Elizabeth Christina "Elza" van Lingen (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Greeff; 26 November 1949 – 19 April 2018) was a South African politician. A member of the Democratic Alliance, she was elected a councillor of the

Cacadu District Municipality Sarah Baartman District Municipality (formerly Cacadu District Municipality) is situated in the western part of the Eastern Cape province, covering an area of 58 242 square kilometres. The area of the district municipality includes seven local m ...

in 2002. She was elected to the

National Council of Provinces The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the (post-apartheid) constitution which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former Senate, but is very similar to that body, and to ma ...

in 2009. Van Lingen became leader of the DA caucus in the NCOP in 2011, and was re-elected to the NCOP in 2014. From 2016 until her death, she served as the mayor of the

Kouga Local Municipality The Kouga Local Municipality is located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, approximately 80 km west of Port Elizabeth, and forms part of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. Its territory includes the coastal zone between the Van Stad ...

Early life and career

Van Lingen was born and grew up in

Willowmore Willowmore is a town in Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is situated 140 km north-east of Knysna and 117 km south-west of Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar ...

. She was employed as a public relations officer for

KWV KWV South Africa (Proprietary) Limited (founded as ''Ko-operatiewe Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika'') is one of the leading wine and spirits producers in South Africa. Its brands include Roodeberg, KWV Wines & KWV Brandies, and Laborie. Hi ...

where she met Michael, her future husband. She married Michael and they ran a merino stud farm in

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland c ...

in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

, and farmed livestock and game. Van Lingen gave birth to Mick and Caroline and was the step mother of Robin and Lawrence. Van Lingen started a hospice in Middelburg, ran numerous development and training programmes and coordinated 120 sheep shearers in 12 teams to work throughout the region. She owned a clothing manufacturing business, a shoe store and a home industry business. She also had a real estate licence. Van Lingen and her husband moved to

Cape St. Francis Cape St. Francis ( af, Kaap St Francis) is a village in South Africa, situated on a headland in the Eastern Cape Province. It is popular for its clean beaches and as a surfing location. The village is home to the Seal Point Lighthouse. The Irm ...

in 2000 where they ran a

guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use o ...

together. Her activism for improving the quality of water in the town earned her an invitation to the Cape St Francis Civic Association.

Political career

Van Lingen had been approached to became involved in politics earlier in her life but she declined due to her children being young. After having been approached by the Democratic Alliance in 2002, she joined the party. She was elected a councillor of the

that same year. After serving six years on the district council, Van Lingen was elected to the represent the DA in the

as a permanent delegate from the Eastern Cape after the 2009 general election. Van Lingen was elected leader of the DA caucus in the NCOP in October 2011 following the departure of

Watty Watson Armiston "Watty" Watson (26 November 1944 – 12 October 2014) was a South African politician and Democratic Alliance stalwart. He served as the Chief Whip of the Official Opposition in the National Assembly from 2011 to 2014 under the leadership ...

who was appointed chief whip of the DA in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. In January 2014, Van Lingen was criticised by ANC councillors in the

for letters she sent to the media discussing issues in the municipality. She responded by saying that public representatives had the right to play an oversight role. Following the 2014 general election, Van Lingen was reappointed to the NCOP by the DA in the Eastern Cape. She was also re-elected unopposed as the party's leader in the NCOP. In March 2016, Van Lingen was announced as the DA's mayoral candidate for the Kouga Local Municipality. The party won control of the municipality with more than 57% of the vote in the local government elections held on 3 August that year. Van Lingen was elected as mayor during the first council meeting on 19 August 2016.

Death

Van Lingen was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in 2009 but went into remission. She had to start treatment in 2016 again. Van Lingen died from it on 19 April 2018 at her home in Cape St. Francis. She had gone on sick leave on 16 April. Her party, the DA, paid tribute to her. A memorial service was held for her on 23 April 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Lingen, Elza 1949 births 2018 deaths Afrikaner people Politicians from the Eastern Cape Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Members of the National Council of Provinces Women members of the National Council of Provinces Mayors of places in South Africa South African people of Dutch descent