Kobus Marais

Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration

Kobus comes from Worcester, where he lives with his wife and two children. He obtained his MBA from Stellenbosch and also studied at the Cape Wine Academy and completed a Master Mentorship Course with the Department of Agriculture.

He started his career in corporate banking and went on to work in the wine industry in 1989 in various capacities including a partnership in a wine exports business. He then formed his own consultancy, BEFCOM which specialised in business and marketing strategy, international trade and Black Economic Empowerment (charters, codes of good practice,  Agri-agreements, BEE charters, industry scorecards, etc.).

In 2006, Kobus worked for the VinPro BEE Advisory Service, representing about 5 000 wine producers in promoting Black Economic Development at farm level.

He has been involved in politics in the Western Cape for many years, first serving as councillor and mayor in Rawsonville from 1995 to 2000 and then again as a DA councillor from 2000 to 2006, where he was nominated as the Mayoral Candidate for the 2006 Election. He has also held several other positions in the Western Cape Provincial structures, including  Breede Valley Local Management Committee Chairperson, Breede River Valley Constituency Chairperson, Western Region Treasurer, Member of the Western Cape Provincial Executive Committee and Western Cape Provincial Treasurer.

Kobus was elected to Parliament in 2006 where he served as the DA’s spokesperson on Finance until 2009. He was also the DA spokesperson on disability until 2009 and is very involved in the community, particularly with disability-related organisations. He was the President of DISSA (Disability Sport South Africa) and serves on the Governing Board of SASCOC (South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee), was recently elected as Vice-President of ASCOD (African Sport Confederation for Disabled), and also serves on the NEC of SASAPD (South African Sport Association for the Physically Disabled), as well as holding numerous other positions on the boards of disabled sport organisations.

He was re-elected to Parliament in 2009, and currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Public Service and Administration.

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