Leader Helen Zille Name Dion George Preceded by Tim Harris Role South African Politician | Nationality South African Party Democratic Alliance Succeeded by Tim Harris | |
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Political party Democratic Alliance | ||
Dr. Dion George MP is a South African economist and politician, the former Shadow Minister of Finance, and a Member of Parliament for the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).
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He left parliament in 2015 to study abroad.
Early life
Dion was born in Durban and moved to Vanderbijlpark at a young age, where he completed high school. At 17, he went to Wits University and has lived in Johannesburg ever since. After completing his undergraduate degree and compulsory national service, he entered the financial services industry where he built his career. During this time, he was a vigorous community activist and this prompted what he describes as his other career, politics.
Education
Dion holds BA (Hons), MBA (Wits) and DBL (Economics) degrees and an Advanced Certificate in Municipal Governance. His MBA research report entitled "Investment choice for individual members of retirement funds" received the Investec Securities Prize for the Best Research in the field of Investments.
Political career
He joined the Democratic Party in 1995 and, in 2005, was elected chairman of the DA branch in Sandown, Sandton. After the 2006 municipal elections, he served the City of Johannesburg as a PR counselor on various committees, including housing, finance and economic development and municipal accounts.
In January 2008, he took his seat in parliament where he serves on the Portfolio Committee on Finance and as political head of the Sandton North and Midrand Constituency. He says the primary focus in his constituency as ensuring on-going service delivery and maintenance with orderly urban planning and development.
On his re-election to Parliament in 2009 he was appointed as the Shadow Minister of Finance. He was later appointed to the Standing Committee On Public Accounts (SCOPA). He continues to help the DA affirm its stance as the “Official Opposition Party” in South Africa and is regarded as one of the great financial minds in South Africa.