Andrew Grant Whitfield (born 24 November 1982) is a South African politician who is currently serving as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. He is also the provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape.
Andrew Whitfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 30 June 2024 Serving with Zuko Godlimpi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Cyril Ramaphosa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister | Parks Tau | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Fikile Majola Nomalungelo Gina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 25 February 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputies | Mlindi Nhanha Vicky Knoetze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nqaba Bhanga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the National Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 22 May 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 21 May 2014 – 6 August 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Andrew Grant Whitfield 24 November 1982 (age 41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | South African | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He entered politics in as a local councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay between 2011 and 2014. He went on to represent the DA as a Member of the National Assembly from 2014 to 2016, as a Member of the Mayoral Committee in Nelson Mandela Bay from 2016 to 2018, and as a Member of the Provincial Legislature from 2018 to 2019. He returned to the National Assembly in the 2019 general election and was Shadow Minister of Police until he was appointed to his deputy ministerial post in June 2024.
Whitfield was elected as the DA's provincial leader in February 2023. Before that, he served two terms as the party's provincial chairman between 2017 and 2023.
Political career
editWhitfield entered frontline politics in the May 2011 local elections, when he was elected to represent the Democratic Alliance (DA) as a local councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay.[1] However, in the general election of May 2014, he was ranked first on the DA's regional party list and was elected as a Member of the National Assembly.[2] He served just over two years in his seat and was designated as an alternate member of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism.[2]
Ahead of the August 2016 local elections, Whitfield led the DA's election campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay.[1] The party formed a municipal government after the election and Whitfield returned to the council to serve in it. Newly elected mayor Athol Trollip appointed Whitfield as the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for the economic development, tourism and agriculture portfolio.[3] While he was serving as a local councillor, on 6 May 2017, he was additionally elected to succeed Veliswa Mvenya as provincial chairperson of the DA's Eastern Cape branch.[4]
In June 2018, the DA redeployed Whitfield to fill a casual vacancy in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature;[1] he was sworn in to his seat on 28 June 2018.[5] Whitfield said that his new position would allow him to focus on his duties as DA provincial chairperson as well as on the upcoming 2019 general election campaign.[1]
Shadow Minister of Police: 2019–2024
editAfter the general election was held in May 2019, Whitfield returned to the National Assembly, again ranked first on the DA's regional list.[2] The DA caucus elected him to serve as Shadow Minister of Police in the shadow cabinet of Mmusi Maimane, and he was also appointed as the leader of the DA's constituency in Tsitsi-Kouga, Eastern Cape.[6][7] He retained his shadow portfolio throughout the sixth Parliament, gaining re-election in the shadow cabinet of Maimane's successor, John Steenhuisen.[8] His policy initiatives in the police portfolio included a proposal to legislate parliamentary oversight of the National Security Council.[9] In addition, from 1 September 2022, he succeeded Annette Steyn as a DA whip in the National Assembly.[10]
In August 2020, Whitfield was re-elected unopposed as provincial chairperson of the Eastern Cape DA.[11] Later in the parliamentary term, Nqaba Bhanga announced his intention to stand down as DA provincial leader at the next elective conference, and Whitfield launched a campaign to succeed him.[12][13] He was elected provincial leader on 25 February 2023 at the party's conference in Graaff-Reinet, defeating the outgoing deputy provincial leader, Chantel King.[14] Vicky Knoetze and Mlindi Nhanha were elected as Whitfield's deputies.[15] In the following months he supported John Steenhuisen's successful bid for re-election as DA federal leader.[16]
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry: 2024–present
editWhitfield was re-elected to his seat in the National Assembly in the May 2024 general election. In the aftermath of the election, as part of a coalition agreement between the DA and African National Congress (ANC), President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Whitfield as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. In that capacity he deputises Minister Parks Tau of the ANC and serves alongside Zuko Godlimpi, also of the ANC.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Capa, Siyamthanda (8 June 2018). "Whitfield to leave Bay for Bhisho post". Herald. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Mr Andrew Grant Whitfield". People's Assembly. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ Sain, Raahil (24 August 2016). "Trollip announces new mayoral team". IOL. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Nqaba Bhanga elected DA Eastern Cape leader". eNCA. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ Ford, Simthandile (29 June 2018). "DA councillors sworn into legislature". Dispatch. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ Gerber, Jan (5 June 2019). "Here's the DA's 'shadow cabinet'". News24. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Andrew Whitfield to lead the DA in Kouga". JBay News. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ Mazzone, Natasha (5 December 2020). "DA announces new Shadow Cabinet that will bring Real Hope and Real Change". Democratic Alliance. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Gerber, Jan (4 March 2022). "DA proposes legislation, for 'Parliament to play a proactive role in National Security Council'". News24. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "DA's Whitfield to raise Eastern Cape challenges in parliament". Herald. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "E Cape DA leaders Nqaba Bhanga, Andrew Whitfield re-elected unopposed". SABC News. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Whitfield, King vie for top job in Eastern Cape DA". Herald. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ Tandwa, Lizeka (21 February 2023). "DA in a position to disrupt ANC in Eastern Cape, top contender Andrew Whitfield says". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Felix, Jason (25 February 2023). "Andrew Whitfield elected new Eastern Cape DA leader". News24. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "DA Eastern Cape elects new leadership at Provincial Congress". News24. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Felix, Jason (30 March 2023). "DA leadership race: Choosing a black leader doesn't mean growth, says a Steenhuisen supporter". News24. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Meet the ministers now in charge of SA's economy". News24. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
External links
edit- Andrew Whitfield at Parliament of South Africa
- Andrew Whitfield at South African Government
- Andrew Whitfield at Democratic Alliance