During the Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Congress which took place on 7 & 8 April 2018 Congress resolved to amend section 6.2.4.1 of the Federal Constitution to the effect that two members would serve as deputy chairs of the Federal Council (FedCo). In terms of another section of the Federal Constitution these office bears must be elected during the Federal Congress.
FedCo on 6 April 2018 resolved that voting in this election would take place on Sunday 8 April 2018, subject to the approval by Congress of the creation of two Deputy Chairpersons. This meant that two Deputy Chairpersons of FedCo would be elected if Congress adopted that amendment to the Federal Constitution.
In order to seek clarity, the matter was taken to the Federal Legal Commission (FLC), which resolved that “the position of a second Deputy Chairperson of the Federal Council is to be filled by way of the result of the vote that took place on 8 April 2018 during Federal Congress.”
Therefore, I wish to congratulate Ms Natasha Mazzone MP on her election as a Deputy Chairperson of Federal Council.
Ms Mazzone brings with her a wealth of experience that will add deeply to the work of the 155-member FedCo, the Party’s highest decision-making body between Congresses.
Ms Mazzone first started serving in the Party’s leadership structures over twenty years ago, when she was elected Chairperson of the then Democratic Party’s (DP’s) University of Pretoria Youth Branch in 1997. In May 2009, she was elected as a Member of Parliament. She’s been serving as the DA’s Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises since February 2012, a role in which she has been at the forefront of the fight against State Capture, exercising her duties with exemplary courage.