembe District Municipality's mayoral committee. She currently sits on Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General.

Nkhensani Kate Bilankulu is a South African politician serving as a member of the National Assembly of South Africa since May 2019. Representing the African National Congress, she was elected from the Limpopo regional list and secured a second term in the 2024 general election. During her parliamentary tenure, she has served on the Portfolio Committee on Social Development and as the chairperson of the Multi-Party Women's Caucus. Additionally, she holds the position of deputy chair of the ANC Women's League.

Mokgadi Johanna Aphiri is a South African politician who has served as a member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature since 2014. Representing the African National Congress (ANC), she was first elected to the legislature in the 2014 general election and subsequently re-elected in 2019. In addition to her legislative duties, she served on the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC's Limpopo branch from June 2018 until June 2022.

Doris Eunice Mpapane, also known as Dorries Dlakude, is a South African politician serving as a Member of the National Assembly and the Deputy Chief Whip of the Majority Party. Since joining Parliament in 2010, she has held various leadership roles within the African National Congress, including positions in the ANC Youth League and the Provincial Executive Committee in Mpumalanga. She holds an Honours degree in governance and leadership from the University of the Witwatersrand and has been a prominent figure in parliamentary committee proceedings, including her work on the ad hoc committee regarding the Nkandla scandal.

Farhat Essack is a South African politician serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since April 2022. A member of the Democratic Alliance, he previously served as a councillor for the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality from 1996 to 2014 and as a Permanent Delegate to the National Council of Provinces representing Mpumalanga from 2014 to 2019. During his time in the National Council of Provinces, he was active on several committees, including the Select Committee on Finance. He was re-elected to a full term in the National Assembly in the 2024 general election.

Mbali Dlamini is a South African politician representing Mpumalanga in the National Council of Provinces. A member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), she joined the party in 2014 while studying at the Tshwane University of Technology and was elected to its Central Command in 2019. Before her appointment to the National Council of Provinces in 2022, she served as a local councillor in the Gert Sibande District Municipality from November 2021 to September 2022. She continues to be an active figure within the EFF leadership.

Darren Bergman is a South African politician who has served as a Member of the National Assembly for the Democratic Alliance since 2014. Before his parliamentary career, he was a Johannesburg city councillor and a regional youth leader for the Democratic Party. Within the DA, he has held several shadow cabinet positions, including Shadow Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation, Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, and Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. Bergman is known for his advocacy on international relations and government accountability.