Get to know Andrew Bateman

What is your political background? How did you come to join your political party and become an MP?

I was involved with another party between 2000 and 2007. I stood twice as Ward Councillor without success and served on its Provincial Executive Committee. 15 years later I re-entered the political arena. I studied the Democratic Alliance’s values, principles, policies and constitution and then joined the DA for the first time in November 2022. I was elected to the National Assembly in May 2024.

What does your job as an MP entail?

The work of an MP includes parliamentary duties, work in a local constituency and party responsibilities.

In Parliament, we have a responsibility to hold the executive to account and participate in the national debate. I am serving on the Standing Committee on Finance which provides oversight to National Treasury and a range of statutory entities which report to the Minister of Finance; my focus is on the economy, government finances and the finance sector. In my local constituency, I need to engage with residents, understand their issues, and help ensure that government works for them.

Party responsibilities include providing leadership for the branches in my constituency, participating in care events, by-elections, petitions, visibility events, engaging with voters and fundraising activities.

What impact do you hope to have?

Our economy is stagnant, we are a world leader in unemployment, and we spend a billion rand a day servicing our national debt. Clearly, there is work to be done! This national crisis has been caused by misguided policies, corruption, misspending and poor service delivery. My intention is to help turn this around with policies favourable to economic growth and job creation.

What are your thoughts on the government of national unity (GNU) for the Seventh Parliament? For the first time in a long while, there is hope. The GNU needs to deliver economic growth and jobs now. This will require pivoting to growth-friendly policies. Whether or not the GNU succeeds in delivering growth and new jobs, the DA has an opportunity to showcase to the nation that it is able to deliver when it is given the opportunity.

What can be done to get citizens more interested/ involved in Parliament?

Create a tighter link between constituencies and their MPs. Then MPs will have to answer to the citizens in their constituencies for how well they represent their interests and deliver tangible results that benefit those citizens.

Which Constituency Office/area have you been assigned to? Can you give examples of Constituency work you engaged in or plan to do?

My constituency, Oostenberg South 1, stretches from Delft to Kuils River in Cape Town. The constituency has a team of ten experienced, committed Councillors. Our residents have particular concerns with sanitation, electricity, crime and unemployment. Thus far, I have called for the handover of electricity supply from Eskom to the City of Cape Town and lobbied city leadership to deal with the sanitation challenges faced by the constituency. I am beginning to investigate the feasibility of establishing satellite police stations in crime-ridden neighbourhoods.

What will you and your party be focusing on during your term?

The DA’s rescue plan for South Africa defined our top seven priorities: Create two million jobs; End load-shedding and water-shedding; Halve the rate of violent crime; Crush corruption by abolishing cadre deployment in favour of merit-based appointments; Lift six million people out of poverty; Triple the number of grade four learners who can read for meaning; Ensure quality healthcare for all, irrespective of economic status. We continue to drive these priorities and DA policies within the GNU, particularly within the portfolios assigned to DA Cabinet Ministers. On the Standing Committee on Finance, I intend to champion decisions and policies that will support economic growth and job creation.

What are you passionate about? This applies both in the political/ professional arena and personally.

I am passionate about seeing South Africa reach its potential as a thriving, peaceful, prosperous nation. We can be an example to the global community of how people from many different cultures can work together to build a future in which everyone has a place and an opportunity to work and flourish.

What is your message to South Africa?

If we work as a team, united by a common goal, we shall achieve great things together as South Africans. The Springboks have shown us on the rugby field what could happen in the political arena. Nkosi Sikelel’iAfrika.

To learn more about this Member, visit his profile