Natasha Mazzone

Natasha Wendy Anita Mazzone MP OSI (born 9 May 1979) is a South African politician who served as the Chief Whip of the Official Opposition in the National Assembly of South Africa from October 2019 until August 2022.

She attended Sunnyside Primary School and matriculated from The Glen High School, Pretoria in 1996.

She passed matric with a university exemption.

In 1997, she enrolled for a law degree at the University of Pretoria.

She started her political career in 1997 at the University of Pretoria (UP) where she was the chairperson of the Democratic Party (DP) Youth branch.

In 1998, she was elected as the National Federal Youth Leader of the DP.

In the same year, she was elected to the Student Representative Council at UP and was the Executive member for Student Safety.

In 1999, Mazzone was elected as the Speaker of the UP SRC.

She was active in student politics at UP, serving as the speaker of the Students' Representative Council (SRC) between 2000 and 2001.

She did not complete her law degree.

In 2000, the Democratic Alliance (DA) was formed and the DP formed part of this merger.

In 2000, Mazzone stood for election as a city councillor in the Tshwane Metro.

She was elected in December and at age 21, she was the youngest councillor in the municipality.

Mazzone left the UP in 2002 and enrolled at the University of South Africa (UNISA).

In September 2002, she began taking courses towards a Bachelor of Laws (LLB).

Mazzone did her legal articles between 2002 and 2007 under Victor Williams at Hahn & Hahn Attorneys in Hatfield, Pretoria.

She did other courses in 2003, 2007, and 2010, respectively, but she did not receive sufficient credits to get her law degree.

In 2003, the DA caucus in the Metro elected Mazzone to the position of Chief Whip of the Official Opposition and she held this position until her election to Parliament in May 2009.

She completed her articles in accordance with Section 5(3) of the Attorneys Act, which stated that a candidate could do their articles in five years if they were studying towards an LLB. In 2004, Mazzone did a practical legal training course at Legal Education and Development (LEAD) and received a certificate.

Mazzone studied music and opera at the Lorraine Haverman school of music.

She was then elected as the National Federal Youth Leader of the DA, a position she held until 2004.

She has been a Member of the National Assembly, representing the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), since 2009.

She was the second Deputy Federal Council Chairperson of the DA and the party's spokesperson on state capture.

Mazzone has previously served as Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises and of Communications.

Mazzone is the child of immigrant parents and was born in Pretoria, South Africa.

Her father Giovanni was born in Pietrastornina in the Province of Avellino in Italy and was a chef.

He died in April 2021.

Her mother Valerie was born in London, England.

Mazzone is the youngest of three children.

Mazzone was sworn in as a Member of Parliament on 6 May 2009.

She was first made the Shadow Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development by Parliamentary Leader Athol Trollip.

During Trollip's first Shadow cabinet reshuffle, Mazzone was made the Shadow Minister of Communications.

She held this position until newly elected Parliamentary Leader Lindiwe Mazibuko appointed her to the position of Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises.

Mazzone represents the Democratic Alliance on the Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament, the Disciplinary Committee, and the Rules Committee.

Formerly a member of both the Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises and the Portfolio Committee on Communications, she was also the party whip in charge of legislation before her appointment as chief whip.

Mazzone has also been involved in the provincial politics of Gauteng.

She was elected as one of three deputy provincial chairpersons of the Democratic Alliance in October 2009.

In 2010 Mazzone was selected to attend the American Council of Young Political Leaders program.

In April 2010, she ran for Provincial Leader of the DA.

She faced former DA MP Janet Semple and incumbent John Moodey.