DA spokesperson for public enterprises

In Grade 1, Natasha Michael told her teacher she wanted to be president. By her 21st birthday Michael was the national federal youth leader for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and a member of the Tshwane Metro Council. Now 33, Michael is deputy chairperson of the DA’s federal council and sits on the DA side of Parliament as the spokesperson for public enterprises, helping to ensure that the public coffers are spent in the way they were intended.

To this end, Michael regularly takes part in planned and surprise oversight visits, offering workable solutions to problems plaguing companies in her portfolio, including Eskom, Transnet and SAA. A gifted speaker, Michael has participated in Bill Clinton’s South African Town Hall debate and given the DA’s speech for the first Mandela Day celebrations in Parliament. She may not be president but she knows how to use the platforms given her to fight for the rights of all South Africans.

— Cat Pritchard

Twitter: @NatashaMichael3