The DA Johannesburg caucus has invested in new blood when appointing 25-year-old Chantelle Fourie-Shawe as a councillor in the metro.
A focused and intelligent Chantelle was sworn in last month, a move which she regarded as a dream come true.
One would swear that she was born to serve the public. The young wedded political figure found her feet in politics after working as a journalist.
“I was a journalist for just about four years from early 2015 until the end of 2018. As a junior reporter, I was immediately interested in local government reporting, and started focusing on that where I was stationed on the West Rand,” said the Krugersdorp-born.
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Her journalism career began at the Joburg West Branch of Caxton Local Media working for Krugersdorp News before later transferring to the Northern branch.
“By the time I moved to cover local government news for the City of Johannesburg I already knew that the impact of a councillor could be quite significant. It became clearer that I truly enjoyed assisting people wherever and in whichever ways I could. This is what I felt gave me purpose and motivated me every day. Eventually, I understood that the impact I wanted to make was best achieved by putting my hand up as a public representative for the DA,” she explained her transition from being a reporter to a politician.
With the vast variety of political parties selling their ideas for a better South Africa, Chantelle was asked why she opted to join the DA. “The DA is the only viable solution to a better South Africa, especially to those who have yet to experience the economic freedom they were so eagerly promised.
“How do I know this? A simple Google search will reveal that DA-run municipalities and areas are better governed, more transparent, more successful, and often awarded for this. Where the DA governs, unemployment is lower, the percentage of the population that is educated is higher, and true economic freedom is achieved,” she further motivated her answer.
While successful people in the world have had role models, Chantelle named Helen Suzman as her inspiration.
“While there are many politicians, both past and present, who truly inspire me, I would have to honour Helen Suzman. She was a human rights and anti-apartheid activist representing the Progressive Party, which eventually made its way to become the Democratic Alliance as it is today. She served as the lone voice against apartheid in Parliament between 1961 and 1974 – six years of which she was the only woman in Parliament,” she cited.
Chantelle, who will serve in Wards 41 and 44, explained what she aims to achieve in those circuits.
“I will work to bring across the DA’s message of non-racialism, and of opportunity and accountability. These wards include predominantly Meadowlands East in Soweto. This area has a high concentration of people under the age of 30 who need to hear the DA’s message of hope – which encompasses an actual plan of action – for their futures. Given that over half of all job-seeking young people are unemployed, this message is more needed than ever,” she envisaged.
As a mother-to-be wishing to give birth to a healthy strong boy next year, also part of her wishes is to continue to serve as a public representative in the DA, a caucus she believes will run the City of Johannesburg in 2021.
“I simply want to be the best local government councillor I can be. This is a promise I not only make to the communities where I will serve, but also to myself and my family, and for their future,” she concluded.
