Refiloe Nt'sekhe

Refiloe Nt'sekhe
MPL
Deputy Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
In office
14 June 2024 – 9 July 2024
SpeakerMorakane Mosupyoe
Preceded byNomvuyo Mhlakaza-Manamela
Succeeded byNomvuyo Mhlakaza-Manamela
Deputy Federal Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance
In office
10 May 2015 – 2 April 2023
LeaderJohn Steenhuisen
Mmusi Maimane
Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 May 2014
Personal details
Born
Refiloe Nt’sekhe

(1977-04-28) 28 April 1977 (age 47)
NationalitySouth African
Political partyDemocratic Alliance
Alma materUniversity of Cape Town
OccupationMember of the Provincial Legislature
ProfessionPolitician

Refiloe Nt'sekhe (born 28 April 1977) is a South African politician who has been a Member of the Provincial Legislature since 2014. She served as Deputy Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from June to July 2024. A member of the Democratic Alliance, she served as one of the party's deputy federal chairpersons between 2015 and 2023 and as one of the party's national spokespeople between 2015 and 2020.

Early life and career

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Nt'sekhe was born on 28 April 1977. She obtained a degree in politics and philosophy at the University of Cape Town. She later achieved a post-graduate degree in marketing from the same university. During her student years in the 1990s, she became a member of the South African Liberal Students Association (SALSA). She joined the DA in 2001.[1]

Nt'sekhe worked for the Foschini Group, Capespan, South African Airways, Absa Group Limited and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, before becoming active in politics.[1]

Political career

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In 2009, she was appointed the DA's national director at the LEAD programme. She was elected the ward councillor for ward 24 of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in the 2011 municipal election. The party's branch in Tembisa soon elected her as constituency head. The following year, the DA named her its provincial spokesperson in Gauteng.[1]

Prior to the 2014 general election, Nt'sekhe's name appeared on the DA's candidate list for the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. She was elected and took office as an MPL on 21 May 2014. In November 2014, she challenged incumbent John Moodey for Gauteng DA provincial leader. Moodey won the election.[2] At the 2015 Democratic Alliance Federal Congress, she was elected as one of three Deputy Federal Chairpersons.[3] Nt'sekhe was also appointed the DA's national spokesperson in July 2015 following the resignation of Marius Redelinghuys.[4] She served alongside Phumzile van Damme until Van Damme resigned in February 2018 and was replaced by Solly Malatsi in June.[5]

At the party's elective conference in 2018, she won another term as a Deputy Federal Chairperson.[6] She was re-elected as an MPL in the 2019 general election. Nt'sekhe is currently the party's Shadow MEC for Social Development.[7]

Nt'sekhe was re-elected as the first DA deputy federal chairperson at the party's Federal Congress held between 31 October and 1 November 2020. She served alongside Jacques Smalle and Anton Bredell.[8] On 24 November 2020, Siviwe Gwarube was announced as the new national spokesperson of the DA.[9]

On 23 August 2021, DA leader John Steenhuisen announced Nt'sekhe as the DA's mayoral candidate for the City of Ekurhuleni in the 2021 local government elections.[10] In the local government election of 1 November 2021, no party obtained a majority in Ekurhuleni city council. The DA finished second again with 28.72% of the vote, behind the ruling African National Congress's 38.19%.[11] The DA Gauteng leadership then encouraged her to resign as the DA's mayoral candidate and as an incoming councillor, because it seemed unlikely that she would be elected mayor since the DA decided against working with the ANC or the Economic Freedom Fighters, the kingmakers in council. At the inaugural council meeting on 22 November, the DA's Ekurhuleni caucus leader, Tania Campbell, was unexpectedly elected as Executive Mayor with the help of the EFF and smaller parties. Nt'sekhe described Campbell's election as a "bittersweet moment" for her because the ANC was unseated from power.[12][13]

Nt'sekhe unsuccessfully stood for re-election as the party's Federal Congress in 2023.[14]

As the ANC lost its majority in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in the 2024 provincial election, the party formed a coalition with other parties, including the DA, to govern the province. Nt'sekhe was elected deputy speaker of the provincial legislature as part of the coalition agreements.[15] Following the collapse of negotiations between the DA and the ANC, Nt'sekhe resigned as deputy speaker on 9 July 2024.[16]

Personal life

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Nt'sekhe was married and has three children.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Refiloe Nt'sekhe". Democratic Alliance. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Moodey re-elected to lead DA Gauteng". eNCA. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  3. ^ Khoza, Amanda; Areff, Ahmed (10 May 2015). "Maimane elected new DA leader". News24. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. ^ Maimane, Mmusi (10 July 2015). "Refiloe Ntsekhe appointed DA national spokesperson - Mmusi Maimane". Politicsweb. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Solly Malatsi appointed as DA National Spokesperson". Democratic Alliance. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  6. ^ Herman, Paul; Madia, Tshidi (8 April 2018). "Athol Trollip re-elected as DA federal chairperson". News24. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Gauteng DA unveils the province's shadow MECs". IOL. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. ^ Nkosi, Nomazima (1 November 2020). "Steenhuisen elected new DA leader". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  9. ^ Steenhuisen, John (24 November 2020). "DA appoints Siviwe Gwarube as its new National Spokesperson". Democratic Alliance. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  10. ^ Letshwiti-Jones, Pule (23 August 2021). "LIST | DA announces its mayoral candidates to contest municipalities". News24. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  11. ^ "FINAL Ekurhuleni election results: EFF likely to decide coalition outcome". The South African. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  12. ^ "DA's Refiloe Nt'sekhe clarifies 'absence' from Ekurhuleni council election". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  13. ^ "'Bittersweet': DA's Refiloe Nt'sekhe reflects on her withdrawal as Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate". The Citizen. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  14. ^ Felix, Jason. "DA elective congress: Here are the candidates battling for leadership positions". News24. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  15. ^ Capa, Siyamtanda. "COALITION NATION | More promises as Lesufi takes the oath of office". News24. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  16. ^ Simelane, Lunga. "DA's deputy speaker steps down after cabinet impasse with ANC". City Press. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
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