Natasha Mazzone has been appointed as the new chief whip for the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Parliament. She was the party’s shadow minister of public enterprises.
Mazzone was appointed to the position by the party’s new parliamentary leader John Steenhuisen, who had replaced Mmusi Maimane last week, following the latter’s resignation over the DA’s poor performance in the May general election.
Mazzone is the first woman to hold the position of chief whip for the party.
According to The Citizen, Mazzone said: ‘I am deeply humbled by the faith shown in me by the parliamentary leader and my party. I obviously step into massive shoes and look forward to the challenge. It has been a very difficult period for the DA and I have every intention to concentrate on steadying the ship and ensuring continued excellence in the DA parliamentary benches. Being an MP is the greatest honour of my life and being appointed the first female chief whip of the DA in parliament is a tremendous honour. I stand on the shoulders of giants and I dare not fail them.’
Steenhuisen said Mazzone was the right appointment on the grounds of her competence and the fact that she would bring stability to the party after a period of turmoil.