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Mike Waters (politician)

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Mike Waters
Deputy Chief Whip of the Official Opposition
In office
29 May 2014 – 30 May 2019
LeaderMmusi Maimane
Preceded bySandy Kalyan
Succeeded byJacques Julius
Shadow Minister of Social Development
In office
1 February 2012 – 29 May 2014
LeaderLindiwe Mazibuko
Preceded byPatricia Kopane
Succeeded byPatricia Kopane
Shadow Minister of Health
In office
July 2006 – 1 February 2012
LeaderTony Leon
Sandra Botha
Athol Trollip
Lindiwe Mazibuko
Preceded byGareth Morgan
Succeeded byPatricia Kopane
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
In office
14 June 1999 – 19 February 2021
Personal details
Born
Michael Waters

(1967-06-30) 30 June 1967 (age 57)
Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
NationalitySouth African
Political partyDemocratic Alliance (2000–present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (1989–2000)
Alma materTechnikon Witwatersrand

Mike Waters (born 30 June 1967) is a South African politician, and former Member of Parliament for the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), where he served as the Opposition's Deputy Chief Whip from 2014 to 2019.[1] He served as the Shadow Minister of Health from 2006 to 2012,[2] and as the Shadow Minister of Social Development from 2012 to 2014.

Early life

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Waters was born in the United Kingdom in 1967. He and his family migrated to South Africa in 1972.[3] Waters attended Bedfordview High School before attaining a diploma in human resources from Technikon Witwatersrand. He joined the Democratic Party in 1989, and became president of the DP National Youth in 1994.[4]

Political career

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Waters began his professional political career on the Kempton Park town council, winning a landmark by-election against the National Party in 1997. He was elected to Parliament in 1999, and subsequently was appointed DA spokesperson on Child Abuse. In 2004 he became Social Development spokesperson.[4] He succeeded Gareth Morgan as Shadow Health Minister in 2006, a position he held until 2012, when he was appointed as Shadow Minister of Social Development by the newly elected DA parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko.[5]

After he was re-elected to parliament in 2014, he was a candidate for deputy chief whip of the DA caucus. He defeated incumbent Sandy Kalyan in a vote that went 63 to 36.[6] At the 2015 Democratic Alliance Federal Congress, Waters was elected as one of three federal chairpersons of the DA.[7] Waters was a senior member of Ghaleb Cachalia's unsuccessful campaign to unseat John Moodey as the provincial leader of the DA in Gauteng in 2017.[8] He was re-elected for a second term as a federal chairperson in 2018.[9]

Following his re-election to parliament in 2019, he ran for re-election as deputy chief whip, but was defeated by Jacques Julius.[10] He then refused to be appointed to the DA's shadow cabinet.[8] In June 2019, James Selfe announced that he would be retiring as the chairperson of the DA's Federal Council. Waters subsequently declared that he was a candidate to replace him.[8] He said that the party needed to return to its "core values" and that former party leader Helen Zille should be allowed back into the party's leadership.[11] He received few votes and finished last in a vote on 20 October 2019, which Zille won.[8]

In September 2020, John Moodey resigned from the party after he allegedly colluded with senior DA councillors in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to frame Waters in an alleged sex-for-jobs scandal. Waters accused Moodey of trying to "destroy" his reputation and political career. He also vowed legal action against him.[12] Waters stood down as a federal chairperson at the DA's Federal Congress in November 2020.[8]

On 19 February 2021, Waters resigned from parliament, saying that "being an MP has been the greatest honour of my life."[13] According to close confidants, he had lately contemplated resigning and gave no official reason when he resigned.[8] He thanked the DP, the DA, and the voters of Kempton Park and Edenvale for their support.[14] In June 2021, Waters was appointed as the DA's Gauteng East Campaign Manager for the 2021 local government elections.[15] He resigned from the post on 11 October after the DA decided to take down its controversial election posters in Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal. Waters was in support of the message and criticised the party for its decision to backtrack on supporting the controversial posters. He said in his resignation letter that he was "shocked and horrified" by the party's weakness.[16][17]

Policy issues

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AIDS policy

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Waters has been a vocal critic of the African National Congress's health policies, particularly those of controversial former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

Child abuse

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As the DA's spokesperson on child abuse, Waters visited all 45 child protection units in South Africa during 2002. The following year he visited all 48 sexual offences units.[4] He was vocally critical of the ruling ANC's decision to disband the amalgamated Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units in 2006.[18]

National Health Insurance

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Waters has publicly criticised the ANC's proposed national health insurance scheme. He has labeled the plan anti-poor and irresponsible:

As always, the poor will be hardest hit, because the NHI does nothing to address the crisis in public health care. That crisis has been caused by a shortage of nurses and doctors, inadequate facilities and resources, and weak management systems. The poor bear the brunt of it. The NHI is not pro-poor. In fact it is anti-poor. It is a sure-fire recipe for the destruction of public health care.[19]

Personal life

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Waters is openly gay.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "National List MPs" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  2. ^ "DA shadow cabinet - full list of names".
  3. ^ "Michael Waters". Democratic Alliance. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Mr Mike Waters". Archived from the original on 12 November 2007.
  5. ^ "DA announces new 'shadow cabinet'". News24. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Maimane appointed DA Parly leader". EWN. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Maimane elected new DA leader". News24. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Joubert, Jan-Jan (19 February 2021). "Senior DA-LP bedank [English: Senior DA MP resigns" (in Afrikaans). Maroela Media. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Maimane re-elected as DA leader". EWN. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  10. ^ Gerber, Jan (30 May 2019). "DA elects new caucus leadership, Mike Waters won't return as deputy chief whip". News24. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  11. ^ Ndenze, Babalo (8 October 2019). "DA needs to get back to its core values, says Mike Waters". EWN. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  12. ^ Madia, Tshidi (3 September 2020). "John Moodey's sex-for-jobs claims: DA's Mike Waters to take legal action". News24. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  13. ^ "'Being an MP has been the greatest honour of my life' - Mike Waters". News24. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  14. ^ Deklerk, Aphiwe (19 February 2021). "Former DA deputy chief whip Mike Waters resigns from parliament". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  15. ^ Du Plessis, Carien (22 June 2021). "DA nonplussed over criticism of mostly white elections team". News24. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  16. ^ Mahlati, Zintle (11 October 2021). "'Spineless treachery': DA stalwart resigns as campaign manager after party takes down Phoenix posters". News24. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  17. ^ Erasmus, Des (11 October 2021). "Phoenix posters fallout: DA's Mike Waters confirms resignation as Ekurhuleni campaign manager". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  18. ^ "DA slams closure of SAPS units".[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ "NHI will do nothing to improve dire state of hospitals - DA". Archived from the original on 22 April 2013.
  20. ^ Out and proud | Here are ten South African openly LGBTQ MPs
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Offices held

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Political offices
Preceded by South African Shadow Minister of Health
2009-2012 		Succeeded by
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