Mathew Cuthbert
{{short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Mathew Cuthbert
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = DA MP Mathew Cuthbert.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Cuthbert in 2025
| office = Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
| leader = John Steenhuisen
Mmusi Maimane
| term_start = 5 June 2019
| term_end = 21 April 2023
| predecessor =
| successor = Darren Bergman
| office1 = Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
| term_start1 = 22 May 2019
| term_end1 =
| birthname = Mathew John Cuthbert
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|9|21|df=y}}
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| nationality = South African
| party = Democratic Alliance
| otherparty =
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| occupation = Member of Parliament
| profession = Politician
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Mathew John Cuthbert (born 21 September 1993) is a South African politician who served as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from June 2019 until April 2023. A member of the Democratic Alliance, he was elected to the National Assembly in May 2019. Before that, Cuthbert served as a councillor in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
Political career
Cuthbert is a member of the Democratic Alliance. He served as a councillor and as the shadow mayoral committee member for economic development in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality until his election to Parliament.{{cite news |last1=Tandwa |first1=Lizeka |title=A phenomenal doctor, a YouTuber and two researchers walk into the DA - six DA candidates you may not know |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/a-phenomenal-doctor-a-youtuber-and-two-researchers-walk-into-the-da-six-da-candidates-you-may-not-know-20190317 |access-date=9 October 2020 |newspaper=News24 |date=17 March 2019}}
In March 2019, the Democratic Alliance announced their parliamentary candidates for the general election on 8 May. Cuthbert was placed 60th on the party's national list and 15th on the party's Gauteng regional list.{{cite web |title=Mathew John Cuthbert |url=https://www.pa.org.za/person/mathew-john-cuthbert/ |website=People's Assembly |access-date=9 October 2020}} After the election, he was announced as an incoming parliamentarian.{{cite news |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=24 October 2020 |newspaper=News24}} He was sworn in on 22 May 2019. On 5 June 2019, the DA parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, selected him to be the Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.{{cite news |last1=Gerber |first1=Jan |title=Here's the DA's 'shadow cabinet' |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/heres-the-das-shadow-cabinet-20190605 |access-date=9 October 2020 |newspaper=News24 |date=5 June 2019}} Cuthbert became a member of the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry on 27 June.
In 2020, Cuthbert supported Helen Zille's bid to be re-elected as chairperson of the DA's Federal Council, the party's second highest-decision making body.{{Cite news|last=Mavuso|first=Sihle|date=6 October 2020|title=Zille sets ball rolling to be re-elected as DA's federal council chair|work=Pretoria News|url=https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/pretoria-news/20201006/281586653055376|access-date=5 December 2020|via=Pressreader}} He also supported interim leader John Steenhuisen's leadership campaign.{{Cite news|last=Gerber|first=Jan|date=31 October 2020|title=DA elective conference: Who supports who?|work=News24|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/da-elective-conference-who-supports-who-20201031|access-date=5 December 2020}} After Steenhuisen was elected leader for a full term, he kept Cuthbert in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.{{Cite news|last=Mazzone|first=Natasha|date=5 December 2020|title=DA announces new Shadow Cabinet that will bring Real Hope and Real Change|work=Democratic Alliance|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}}
On 21 April 2023, Cuthbert was appointed the DA's Head of Policy following Gwen Ngwenya's departure to lead Airbnb's policy and legislative activities in the Middle East and Africa. Darren Bergman succeeded him as Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.{{Cite web |title=Mathew Cuthbert replaces Gwen Ngwenya as DA's head of policy |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2023-04-21-mathew-cuthbert-replaces-gwen-ngwenya-as-das-head-of-policy/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}}
Personal life
Cuthbert is a cousin of AfriForum president Kallie Kriel. In an interview in May 2018, Kriel said that apartheid was not a crime against humanity. Cuthbert called his comment "disgusting".{{cite news |last1=Mitchley |first1=Alex |title=Kriel's cousin labels his apartheid comment as disgusting |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/kriels-cousin-labels-his-apartheid-comment-as-disgusting-20180516 |access-date=9 October 2020 |newspaper=News24 |date=16 May 2018}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/mathew-cuthbert/ Mathew Cuthbert: The Daily Maverick]
- [https://www.parliament.gov.za/person-details/39 Mr Mathew John Cuthbert] at Parliament of South Africa
{{South African Shadow Cabinet}}
{{Current MPs of South Africa}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuthbert, Mathew}}
Category:White South African people
Category:Politicians from Gauteng
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