Debbie Schäfer


Deborah Anne "Debbie" Schäfer is a South African politician and lawyer who is the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Education. She also serves as a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. She previously served as Shadow Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development from 2010 to 2014, Shadow Deputy Minister of Police from 2009 to 2010, and a Member of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2014. Schäfer is a member of the Democratic Alliance.

Early life and family

Schäfer was born on 18 December 1966 in Pietermaritzburg in the Natal Province. During her early years, her family relocated to Johannesburg, where she completed her primary school education. They later moved to Cape Town where she matriculated from Bergvliet High School in 1984.
She achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology from the University of Cape Town and, later on, in 1990, she received an LLB degree from the same university. She is married to Mark Schäfer. They have twin daughters, who both finished high school in 2017.
Schäfer practised as an attorney of the Cape High Court for twelve years before starting her political career as a ward councillor.

Political career

Schäfer joined the Democratic Party in 1999. In 2002, she was elected to the Cape Town City Council as the councillor for ward 62, an area that included the suburbs of Wynberg and Constantia. In the 2006 elections, she was elected the councillor for ward 73. She served in this position until her election to the National Assembly in 2009. She took office as a Member on 6 May 2009.
On 14 May 2009, the Democratic Alliance released a statement, in which Schäfer was appointed Shadow Deputy Minister of Police. Democratic Alliance Parliamentary Leader Athol Trollip reshuffled his Shadow Cabinet in September 2010 and appointed Schäfer as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development. She retained her position when newly-elected Parliamentary Leader Lindiwe Mazibuko announced her Shadow Cabinet in February 2012. During her tenure in Parliament, she served on the Magistrates’ Commission.
In 2014, she was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. She took office as a Member on 21 May 2014. Premier Helen Zille appointed Schäfer to the position of Provincial Minister of Education. She was sworn in on 26 May 2014 by Western Cape Deputy Judge President Jeanette Traverso. Following her re-election in May 2019, newly-elected Premier Alan Winde retained Schäfer as Provincial Minister of Education.