Patricia de Lille

Patricia de Lille, born on February seventeenth, nineteen fifty-one, is a prominent South African politician currently serving as the Minister of Tourism and leading the political party Good. Her political journey has been marked by significant roles, including her tenure as Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure from two thousand nineteen to two thousand twenty-three.

Before her current position, De Lille made history as the Mayor of Cape Town from two thousand eleven to two thousand eighteen. She was re-elected for a second term in the two thousand sixteen local government elections, showcasing her strong leadership and commitment to the city. Her political career began with the formation of the Independent Democrats in two thousand three, after she departed from the Pan Africanist Congress.

De Lille's political influence grew when the Independent Democrats merged with the Democratic Alliance in August two thousand ten, although the party was officially dissolved in two thousand fourteen. She served as the Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape from two thousand fifteen to two thousand seventeen, further solidifying her status in South African politics.

Her contributions to the country have not gone unnoticed; she was voted twenty-second in the Top One Hundred Great South Africans and is recognized for her involvement in the investigations surrounding the controversial Arms Deal. Despite facing challenges, including her removal from the DA and subsequent resignation as Mayor in October two thousand eighteen, De Lille founded Good in December of the same year and was elected to Parliament in May two thousand nineteen.

On May twenty-ninth, two thousand nineteen, she was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, and in March two thousand twenty-three, she transitioned to the role of Minister of Tourism, with a reappointment scheduled for June thirtieth, two thousand twenty-four.