Alan Winde

Alan Richard Winde (born 18 March 1965) is a South African politician and businessman.

Alan Richard Winde was born on 18 March 1965 in Knysna to Ingrid and William Dave Winde.

He attended and matriculated from Knysna High School.

Winde started many small businesses that specialised in printing, selling bicycles, courier services and boat parts in Knysna.

He later worked as a business consultant for Aldes Business Brokers, a South African Top 100 Company.

He started his political career as a municipal and district councillor in the early 1990s.

Winde ran as an independent candidate and was elected to the South Cape District Council in 1996.

He had previously served as a councillor for the Outeniqua Rural Council.

Shortly after being elected a district councillor, the Democratic Party recruited him to be a candidate for the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

He has been a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament since 1999.

Winde is a member of the Democratic Alliance.

Born in Knysna, Winde attended Knysna High School.

He established small businesses in his hometown.

Shortly afterwards in 1999, he was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

He has held various leadership positions in the Democratic Alliance provincial parliament caucus.

He was elected in the 1999 general election.

He returned to the Provincial Parliament following the 2004 general election.

Winde was appointed Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in May 2009 and served until May 2014, when he assumed the post of Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities.

He was sworn in as a Member on 15 June 2009.

During his first term, he served as Western Cape Provincial Finance Chairman and a Member of the Executive Committee.

Briefly, before being re-elected in 2009, he served as Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, Party Spokesperson on Environment and Planning and Deputy Party Spokesperson on Economic Development and Tourism.

Premier Helen Zille appointed Winde to the position of Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism following his re-election in May 2009.

Constitutional Court Judge Yvonne Mokgoro swore him in as Provincial Minister on 7 May 2009.

He consequently succeeded Garth Strachan.

During his tenure, he criticised immigration regulations introduced by the national government, which he alleged had harmed tourism growth in the Western Cape, and organised petitions against the regulations.

After the 2014 election, Zille announced that Winde would now hold the title of Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities and only lead the Provincial Departments of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism.

The Provincial Finance Department would be an independent department with its own Provincial Minister.

Western Cape Deputy Judge President Jeanette Traverso swore him in on 26 May 2014.

As Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities, Winde announced in 2017 that during the First Thursday event in Cape Town, the provincial government would host talk shops where people could directly speak with government officials.

During the drought that ravaged the Western Cape province from 2017 to 2018, he argued for farmers to keep hold of their private agricultural water supply, even when their local municipalities had a shortage of water.

In September 2018, the Democratic Alliance selected Winde to be the party's Western Cape Premier candidate.

In October 2018, Premier Helen Zille appointed Winde to the post of Provincial Minister of Community Safety.

He took office on 1 November 2018.

Zille announced in October 2018 that Winde would move to the Provincial Community Safety Department as incumbent Provincial Minister Dan Plato had announced his intention to resign.

Winde was succeeded by Beverley Schäfer on 1 November 2018.

He subsequently assumed the post of Provincial Minister of Community Safety.

He is the 8th and current Premier of the Western Cape, having held the position since 2019.

On 8 May 2019, the Democratic Alliance retained their majority in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, but with a decrease in the number of seats.

Winde was elected Premier on 22 May 2019, succeeding Zille.

He is the second Western Cape Premier from the Democratic Alliance.