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.

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

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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