Leon Basson
{{short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Leon Basson
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = Leon Basson.png
| image_size =
| caption = Basson in 2019
| office = Shadow Minister of Water & Sanitation
| leader = John Steenhuisen
| term_start = 5 December 2020
| term_end = 14 June 2024
| predecessor = Position established
| successor = Position vacant
| office1 = Leader of the Democratic Alliance in the North West
| deputy1 = Cornel Dryer
Freddy Sonakile
| term_start1 = 21 November 2020
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 = Joe McGluwa
| successor1 =
| office2 = Deputy Leader of the Democratic Alliance in the North West
| leader2 = Joe McGluwa
| term_start2 = 2017
| term_end2 = 21 November 2020
| predecessor2 = Petro Nel
| successor2 = Freddy Sonakile
| office3 = Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
| leader3 = John Steenhuisen
Mmusi Maimane
| term_start3 = 5 June 2019
| term_end3 = 5 December 2020
| predecessor3 = Position established
| successor3 = Position split
| office4 = Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation
| leader4 = Mmusi Maimane
| term_start4 = 1 July 2017
| term_end4 = 5 June 2019
| predecessor4 = Heinrich Volmink
| successor4 = Position abolished
| office5 = Shadow Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation
| term_start5 = 5 June 2014
| term_end5 = 1 July 2017
| predecessor5 = Position established
| successor5 = Tarnia Baker
| office6 = Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
| term_start6 = 21 May 2014
| term_end6 =
| birthname = Leonard Jones Basson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|04|08|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = South African
| party = Democratic Alliance
| otherparty =
| spouse = Daleen
| partner =
| relations =
| children = 3
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| profession =
| residence = Brits, North West
| committees =
| awards =
| website =
}}
Leonard Jones Basson (born 8 April 1960) is a South African politician from the North West Province. He has represented the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the National Assembly of South Africa since May 2014 and has been the party's provincial leader in the North West since November 2020. In July 2024 he was elected as the chairperson of the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation.
Basson was a long-serving local councillor in his hometown, the North West's Madibeng Local Municipality. After joining the National Assembly in the 2014 general election, he was appointed to the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of South Africa, where he was involved in the water and sanitation portfolio for the next decade; he was Shadow Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation between 2014 and 2017, the Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation from 2017 to 2019, the Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation from 2019 to 2020, and then the Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation again from 2020 until 2024.
He succeeded Joe McGluwa as the DA's provincial leader at a party elective conference in November 2020. Before then, he deputised McGluwa as deputy provincial leader between 2017 and 2020.
Early life and career
Basson was born on 8 April 1960.{{Cite web |date=10 April 2024 |title=Final Candidate Lists for 2024 National and Provincial Elections: National Candidates |url=https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Documents/Candidates-List-NPE2024/National%20Candidates%20List.pdf |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=Electoral Commission of South Africa}} He moved to Brits in the North West Province as a teenager in 1976 and remained there through his adult life.{{cite web |title=Leon Basson: North West Provincial Leader |url=https://www.da.org.za/people/leon-basson |access-date=23 November 2020 |website=Democratic Alliance}} He was a longstanding member of the governing bodies of Pansdrif Primary School and Hoërskool Brits, serving six years as chairperson of the former and nine years as chairperson of the latter.
From 1 November 1995 to 6 May 2014, he was a local councillor in Madibeng Local Municipality, which governs his hometown.{{Cite web |title=Leonard Jones Basson |url=http://www.pa.org.za/person/leonard-jones-basson/ |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=People's Assembly |language=en}} In his later years on the council he represented the Democratic Alliance (DA; formerly the Democratic Party).
Parliament of South Africa: 2014–present
Basson left the Madibeng council after the May 2014 general election, in which he was elected to represent the DA in the National Assembly. He was attached to the DA's internal constituency office in Brits. In addition, the DA's parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, appointed him as Shadow Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation.{{cite news |last1=Maimane |first1=Mmusi |date=5 June 2014 |title=The DA's shadow cabinet - Mmusi Maimane |url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/party/the-das-shadow-cabinet--mmusi-maimane |access-date=23 November 2020 |agency=Politicsweb}} In 2017, he was promoted to Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation,{{cite web |title=Changes to DA Shadow Cabinet |url=https://www.da.org.za/2017/06/changes-da-shadow-cabinet/ |access-date=23 November 2020}} and he also became the Deputy Provincial Leader of the DA in the North West.
