Andrew Whitfield (politician)

Andrew Grant Whitfield (born 24 November 1982) is a South African politician who is currently serving as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. He is also the provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape.

He entered politics in as a local councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay between 2011 and 2014. He went on to represent the DA as a Member of the National Assembly from 2014 to 2016, as a Member of the Mayoral Committee in Nelson Mandela Bay from 2016 to 2018, and as a Member of the Provincial Legislature from 2018 to 2019. He returned to the National Assembly in the 2019 general election and was Shadow Minister of Police until he was appointed to his deputy ministerial post in June 2024.

Whitfield was elected as the DA's provincial leader in February 2023. Before that, he served two terms as the party's provincial chairman between 2017 and 2023.

Political career
Whitfield entered frontline politics in the May 2011 local elections, when he was elected to represent the Democratic Alliance (DA) as a local councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay. However, in the general election of May 2014, he was ranked first on the DA's regional party list and was elected as a Member of the National Assembly. He served just over two years in his seat and was designated as an alternate member of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism.

Ahead of the August 2016 local elections, Whitfield led the DA's election campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay. The party formed a municipal government after the election and Whitfield returned to the council to serve in it. Newly elected mayor Athol Trollip appointed Whitfield as the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for the economic development, tourism and agriculture portfolio. While he was serving as a local councillor, on 6 May 2017, he was additionally elected to succeed Veliswa Mvenya as provincial chairperson of the DA's Eastern Cape branch.

In June 2018, the DA redeployed Whitfield to fill a casual vacancy in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature; he was sworn in to his seat on 28 June 2018. Whitfield said that his new position would allow him to focus on his duties as DA provincial chairperson as well as on the upcoming 2019 general election campaign.

Shadow Minister of Police: 2019–2024
After the general election was held in May 2019, Whitfield returned to the National Assembly, again ranked first on the DA's regional list. The DA caucus elected him to serve as Shadow Minister of Police in the shadow cabinet of Mmusi Maimane, and he was also appointed as the leader of the DA's constituency in Tsitsi-Kouga, Eastern Cape. He retained his shadow portfolio throughout the sixth Parliament, gaining re-election in the shadow cabinet of Maimane's successor, John Steenhuisen. His policy initiatives in the police portfolio included a proposal to legislate parliamentary oversight of the National Security Council. In addition, from 1 September 2022, he succeeded Annette Steyn as a DA whip in the National Assembly.

In August 2020, Whitfield was re-elected unopposed as provincial chairperson of the Eastern Cape DA. Later in the parliamentary term, Nqaba Bhanga announced his intention to stand down as DA provincial leader at the next elective conference, and Whitfield launched a campaign to succeed him. He was elected provincial leader on 25 February 2023 at the party's conference in Graaff-Reinet, defeating the outgoing deputy provincial leader, Chantel King. Vicky Knoetze and Mlindi Nhanha were elected as Whitfield's deputies. In the following months he supported John Steenhuisen's successful bid for re-election as DA federal leader.

Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry: 2024–present
Whitfield was re-elected to his seat in the National Assembly in the May 2024 general election. In the aftermath of the election, as part of a coalition agreement between the DA and African National Congress (ANC), President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Whitfield as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. In that capacity he deputises Minister Parks Tau of the ANC and serves alongside Zuko Godlimpi, also of the ANC.