Samantha Jane Graham (born 27 May 1969) is a South African politician from 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 ...

who was elected to 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 ...

in the 2019 general election as a member of the Democratic Alliance. Graham has been the party's Shadow Minister of Electricity since 2023. Graham served as the shadow deputy minister of public works and infrastructure from 2019 to 2020 and as the shadow minister for the portfolio between 2020 and 2023. She is a former councillor of the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality.

Early life and education

Samantha Jane Graham was born on 27 May 1969. She matriculated from Rhenish Girls' High School in Stellenbosch in 1986. In December 2021, Graham graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' from the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB).

Political career

Graham became a member of the Democratic Alliance in 2007. Only in 2009, she became an active member of the party. She then formed a branch in Aberdeen and got elected as the branch chairperson. For the May 2011 municipal elections, she stood as a DA ward councillor candidate, but narrowly lost to the African National Congress candidate. She was then appointed as a PR councillor. Graham was selected as the DA's mayoral candidate for the newly established Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality ahead of the 2016 municipal elections. The ANC narrowly retained control of the municipality and Graham was elected as a PR councillor. During her tenure on the Dr Beyers Naudé local council, she was the DA's caucus leader, the Portfolio Chairperson on Corporate Services and a member of the municipality's executive committee. Graham is also a member of the DA's provincial council and the provincial disciplinary committee.

Parliamentary career

Prior to the 8 May 2019 general elections, Graham was placed 6th on the DA's regional list, 77th on its national list and 23rd on its provincial list. She was elected to the National Assembly on the regional list. She became a Member of Parliament on 22 May 2019. On 5 June 2019, the DA parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, appointed her as shadow deputy minister of public works and infrastructure. Shortly afterwards, she was appointed as the DA's constituency leader for the Dr Beyers Naude municipality. Graham became a member of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure on 27 June 2019. Graham was appointed Shadow Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure in December 2020, succeeding Patricia Kopane. In February 2023, Graham was elected as one of three deputy provincial chairpersons of the DA. Graham was promoted to Shadow Minister of Electricity and an additional member of the Public Enterprises, Mineral Resources and Energy, and Public Service and Administration (The Presidency) portfolios during a shadow cabinet reshuffle on 21 April 2023.

Personal life

Graham was previously married to Nikolas Jankovich. They have two children from the marriage. She and her family moved from Cape Town to

Aberdeen, Eastern Cape Aberdeen is a small town in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. With its numerous examples of Victorian architecture, it is one of the architectural conservation areas of the Karoo. The town is ...

in December 2008. In October 2010, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She finished her chemotherapy 10 days before the May 18, 2011 local elections. Graham and her family moved to Graaff-Reinet in 2012. In July 2018, Graham was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer. She then had a double mastectomy in August. She married Rodney Maré in May 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Samantha Living people 1969 births White South African people Politicians from the Eastern Cape Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 21st-century South African politicians Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa