Mireille Mary Wenger (born 1980 or 1981) is a South African politician who has been the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities since May 2022 and a Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament since May 2014. She was Chief Whip of the Majority Party from May 2019 to May 2022.

Qualifications

Wenger holds a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in International Studies from Stellenbosch University and a

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

(MPhil) in Criminology, Law and Society from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

. She obtained a diploma in Political Science and Sociology from

Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public university, Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , a ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Political career

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, she was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament as a member of the Democratic Alliance. She took office as an MPP on 21 May 2014. Wenger was elected chairperson of the community safety committee. After her re-election in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, she was appointed the chief whip of the DA caucus and consequently Chief Whip of the Majority Party. She assumed office on 22 May 2019. On 17 April 2022, Wenger was elected as the Chairperson of the Provincial Parliament's Ad-Hoc Committee on COVID-19. On 22 April 2022, Premier

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 ...

announced that Wenger would be joining the provincial cabinet on 16 May 2022 as the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities as the incumbent Provincial Minister

David Maynier David John Maynier (born 22 October 1968) is a South African politician who has been the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Education since May 2022 and a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament since May 2019. He served as the Weste ...

would be moving to the Education portfolio to replace Debbie Schäfer, who announced her departure from the provincial government. The Provincial Parliament's Ad-Hoc Committee on COVID-19 disbanded on 10 May 2022. DA member

Lorraine Botha Lorraine Juliette Botha (2 July 1965 – 31 August 2022) was a South African politician. A member of the Democratic Alliance, she was a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament from 2014 up to her death. Botha served as the chief whip o ...

replaced Wenger as Chief Whip of the Majority Party. Wenger was sworn into office on 16 May 2022.

Personal life

Wenger is married to Craig Kesson. They have one child.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wenger, Mireille Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Politicians from the Western Cape 21st-century South African politicians Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament Women members of provincial legislatures of South Africa Stellenbosch University alumni University of Cape Town alumni