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The Democratic Alliance (DA), after careful consideration, has made a number of changes to the party’s Shadow Cabinet with a focus on the 2024 General Elections, the most important election in South Africa’s post-apartheid history.

This reshuffle was also effected to align the DA’s Shadow Cabinet with the changes made in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle earlier this year, to provide for full accountability over the newly-formed national executive.

The Shadow Cabinet thus acts as a reflection of the new executive, ensuring that each and every Minister and Ministry has a dedicated DA watch dog of accountability.

The following changes have been made to the Shadow Ministry:

●Samantha Graham has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of Electricity, and will also be serving as an Additional Member on Public Enterprises, Mineral Resources and Energy, and Public Service and Administration (The Presidency);
●Emma Powell has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO);
●Eleanore Spies has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA);
●Luyolo Mphithi has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of Human Settlements;
●Sello Seitlholo has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure;
●Natasha Mazzone has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies;
●Dianne Kohler Barnard has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of State Security;
●Nazley Sharif has been appointed as the Shadow Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities;

The following changes have been made to the Shadow Deputy Ministry:

●Annerie Weber has been appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment;
●Haseena Ismail has been appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Tourism;
●Cheryl Phillips has been appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister of the Standing Committee on the Auditor General (SCOAG), and as an Additional Member on Mineral Resources and Energy, with a focus on illegal mining;
●Marina van Zyl has been appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Basic Education;
●Karabo Khakhau has been appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation;
●Darren Bergman has been appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition;
●Nomsa Tarabella Marchesi has been appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, and will be serving as an Additional Member on Police with a focus on gender-based violence.

The following members have been allocated as additional committee members:

●Michael Bond has been appointed as an Additional Member on Defence and Military Veterans;
●Hannah Winkler has been appointed as an Additional Member on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment;
●Wendy Alexander has been appointed as an Additional Member on the Standing Committee on Finance;
●Mandlenkosi Mabika has been appointed as an Additional Member on Small Business Development;
●Desireé van der Walt has been appointed as an Additional Member on Basic Education, following her election as the Caucus Chairperson;
●Gizella Opperman has been appointed as an Additional Member on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA);
●Sibongiseni Ngcobo has been appointed as an Additional Member on Higher Education, Science and Innovation;
●Traverse Le Goff has been appointed as an Additional Member on Employment and Labour.

The DA has also appointed a new National Spokesperson to fill the vacancy left by Cilliers Brink, who took up a position as a councillor in the City of Tshwane and was subsequently elected Executive Mayor of the Capital City.

Current National Spokesperson, and newly-elected Deputy Federal Chairperson, Solly Malatsi, will now be joined by Werner Horn as the DA’s additional National Spokesperson.

Finally, Dr Leon Schreiber has been appointed as Strategy and Communications Advisor to South Africa’s Leader of the Official Opposition.

The abovementioned changes will take place with immediate effect, and we wish our colleagues well in their new positions as we shoot for the moon in Election 2024.

Issued by John Steenhuisen MP - Leader of the Democratic Alliance