Denise Robinson
{{Short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Denise Robinson
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = Denise Robinson DA MP.jpg
| office = Shadow Minister of Women in the Presidency
| predecessor =
| term_start = 2014
| term_end =
| leader = Helen Zille
| order2 = Deputy Shadow Minister of Health
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 = Heinrich Volmink
| term_start2 = 2012
| term_end2 = 2014
| order3 = Shadow Minister of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities
| predecessor3 =
| successor3 = Helen Lamoela
| term_start3 =
| term_end3 = 2012
| constituency_MP4 =
| parliament4 =
| term_start4 = 2012
| term_end4 = 2014
| majority4 =
| predecessor4 =
| successor4 =
| birth_date = 19 October 1948
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = South African
| spouse = Stewart Gordon Robinson
| party = Democratic Alliance
| relations =
| children = 2
| residence =
| alma_mater = Rhodes University
| occupation =
| profession = Educator
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Denise Robinson is a former South African politician, a previous Member of Parliament with the Democratic Alliance, and the Shadow Minister of Women in the Presidency.
Education and early career
Robinson grew up in Queenstown and matriculated at the Girls High School. She then studied at Rhodes University where she majored in English and History and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a University Education Diploma. She worked as a teacher in Kimberly and Cape Town for some years, then entered the field of adult education. She taught English at Sanlam and worked as a language advisor and translator.{{cite web|url=http://www.da.org.za/our_people.htm?action=view-page&category=members-of-parliament&person=652|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123042144/http://da.org.za/our_people.htm?action=view-page&category=members-of-parliament&person=652 |archive-date=2010-11-23 |url-status=dead|title=Our people - DA|accessdate=2015-03-17}}
Political career
Robinson entered politics in 1998 when she became a Proportional Representative councillor in the Tygerberg Municipality for the Democratic Party. She was elected as ward councillor for the Unicity of Cape Town in 2000, representing the Democratic Alliance. She became a Member of Parliament in 2004, serving on the Select Committee of Finance and the Joint Budget Committee in the National Council of Provinces. She was appointed to the committee of the first African Peer Review Mechanism. In 2011, Robinson was appointed as the Shadow Minister of Health.
16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children
In her position as Shadow Minister of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities, Robinson drives the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for the DA. This campaign makes the following recommendations:
- Regularly monitor police stations’ compliance with the Domestic Violence Act
- Ensure rape prophylactic kits are available at all police stations
- Train volunteers as victim service workers
- Enforce maintenance payments
- Increase funding for social workers, psychologists and counsellors, both at police stations and magistrates' courts
- Establish more safe houses and subsidised shelters for victims of abuse
References
Offices held
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{{s-bef|before=Shadow Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities}}
{{s-ttl|title=Shadow Minister of Health|years=2011–present}}
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{{South African Shadow Cabinet}}
{{DA National Assembly members}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Denise}}
Category:Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians
Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2014–2019
Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2009–2014
Category:People from Queenstown, South Africa
Category:Rhodes University alumni
Category:South African people of British descent
Category:Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa
Category:Members of the National Council of Provinces