Ms Lungiswa James (DA)

What is your political background?

I accidentally met politics as I am from a family where sharing and caring was important together communal assistance. The driver of all this was my mother who was the pillar in our home unfortunately she died when I was 16. My mother was a staunch PAC member whereas my father was an ANC cadre therefore politic was there at home from that young age in Gugulethu, Cape Town for me. From Gugulethu I moved to old Crossroads with my two siblings after the death of our mother. At the time I was forced to leave Healdtown education at grade 11. When I returned to Cape Town I then worked in clothing factories around Cape Town Metro between 1975 and 1977 early. At the time I changed my name to N. Smith just to get employment as the government system of the day stratified employment according to skin colour. At one point I was also referred to as Angelina Abrahams to get work.

Between 1976 and 1977 I had gone back to school but because of the youth uprising between those two years schools closed. In 1978 when I arrived in old crossroads I met the Black sash organisation which advised us on legal matters as we had illegally occupied that land. Black sash also established a clinic there. I got heavily involved in the structures that were concerned with community development of old crossroads. I left old crossroads in 1984 to move to Khayelitsha through forced removals by the community leader in that location at the time. Developmental work started in Khayelitsha when 18 families led by women from old crossroads started and at the time where I found work with the Quakers. They taught me developmental studies and as those women we started food gardens and crèches.

I was on the sidelines during the times of the Khayelitsha negotiating forum (KNF) where there had been a committee of 10, then the South African Civil Organisation (SANCO) and the United Democratic Front where except for the KNF I had not been involved in other structures, especially political formations. My involvement in politics started when F.W. De Klerk said that all political organisations would be unbanned in 1990. I told Mr De Klerk in 1991 that I would work with him for the benefit of all South Africans and I joined the then National Party (NP) in 1993 which supported nursery schools in Khayelitsha in 1993 and it won many wards in the local government elections in Khayelitsha that followed after 1994.I also have been active in the then Democratic Party (DP) as well. I also met and worked with Mr Trevor Manuel between 1994 and 1997 where I was just a branch member of the NP but continued to be heavily invested in community development work in Khayelitsha. From 1998 to 2002 we developed the first black Democratic Alliance (DA) branch at Langa Township. I stayed an organiser of the DA across all the townships of Cape Town along the N2 from Langa to Khayelitsha. In 2007 I went into private business and of the 26 branches along the route I was recalled from my private interests to revive those floundering branches from 2008. I was then elected the first black chairperson of that constituency that year and in re-elected in 2009 again.

In 2010 I applied for councillorship for the DA and was accepted so that in the 2011 local government elections I became a DA councillor in the Mayoral Committee (MAYCO) and was responsible for clinics in 8 sub-districts of the City of Cape Town Metro until 2013.

In 2014 I applied to be included in the DA’s national list for the National elections; which is how I got to Parliament.

What does your job as an MP entail?

On Mondays and Friday I am at my constituency working with a ward councillor to address all the community issues were I have been deployed by the party. On Tuesday morning I am in parliament dealing with office administration so that in the afternoon I am in the House for plenaries. On Wednesday morning I am at committee where I have been seconded to the Portfolio Committee on Health and then plenary in the afternoon. On Thursday morning I am at my party caucus and then plenary in the afternoon.

What is your impression of the fifth Parliament?

At the portfolio committee we deal with issues of national interest where party allegiances are set-aside and we focus on solution to the challenges South Africans face in the health sector.

At the Chamber, grand standing occurs across the board affecting all political parties in parliament. It occurs to such an extent that I get to miss being in the MAYCO because at least there I was at the coal face and could see literal change for the better; in the lives of the citizens I was a servant of. What constituency area have you been assigned to you by your party? Brackenfell, Wallacedene, Scottsdene

What is most interesting about your constituency work so far?

With the ward councillor I work with we have managed electrification of the Temporary Relocation Area (TRA) in Wallacedene on the 10 December 2016. We have had a meeting with that community about the hygiene and cleanliness of children’s play parks where we have discussed how they would look after the parks and ensure there would be no illegal dumping of waste bins. We have also been discussing the establishment of a drug and alcohol abuse centre in the clinic at Wallacedene or Blokombos, as well as aftercare centres as well so as to remove the incentive for children to get involved in drugs.

What are you most passionate about - this applies both in a political/professional arena as well as personally?

Community development, co-operatives and other types of community based organisations. We have fought to ensure that there were toilets, clean running water and nurseries in informal settlements.

What would your message to South Africa be?

South Africans have to remember when we vote that we are doing it to secure a future for its children. We have to ensure that we avoid letting the country destabilize and become bankrupt because of people who serve their personal interests.