Retief Odendaal

Retief Odendaal
Councillor Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
In office 26 April 2009 – 17 August 2016
Leader of the Opposition in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
In office 24 February 2014 – 27 August 2016
Mayoral Committee Member for Finance in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
In office 18 August 2016 – 27 August 2016
Member of Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 May 2019
Member of Democratic Alliance Federal Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 2014
Personal details
Born	(1982-05-28) 28 May 1982 (age 39) Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Political party	Democratic Alliance
Spouse(s)	Anne-Marie Potgieter ​ ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	3

Retief Odendaal (born 28 May 1982) is a South African politician for the Democratic Alliance (DA). He is a Member of the Provincial Legislature in the Eastern Cape for the DA and is the current Shadow Member of Executive Council (MEC) for Finance, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform.

Early life and education[]

Retief was born in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, he attended Hoërskool Otto Du Plessis. He furthered his studies at Nelson Mandela University from 2001 to 2005. He obtained an LLB degree and did his articles at Delport, van Niekerk Attorneys. He is a practising attorney in Nelson Mandela Bay and a politician.

Political career[]

Retief Odendaal joined the DA in 2004. He is a founding member of the DA Youth in Nelson Mandela Bay which was founded in 2004. He became the Ward 6 Councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay in 2009 and served as the councillor until the 2016 South African municipal elections. Retief was also the leader of the opposition in Nelson Mandela Bay from 2014 to 2016. In 2016 when the DA became the majority party in Nelson Mandela Bay^[1] he was chosen by then-mayor Athol Trollip to serve as a Mayoral Committee Member (MMC) for Finance in Nelson Mandela Bay.^[2] He served in that position until the DA was ousted in 2018 by the ANC and their coalition partners on the 27th August 2018.^[3][4][5]

Retief has been a member of the Democratic Alliance Federal Council since 2014 and was also elected as the chairperson of the Provincial Disciplinary Committee for the DA in the Eastern Cape. He also served as the deputy chairperson of the DA in the Eastern Cape from 2017 to 2019.

After the 2019 South African general election he was elected as a Member of the Provincial Legislature for the DA in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. Shortly after the election, he was made the Shadow MEC for Finance, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform.^[6] He still serves in this capacity for the DA in Eastern Cape. Government of the Eastern Cape to light.

Uncovered under his tenure[]

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality receives R200m cash boost from National Treasury (2019)[]

The National Treasury (South Africa) rewarded the metro with R200 Million windfall money. The money was given to the metro for their good spending performance for 2017-2018 financial year. This was due to Retief and the DA coalition government spending 96% of their urban settlements development grants. The additional R200 million from National Treasury is money that was taken away by other municipalities or government departments who could not spend their allocated funds within the required timeframe.^[7]

Drought Disaster in the Eastern Cape (2019)[]

There was a serious drought disaster in the Eastern Cape in 2019. The province was experiencing one of the most disastrous droughts on record, with more than four years of low to little rainfall. The Premier made a commitment that he would declare the area a disaster zone but this didn't materialize fast enough. Due to questions asked by Retief in his oversight roles as the MEC for Finance, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform the government decided to declare the Eastern Cape a disaster area^{[8][9][10][11]}

Mismanagement in the Eastern Cape by Provincial Government (2020)[]

The most shocking of information that leaked during Retief's tenure was that possible Human Right Violations were taking place in the Eastern Cape by the provincial government as municipalities fail to provide water. The South African Human Rights Commission requested a formal investigation with regards to water and sanitation services provided to three local towns in the Eastern Cape. This investigation found 'prima facie violation' of the residents human rights. This is but the latest twist in the two decades of efforts by residents to stop the collapse of service delivery in these towns.^[12]

Mismanagement of experimental farms in Eastern Cape (2020)[]

In early 2020 information leaked that showcased how nearly 250 animals had died at the Eastern Cape government’s six experimental farming facilities. This raised serious concerns around care and possible neglect at these facilities. Retief asked questions to the premier in this regard and lead to the expose that the media received. The deaths of these animals raised various questions as to whether the animals were vaccinated and whether the staff were competent in dealing with animals and more specifically treating these animals.^[13][14]

Personal life[]

Retief is a fluent speaker of Afrikaans and English. He has three children. Retief married Anne-Marie Potgieter on 24 September 2010 in Port Elizabeth.

References[]