Dean Macpherson

Dean Macpherson (born 2 February 1985) is a South African politician who is currently serving as Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure since June 2024. He is a Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance and Provincial Chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal. Macpherson is from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and currently resides in uMhlanga, just north of Durban. Quotes My father was a councillor in Durban from the early 1990’s until 2009. This started my interest in politics as we would often have discussions about South Africa, the political landscape and what my responsibilities as a citizen were. I was probably only 10 or 11 at the time and from there I helped my father in every election and started attending public meetings when speakers from the DA were in town and my interest continued to grow. In 2009, I decided to put my hat in the ring and was nominated and elected as the councillor for Durban North at the age of 24. From there on, I was thrown in the deep end by being appointed as the Chief Whip of the caucus in 2011, holding down a directorship of a business I started in the textile manufacturing industry with my grandfather, as well as serving as spokesperson for various portfolios in the eThekwini Council. In 2014 I was successfully elected to Parliament at the age of 29, appointed as the Shadow Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry and I have never looked back! Trade and Industry is one of the most demanding portfolios in Parliament as it should be. It is charged with promoting the industrialisation of our economy, creating jobs as well as enforcing the regulatory environment to protect consumers in South Africa. So a lot of my time is taken up in Parliament, but I also interact a lot with the business community to hear from them on how we can do things better as a government as well as conducting oversight in my personal capacity as an MP across South Africa. I am also the political head for a diverse constituency encompassing, Wartburg, Richmond and Camperdown where I spend time building party structures, recruiting new members to the DA and driving political change. It's certainly like nothing I have ever experienced before and compared to the corporate environment, the demands are immense. I think for the last 2 years, fellow Members have been "feeling each other out" trying to see where one another sits on certain issues as well as their ideological positions. I have also come to realise that the ‘show’ one sees on TV is only 10% of what really goes on in Parliament and that the real work takes place in the engine room of Parliament, i.e. portfolio committees. That is why I am so passionate about my committee work because that is where Members from across the House find each other on a large majority of issues and that is why it is critical committees are meeting and functioning so we can truly hold the Executive to account. However, I think that a sense of decorum and respect has certainly been lost compared to the Fourth Parliament for a number of reasons and I believe it would serve both Parliament and South Africa well for this to be worked on. External links Category:Living people Category:Government ministers of South Africa Category:1985 births