Mervyn Cirota

Mervyn Cirota
Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
Assumed office
21 May 2014
Personal details
Born
Mervyn Hyman Cirota

(1953-03-24) 24 March 1953 (age 71)
NationalitySouth African
Political partyDemocratic Alliance (2000–2005; 2010–present)
Other political
affiliations
Independent Democrats (2006–2010)
Residence(s)Johannesburg, South Africa
ProfessionPolitician, attorney

Mervyn Hyman Cirota (born 24 March 1953) is a South African politician who serves as a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature for the Democratic Alliance. He is an attorney by profession.

Early life and education

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Cirota matriculated in 1970. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce qualification in 1976 and achieved a Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree in 1979. He started practicing as an attorney in the 1980s. In 2007, he achieved a diploma in governance from the University of Johannesburg before he achieved a Certificate in Property Development and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2014.

Political career

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Cirota became politically involved in the 1970s. He was elected as the ward councillor for Houghton Estate in 2000 as a member of the Democratic Alliance. In 2005, he resigned from the DA and joined the Independent Democrats.[1] The following year, he was appointed as the party's Gauteng Regional Director, a position he held until after the 2006 elections. He also represented the ID in the city's Safety and Finance Committees.[2] He was chairperson of the Bramley Community Police Forum from 1997 to 2008.[3]

In July 2007, he was elected as the national chairperson of the ID.[2] The ID and DA announced their merger in 2010 and Cirota became a member of the DA again. In 2011 he was re-elected to the Johannesburg city council as a DA councillor and he was appointed as the DA's Gauteng Provincial Disciplinary Chair. Cirota became the DA Gauteng South Fundraising Chairperson in 2012.[3] In 2014 he was elected as a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.[4] Cirota was appointed to the role of Shadow MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs by DA Caucus Leader John Moodey in December 2016.[5]

After his re-election in 2019, the newly elected DA Caucus Leader, Solly Msimanga, appointed him as head of the team that deals with legislation.[6] He is also a special delegate to the National Council of Provinces.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "DA councillor quits to join ID". Cape Town. News24. 30 May 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Mervyn Cirota". Independent Democrats. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Mervyn Cirota". Democratic Alliance. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  4. ^ "2014 elections: Members of Gauteng legislature". Politicsweb. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  5. ^ Mkentane, Luyolo (6 December 2016). "DA puts hopes in Gauteng reshuffle". Independent Online. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Gauteng DA unveils the province's shadow MECs". Independent Online. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Mervyn Cirota". DA Gauteng. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
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