In the May 2019 general election, Basson was re-elected to his seat in the National Assembly.{{cite news |date=15 May 2019 |title=SEE: These are the people who will represent you in Parliament, provincial legislatures |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/elections/news/see-these-are-the-people-who-will-represent-you-in-parliament-provincial-legislatures-20190515 |access-date=23 November 2020 |agency=News24}} He became the head of the DA's Madibeng constituency office, and Maimane retained him in his shadow cabinet portfolio, which was enlarged in line with a government cabinet reshuffle; he was named as Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation.{{cite news |last1=Gerber |first1=Jan |date=5 June 2019 |title=Here's the DA's 'shadow cabinet' |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/heres-the-das-shadow-cabinet-20190605 |access-date=23 November 2020 |agency=News24}}
On 21 November 2020, Basson was elected unopposed as the DA's provincial leader in the North West, succeeding Joe McGluwa, who stood down.{{cite news |last1=Morapela |first1=Katleho |title=NW to elect new DA leader |url=https://www.ofm.co.za/article/centralsa/299350/nw-to-elect-new-da-leader |access-date=23 November 2020 |newspaper=OFM |date=21 November 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Chothia |first1=Andrea |title=DA announces provincial leadership election results |url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/da-provincial-congress-leadership-election-results/ |access-date=23 November 2020 |newspaper=The South African |date=21 November 2020}}{{Cite news|date=27 November 2020|title=Local resident the new DA leader in North West|work=Komorant|url=https://kormorant.co.za/2020/11/27/local-resident-the-new-da-leader-in-north-west/|access-date=1 May 2021}} In the following days, he was appointed as Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation by newly elected DA leader John Steenhuisen; the portfolio was split again, with Emma Powell becoming Shadow Minister of Human Settlements.{{cite news |last1=Mazzone |first1=Natasha |title=DA announces new Shadow Cabinet that will bring Real Hope and Real Change |url=https://www.da.org.za/2020/12/da-announces-new-shadow-cabinet-that-will-bring-real-hope-and-real-change |access-date=5 December 2020 |newspaper=Democratic Alliance |date=5 December 2020}}
In April 2021, Basson opposed the deployment of 24 Cuban engineers to assist the Department of Water and Sanitation in addressing South Africa's water crisis and called on Minister Lindiwe Sisulu to reverse the deployment in favour of employing South African engineers.{{Cite news|last=Meyer|first=Dan|date=28 April 2021|title=Cuban engineers latest: ‘Send specialists home, hire SA professionals – DA|work=The South African|url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/cuban-engineers-latest-ecsa-water-crisis-lindiwe-sisulu-who-are-cuba/|access-date=1 May 2021}}
Following the suspension of former premier Supra Mahumapelo's ANC membership in late-April 2021, Basson said that "the suspension comes more than ten years too late" and that the North West Province "would have been in a better position today if Supra Mahumapelo never happened."{{Cite news|last=Basson|first=Leon|date=29 April 2021|title=Supra’s ANC membership suspension 10 years too late – Leon Basson|work=Politicsweb|url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/supras-anc-membership-suspension-10-years-too-late|access-date=1 May 2021}}{{Cite news|last=Solomons|first=Tarryn-Leigh|date=29 April 2021|title=Supra Mahumapelo suspension’s 10 years too late - DA|work=IOL|location=Cape Town|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/supra-mahumapelo-suspensions-10-years-too-late-da-9594abb8-6791-45a5-a08e-d35c34ec5d60|access-date=1 May 2021}}
Basson was re-elected for a second term as provincial leader at the DA's provincial conference on 29 July 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-29 |title=DA hopes elected North West leadership will help win votes |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/da-hopes-elected-north-west-leadership-will-help-win-votes/ |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=SABC News |language=en-US}}
In the 2024 general election, Basson was re-elected to the National Assembly for his third term.{{Cite web |title=The 400 MPs elected to the National Assembly - IEC - DOCUMENTS {{!}} Politicsweb |url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/documents/the-400-mps-elected-to-the-national-assembly--iec |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=www.politicsweb.co.za |language=en}} He was elected to chair the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation in July 2024.{{Cite web |last=Erasmus |first=Des |date=2024-07-10 |title=DA MPs to chair water and public administration portfolio committees |url=https://mg.co.za/news/2024-07-10-da-mps-to-chair-water-and-public-administration-portfolio-committees/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}
Personal life
He is married to Daleen, and they have three children and six grandchildren. He is a member of the NG Church in Brits.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{People's Assembly (South Africa)|leonard-jones-basson|Leonard Jones Basson}}
- [https://www.parliament.gov.za/person-details/10 Mr Leonard Jones Basson] at Parliament of South Africa
{{Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|state=collapsed}}
{{Current MPs of South Africa}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basson, Leon}}
Category:People from Madibeng Local Municipality
Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2024–2029
Category:Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians
Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2019–2024