Michéle Clarke
{{short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Michéle Clarke
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = Michele Clarke.png
| image_size =
| caption = Clarke in May 2019
| office = Shadow Minister of Health
| term_start = 22 February 2022
| term_end = 14 July 2024
| leader = John Steenhuisen
| deputy = Lindy Wilson
| predecessor = Siviwe Gwarube
| office1 = Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises
| leader1 = John Steenhuisen
| 1blankname1 = Shadow Minister
| 1namedata1 = Ghaleb Cachalia
| term_start1 = 5 December 2020
| term_end1 = 22 February 2022
| predecessor1 = Erik Marais
| successor1 = Farhat Essack
| office2 = Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration
| leader2 = Mmusi Maimane
John Steenhuisen
| term_start2 = 5 June 2019
| term_end2 = 5 December 2020
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 = Mimmy Gondwe
| office3 = Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
| term_start3 = 22 May 2019
| term_end3 =
| office4 = Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
| term_start4 = 21 May 2014
| term_end4 = 7 May 2019
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|07|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = Florence Nightingale Clinic, Hillbrow, Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, South Africa
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = South African
| party = Democratic Alliance
| otherparty =
| spouse =
| partner =
| relations = Tania Campbell (sister)
| children = 2
| residence = Germiston, Gauteng
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Member of Parliament
| profession = Politician
| known_for =
| committees =
| awards =
| website =
}}
Michéle Odette Clarke (born 15 July 1963) is a South African politician. A member of the Democratic Alliance, Clarke served as a councillor in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality from 2004 until her election to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature as a DA representative in 2014. After serving one term in the provincial legislature, Clarke was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa in 2019. Within the DA's Shadow Cabinet, she served as Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration and as Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises before becoming Shadow Minister of health.
Political career
Clarke joined the Democratic Party, the Democratic Alliance's predecessor, in 1997 and served as the chairperson of the party's branch in Bedfordview until 2000.{{cite news |last1=de Jager |first1=Ischke |title=DA announces candidates for Provincial Congress |url=https://boksburgadvertiser.co.za/215164/da-announces-candidates-for-provincial-congress/ |access-date=19 September 2020 |newspaper=Boksburg Advertiser |date=18 November 2014}} Clarke soon became a member of the DA which was formed out of a merger of the DP and the New National Party in 2000. She was elected as the ward councillor for the Bedfordview Ward in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in a by-election in 2004.{{cite web |title=BY-ELECTIONS 23 Jun 2004 COMPARISON REPORT |url=http://www.elections.org.za/content/pages/reports/ReportHandler.aspx?lReportID=0&lEEID=68&sReportName=BYELEC_Comparison&sFormat=PDF |website=Electoral Commission |access-date=13 December 2020}} She was re-elected in 2006 and 2011. Clarke served as a whip and deputy chief whip of the DA caucus in the municipality.
Clarke was elected to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature at the provincial election held on 7 May 2014. She was sworn in as an MPL on 21 May 2014. She was assigned to the legislature's committees on community safety and education, and she was also appointed the party's spokesperson for community safety.{{cite web |title=Michéle Clarke |url=https://www.pa.org.za/person/michele-odette-clarke/ |website=People's Assembly |access-date=19 September 2020}} Between November 2014 and November 2017, she served as deputy provincial chair of the party.{{cite news |title=Moodey re-elected DA Gauteng head|url=https://www.news24.com/News24/Moodey-re-elected-DA-Gauteng-head-20141123-2 |access-date=19 September 2020 |newspaper=News24 |date=23 November 2014}}{{cite news |title=John Moodey re-elected DA Gauteng leader |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/john-moodey-re-elected-da-gauteng-leader-12068326 |access-date=19 September 2020 |newspaper=IOL |date=19 November 2017 |location=Johannesburg}}
Parliamentary career
Prior to the 8 May 2019 general elections, she was placed 12th on the DA's regional list, 65th on the party's provincial list and 45th on the party's national list. Clarke was elected to the National Assembly and took office as a Member of Parliament on 22 May 2019. On 5 June 2019, the DA parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, appointed her as Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration.{{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=19 September 2020 |newspaper=News24 |date=5 June 2019}} Clarke became a member of that specific portfolio's parliamentary committee on 27 June 2019.
On 5 December 2020, Clarke was appointed as Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises by John Steenhuisen.{{cite web |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 |website=Democratic Alliance |access-date=5 December 2020}} On 7 December, she left the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Performance Monitoring & Evaluation and became a member of the Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises.
By February 2022, Clarke had been promoted to Shadow Minister of Health, succeeding Siviwe Gwarube, who left the position after she was elected deputy chief whip of the DA caucus in December 2021. She now serves on the Portfolio Committee on Health. Clarke is opposed to the National Health Insurance Bill which she has said will be "another SOE".{{Cite web |last=Huisman |first=Biénne |date=2022-02-24 |title=NHI lawmakers: Face to Face with DA MP Michele Clarke |url=https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2022/02/24/nhi-lawmakers-face-to-face-with-da-mp-michele-clarke/ |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=Spotlight |language=en-ZA}}
Clarke was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 2024 general election.{{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}} Her tenure as Shadow Minister came to an end when the DA announced that it had entered into a coalition agreement with the ANC.{{Cite web |last=Masuabi |first=Queenin |date=2024-06-14 |title=DA joins ANC in GNU formation, backs Ramaphosa re-election |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-06-14-four-reasons-why-da-decided-to-join-the-government-of-national-unity/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}}
Personal life
Clarke lives in Germiston with her husband. She has two children, a daughter and a son. Clarke holds a paralegal certificate.
Her sister is Tania Campbell, who is the former mayor of Ekurhuleni.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.parliament.gov.za/person-details/37 Mrs Michéle Odette Clarke] at Parliament of South Africa
{{Current MPs of South Africa|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Michéle}}
Category:Members of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2024–2029
Category:20th-century South African politicians
Category:Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians
Category:Women members of provincial legislatures of South Africa
Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2019–2024