Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
New DA whip ‘tough enough’
TO those wondering when the newly appointed DA chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, will resign from the party, all she has to say is that her immediate goal is to lead the DA caucus to the 2024 elections.
And while Gwarube, 33, from Qonce, expects major push-back from those seated across the aisle in the National Assembly, she has declared she is “tough for it”.
“I have no fears that there will be people who will try and scupper those ambitions,” she said.
“This is a political environment, it’s not your mother’s house and it will always be difficult, but I am tough for it and I am prepared for it,” Gwarube said.
The Rhodes University BA law and politics graduate was appointed to the position of DA chief whip last week, replacing Natasha Mazzone, who will now represent the DA on Parliament’s standing committee on intelligence.
Mazonne will also serve as national security advisor to DA leader John Steenhuisen.
Gwarube said she paid tribute to the work done by Mazzone, including serving as DA chief whip during the pandemic.
“Now I focus on leaving my legacy one day in this role and taking it on with both hands.
“I think it speaks volumes that I have been able to get to where I am at my age.
“It also speaks about my abilities. I don’t in any way gauge myself against my predecessor (using academic achievements) because she had her strengths and I have mine,” Gwarube said.
Gwarube said that she was ready for the role both technically and professionally.
“I intend to navigate this space very authentically,” she said.
“I truly believe that you have got to lead as you are and I am a 33-year-old black woman and that comes with its complexities and I can only approach the role as I am with my experiences, with my life view.
“I think that everything that I have done professionally to this point has led me exactly where I need to be right now,” she said.
Gwarube has risen through the ranks of the DA, from working as a staff member in the office of thenleader of the opposition Lindiwe Mazibuko, who she described as phenomenal.
Her journey in advocating for issues affecting students and fighting for injustices dates back to her days as a young girl and later as a student who was excluded for financial reasons.
Although Gwarube holds the teaching of her grandmother who raised her in rural KwaMdingi, in the Eastern Cape, in high regard, she has reiterated that she will not fall victim to ageism in Parliament.
“Being a 33-year-old black woman in South African politics is not child’s play,” she said.
“Working with people who are twice your age and seem to demand a certain level of respect.
“This is a difficult thing particularly for older members of Parliament, especially in the ANC.
“For them to understand that when I hold you accountable, I don’t do so out of malice or out of disrespect, it’s my job,” Gwarube said.