Refiloe Nt'sekhe

Nt'sekhe was born on 28 April 1977. She obtained a degree in politics and philosophy early on 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]

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 elections. The party's branch in Tembisa soon elected her the constituency head. The following year, the DA named her their 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 the Gauteng DA provincial leader post. Moodey won the election.[2] At the 2015 Democratic Alliance Federal Congress, she was elected as one of three Federal Chairpersons.[3]

At the party's elective conference in 2018, she won another term as a Deputy Federal Chairperson.[4] Nt'sekhe was also appointed the DA's national spokesperson in July 2018 following the resignation of Marius Redelinghuys.[5] She was re-elected as an MPL in the 2019 South African general election. She is currently the party's Shadow MEC for Social Development.[6]

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

• Refiloe Nt'sekhe – People's Assembly
• WATCH: Women in politics: The DA's Refiloe Ntsekhe – Eyewitness News