Mergan Chetty

{{Short description|South African politician (born 1968)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Mergan Chetty

| honorific_suffix = MP

| birth_name =

| bithh_place =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|01|17|df=y}}

| office1 = Member of Parliament from KwaZulu-Natal

| termstart2 = 22 May 2019

}}

Mergan Chetty (born 17 January 1968) is a South African politician and a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Democratic Alliance (DA).{{Cite web|url=http://www.pa.org.za/person/mergan-chetty/|title=Mergan Chetty|website=People's Assembly|language=en|access-date=2019-12-15}}

He was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa in the 2019 South African general election.

Since June 2019, he served as the Shadow Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation in the Shadow Cabinet of Mmusi Maimane. Following John Steenhuisen's election as leader of the DA, he was appointed to his shadow cabinet in the same position.{{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 |agency=Democratic Alliance |date=5 December 2020}}

He has been a member of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation (National Assembly Committees) since 27 June 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pa.org.za/organisation/international-relations-and-cooperation/|title=Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation|website=People's Assembly|language=en|access-date=2019-12-15}}

Controversies

In 2017, The ANC KwaZulu-Natal laid charges of crimen injuria against Chetty after he was allegedly caught on tape using the term “makwerekwere,” a derogatory word used against foreigners of African origin.{{Cite web |last=Oliphant |first=Nathi |date=8 February 2017 |title=WATCH: ANC lays charges against 'xenophobic' DA deputy KZN leader |url=https://new.timeslive.co.za/articles/politics/2017-02-08-watch-anc-lays-charges-against-xenophobic-da-deputy-kzn-leader |website=TimesLive}}

In 2023, a voice note of a meeting between Chetty and other DA councillors was leaked to the Mail & Guardian. In the expletive laden recording, Chetty told DA councillors “if there was money (coming from municipal contractors)” it should rather be channeled to the DA constituency office as “the party has a right to take donations,” instead of them taking money as individuals.{{Cite web |last=Harper |first=Paddy |date=30 June 2023 |title=Claims of DA corruption cover-up in eThekwini |url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2023-06-30-claims-of-da-corruption-cover-up-in-ethekwini/ |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=Mail & Guardian}}

References