Patricia de Lille was appointed as Minister of Social Development in the Western Cape. Photo: Carolyn Meads via Flickr
Premier Helen Zille has reshuffled her cabinet in the Western Cape and Patricia de Lille has been appointed as the new Minister of Social Development. It will now be interesting to see what the impact will be on the social development sector in the province.
Polity.org reports that De Lille said: “Social development is my passion. For 24 years I’ve been fighting for the poor and the downtrodden. You won’t find me in an office, I will be out there dealing with the problems on the ground.”
This follows after the ID, the political party formed by De Lille in 2003, joined the DA on 15 August this year. According to Who’s Who of Southern Africa De Lille was the first woman to form a political party in this country.
South African History Online says De Lille has been vocal on “sensitive issues such as corruption, HIV/AIDS, women and child abuse, children in prison, xenophobia and poverty”. She also serves on the boards of the following organisations:
- Fikilela HIV/AIDS Project
- Age-in-Action
- Diocesan College-Bishops
- Nazareth House HIV/Aids Children
- St Josephs Home for chronically sick children
- Helen Suzman Foundation
- Impumelelo Innovation Awards
- Caring Network
- Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
- HIV/Aids Babies Battling HIV/AIDS Trust
The new appointment might mean new energy in the sector. Whatever happens, the most important thing is the impact on the poorest communities. Will a new appointment make a difference to them?
