Andrew_Whitfield_(politician)

Andrew Whitfield (politician)

Andrew Whitfield (politician)

South African politician

Andrew Grant Whitfield (born 24 November 1982) is a South African politician who has been the Shadow Minister of Police since 2019 and a Member of the National Assembly for the Democratic Alliance since 2019 and previously from 2014 to 2016. Having served as the provincial chairman of the DA in the Eastern Cape from 2017 to 2023, he is currently the provincial leader of the party and the leader of the party's Tsitsi-Kouga Constituency. Whitfield had previously served on the Nelson Mandela Bay city council and in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature.

Quick Facts MP, Shadow Minister of Police ...

Political career

Whitfield joined the Democratic Alliance and was elected to the Nelson Mandela Bay city council in 2011.[1] After the general election in May 2014, he was sworn in as a Member of the National Assembly. The following month, he was assigned to the Portfolio Committee on Tourism.[2]

After the 2016 municipal elections, Whitfield returned to the Nelson Mandela Bay council as the DA became the largest party. The DA's Athol Trollip was elected mayor, and Whitfield was appointed by Trollip as the member of the mayoral committee (MMC) responsible for the economic development, tourism and agriculture portfolio.[3] On 6 May 2017, Whitfield was elected as the provincial chairperson of the DA in the Eastern Cape, succeeding Veliswa Mvenya.[4]

In June 2018, the DA redeployed Whitfield to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature;[1] he was sworn in as an MPL on 28 June 2018.[5] He returned to the National Assembly following the May 2019 general election. In June 2019, he was appointed as Shadow Minister of Police and as the leader of the DA's Tsitsi-Kouga Constituency.[6][7]

In August 2020, he was re-elected unopposed as provincial chairperson of the DA.[8] Whitfield remained in his post as shadow police minister in John Steenhuisen's Shadow Cabinet.[9]

On 4 March 2022, Whitfield suggested that legislation be proposed to allow Parliament to oversee the workings of the National Security Council (NSC). The NSC was established by proclamation by president Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2020. Currently, the NSC does its work without any parliamentary oversight.[10]

On 1 September 2022, Whitfield was appointed a DA whip in the National Assembly following the resignation of long-serving DA MP Annette Steyn, who also comes from the Eastern Cape.[11]

After Nqaba Bhanga made his intention to stand down as DA provincial leader known in early-January 2023 ahead of the party's provincial elective conference, Whitfield announced in a letter sent to DA members in the Eastern Cape on 13 January that he intends to contest the position of provincial leader at the party's provincial conference in February.[12] He was elected provincial leader on 25 February at the party's conference in Graaff-Reinet, defeating fellow Member of Parliament and the party's deputy provincial leader in the province, Chantel King.[13]

References

  1. [1]
    Capa, Siyamthanda (8 June 2020). "Whitfield to leave Bay for Bhisho post". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Mr Andrew Grant Whitfield". People's Assembly. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  3. [3]
    Sain, Raahil (24 August 2016). "Trollip announces new mayoral team". IOL. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Nqaba Bhanga elected DA Eastern Cape leader". eNCA. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  5. [5]
    Ford, Simthandile (29 June 2018). "DA councillors sworn into legislature". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  6. [6]
    Gerber, Jan (5 June 2019). "Here's the DA's 'shadow cabinet'". News24. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  7. [7]
    "Andrew Whitfield to lead the DA in Kouga". JBAYNEWS. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  8. [8]
    "E Cape DA leaders Nqaba Bhanga, Andrew Whitfield re-elected unopposed". SABC News. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  9. [9]
    Mazzone, Natasha (5 December 2020). "DA announces new Shadow Cabinet that will bring Real Hope and Real Change". Democratic Alliance. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  10. [10]
    Gerber, Jan. "DA proposes legislation, for 'Parliament to play a proactive role in National Security Council'". News24. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  11. [11]
    "DA's Whitfield to raise Eastern Cape challenges in parliament". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  12. [12]
    "Whitfield, King vie for top job in Eastern Cape DA". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  13. [13]
    Felix, Jason. "Andrew Whitfield elected new Eastern Cape DA leader". News24. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
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