Peter Marais


Petrus Jacobus "Peter" Marais is a South African politician who is currently serving as a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.
He previously served as the inaugural Mayor of Cape Town from 2000 until his dismissal in 2001. He was soon appointed Premier of the Western Cape and served from 2001 to 2002. He has been a member of multiple political parties and movements.
Marais joined the Freedom Front Plus in January 2019 and consequently became the party's Western Cape Premier candidate for the 2019 election. He returned to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in May 2019.

Political career

Marais was the leader of the People's Congress Party and represented the party in the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1994. He joined the National Party in 1994. He was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament later in the same year. In 1998, newly-elected Premier of the Western Cape, Gerald Morkel, appointed Marais to the post of Provincial Minister of Health and Welfare. Morkel later dismissed him as Provincial Minister in February 2000 but re-appointed him to the Provincial Cabinet in June, heading the Social Services and Poverty Relief portfolio.
Marais was a senior member of the New National Party. He became a member of the Democratic Alliance in June 2000 and consequently held dual party membership. He was the Democratic Alliance's Cape Town mayoral candidate. He was elected Mayor of Cape Town in December 2000. Leader of Democratic Alliance, Tony Leon, dismissed Marais as mayor in 2001. Marais subsequently appealed to The Western Cape High Court. The court ordered his reinstatement in November 2001. He resigned as Mayor of Cape Town only a few hours after the court made its judgement. The sacking of Marais contributed to the New National Party pulling out of the Democratic Alliance.
Marais was elected Premier of the Western Cape on 5 December 2001 and served until his resignation on 3 June 2002. He resigned following allegations of sexual harassment. The Western Cape High Court later found him not guilty of the charges.
Following his departure from the New National Party, Marais founded the New Labour Party. The party performed poorly in the 2004 elections and as a result, was dissolved.
Marais joined the newly-formed Congress of the People in November 2008 and quit the party in 2009. He alongside Danny Titus established the Brown Empowerment Movement in June 2013. Marais joined the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa in July 2018.
In January 2019, Leader of the Freedom Front Plus, Pieter Groenewald, announced Marais as the party's Western Cape Premier candidate for the upcoming general election.
Following the 2019 elections, the Freedom Front Plus won one seat in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. Marais filled the seat on 22 May 2019.

Family and personal life

Marais was born in Cape Town. He attended Kensington High School and later studied at the University of the Western Cape.
He is married to Bonita Marais and the couple have children.