Beverley Ann Schäfer is a South African politician serving as the Deputy Speaker of the

Western Cape Provincial Parliament The Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) is the legislature of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located at 7 Wale Street in Cape Town. The Provincial Parliament, along with the other provincial legislatures of South Africa, e ...

since May 2019. She served as the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities from November 2018 to May 2019. Between June 2014 and October 2018, she served as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture in the provincial parliament. She was the Cape Town City Councillor for Ward 54 from 2011 to 2014. She is a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Political career

Schäfer served as Head of the Democratic Alliance's Online Marketing and Social Media Department from 2009 until 2011. In May 2011, she was elected as the Cape Town City Councillor for Ward 54. The ward included areas such as Green Point,

Mouille Point Mouille Point ("Mu-lee") is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, situated between the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and Granger Bay to the east, Green Point, Cape Town, Green Point to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to t ...

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

Sea Point Sea Point (Afrikaans: ''Seepunt'') is one of Cape Town's most affluent and densely populated suburbs, situated between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District (CBD). Moving from ...

, Fresnaye,

Bantry Bay Bantry Bay ( ga, Cuan Baoi / Inbhear na mBárc / Bádh Bheanntraighe) is a bay located in County Cork, Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km (1.8-to-2.5 mi ...

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

and northern parts of Camps Bay. She served as a councillor until she was elected to

in May 2014. She took office as a Member on 21 May 2014. Schäfer was subsequently appointed Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Economic Opportunities and a whip for the Democratic Alliance in the legislature. On 19 October 2018, Premier Helen Zille announced that Schäfer would succeed

Alan Winde Alan Richard Winde (born 18 March 1965) is a South African politician and businessman. He is the 8th and current Premier of the Western Cape, having held the position since 2019. He has been a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament sin ...

as Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities. She was sworn in on 1 November 2018 by Western Cape Judge President

John Hlophe Yahya John Mandlakayise Hlophe (born 1 January 1959 in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal) is Judge President of the Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa. Background and career Born in Stanger, Natal, he was educated at the Universi ...

. Schäfer was elected Deputy Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament on 22 May 2019, succeeding

Piet Pretorius Piet Pretorius was the deputy speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament The Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) is the legislature of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located at 7 Wale Street in Cape Town. The Pro ...

. In March 2023, Schäfer was criticised for organising an event at the Provincial Parliament for British cardiologist and COVID-19 vaccine critic

Aseem Malhotra Aseem Malhotra is a British cardiologist, public health campaigner, author, and advocate against the use of COVID vaccines. He campaigns for people to reduce sugar in their diet, promotes a low-carb and high-fat diet, and encourages the reduct ...

to talk about "unsafe and ineffective" vaccines. Speaker Daylin Mitchell and premier Alan Winde both condemned the event.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schafer, Beverley Living people Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament White South African people Women members of provincial legislatures of South Africa 21st-century South African women politicians 21st-century South African politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Women legislative speakers