Nomsa Innocencia Tarabella Marchesi (born 2 July 1970) is a South African politician who, as of August 2023 is Rise Mzansi's Free State Convenor. From 2014 until August 2023, she served as a member of the

National Assembly of South Africa The National Assembly is the directly elected house of the Parliament of South Africa, located in Cape Town, Western Cape. It consists of four hundred members who are elected every five years using a party-list proportional representation syste ...

as a member of the Democratic Alliance.

Early life and education

Marchesi was born in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

, Free State on 2 July 1970. She attended Vulamasango High in Mangaung and later moved to Wedela High, near

Potchefstroom Potchefstroom (, colloquially known as Potch) is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstroom is on the Mooi Rivier (Afrikaans for "pretty river" ...

. She studied at

University of the Free State The University of the Free State is a multi-campus public university in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State (province), Free State and the judicial capital of South Africa. It was first established as an institution of higher learning in ...

, earning a BSc in microbiology and biochemistry. She later studied in Ireland and worked there in clinical research. Marchesi returned to South Africa to obtain an honors degree in Pharmacology and work as a researcher also at the University of the Free State.

Politics

Marchesi joined the Democratic Alliance in 2013. In 2014, she was elected as a member of

Parliament of South Africa The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature; under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces. The current twenty-seve ...

. She served as a

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

in the

Shadow Cabinet of Mmusi Maimane The Shadow Cabinet of Mmusi Maimane was formed on 5 June 2014 following his election as Parliamentary Leader of the Democratic Alliance and Leader of the Opposition on 29 May 2014. The Democratic Alliance parliamentary caucus also elected other c ...

. She was also a member of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education in South Africa's parliament. On 21 April 2023, Marchesi became Shadow Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, and an Additional Member on Police with a focus on gender-based violence. On 15 August 2023, after 10 years as a representative for the DA, Marchesi resigned, giving up her position as a member of parliament. She joined many black former members of the DA who resigned from the party citing its lack of inclusivity for black members. Leaving the DA, she opted to join political party Rise Mzansi, becoming the party's Free State convenor. Marchesi said that Rise Mzansi's value's more closely aligned with her own and that unlike the DA, it was, in her words, "not a one man show".

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchesi, Nomsa Living people 1970 births Members of the National Assembly of South Africa Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa Rise Mzansi politicians 21st-century South African politicians People from Bloemfontein