Alan Winde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Winde
MPP
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Winde in 2018
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| 8th Premier of the Western Cape | |
| Assumed office 22 May 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Helen Zille |
| Western Cape Provincial Minister of Community Safety | |
| In office 1 November 2018 – 22 May 2019 |
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| Premier | Helen Zille |
| Preceded by | Dan Plato |
| Succeeded by | Albert Fritz |
| Western Cape Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities | |
| In office 26 May 2014 – 1 November 2018 |
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| Premier | Helen Zille |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Beverley Schäfer |
| Western Cape Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism | |
| In office 7 May 2009 – 26 May 2014 |
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| Premier | Helen Zille |
| Preceded by | Garth Strachan |
| Succeeded by | Position dissolved |
| Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament | |
| Assumed office 15 June 1999 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alan Richard Winde
18 March 1965 Knysna, Cape Province, South Africa |
| Political party | Democratic Alliance (2000–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic Party (1999–2000) Independent (Before 1999) |
| Spouse | Tracy Winde (m. 1993) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residences | Knysna Cape Town |
| Education | Knysna High School |
| Profession | Politician Businessman |
Alan Richard Winde was born on 18 March 1965. He is a South African politician and businessman. Since 2019, he has been the 8th and current Premier of the Western Cape. This means he is the leader of the Western Cape province in South Africa.
Winde has been a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament since 1999. He is part of the Democratic Alliance political party. He was born in Knysna and went to Knysna High School. Before becoming a full-time politician, he started several small businesses.
He began his political journey as a local councillor in the early 1990s. In 1999, he was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. Over the years, he has held important roles in the provincial government. From 2009 to 2014, he was the Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism. After that, he became the Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities until 2018.
In 2018, the Democratic Alliance chose Winde to be their candidate for Premier of the Western Cape. He also briefly served as the Provincial Minister of Community Safety. On 22 May 2019, he was elected Premier, taking over from Helen Zille. He is the second Premier from the Democratic Alliance party.
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Alan Winde's Early Life
Alan Richard Winde was born in Knysna on 18 March 1965. His parents are Ingrid and William Dave Winde. He finished high school at Knysna High School.
After school, Winde started many small businesses in Knysna. These included businesses for printing, selling bicycles, courier services, and boat parts. Later, he worked as a business consultant.
Political Career
Starting in Politics
Winde first became involved in politics in the early 1990s. He served as a councillor for the Outeniqua Rural Council. In 1996, he was elected to the South Cape District Council as an independent candidate.
Soon after, the Democratic Party asked him to join them. He was then elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in the 1999 general election. He officially became a Member on 15 June 1999.
During his first time in parliament, he was the Western Cape Provincial Finance Chairman. He was re-elected in the 2004 general election. Before being re-elected again in 2009, he held other important roles. He was the Chief Whip for the opposition party and a spokesperson on environment and economic development.
Becoming a Provincial Minister
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In May 2009, Premier Helen Zille chose Winde to be the Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism. He was sworn into this role on 7 May 2009.
After the 2014 election, Premier Zille gave Winde a new role. He became the Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities. In this job, he was in charge of the Provincial Departments of Agriculture, Economic Development, and Tourism. He was sworn in on 26 May 2014.
As Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities, Winde worked on different projects. For example, in 2017, he announced that the provincial government would host events in Cape Town. These events allowed people to talk directly with government officials. During the drought from 2017 to 2018, he supported farmers keeping their private water supply.
In October 2018, Premier Zille announced that Winde would move to a new department. He became the Provincial Minister of Community Safety on 1 November 2018. He took over from Dan Plato.
Winde also served as acting Premier of the Western Cape a few times. This happened when Premier Zille was away. For example, in February 2019, he was sworn in as acting premier when Zille was in Germany.
Leading the Western Cape
Becoming Premier: The 2019 Election
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Alan Winde was a strong candidate to become the next Premier of the Western Cape. On 19 September 2018, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane, announced that Winde was their choice. Winde won against other strong candidates in an internal party vote.
In the 2019 elections on 8 May 2019, the Democratic Alliance won enough votes to stay in charge of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.
First Term as Leader
On 22 May 2019, Alan Winde was officially elected Premier of the Western Cape. He became the second person from the Democratic Alliance to hold this important position. He received 24 out of 34 votes.
The very next day, on 23 May 2019, Winde announced the people who would be in his Provincial Cabinet. These are like his team of ministers who help him run the province. He kept four ministers in their old jobs. He moved three ministers to new jobs and appointed three new people. He also said that all new cabinet members would have their lifestyles checked.
On 11 July 2019, the national Police Minister announced that soldiers would be sent to areas in Cape Town with high crime rates. Winde welcomed this help. His predecessor, Helen Zille, had also asked for soldiers to be deployed before. The soldiers started their work on 18 July 2019. Winde asked for the soldiers to stay longer to help keep the province safe.
On 18 July 2019, Winde gave his first major speech as Premier. In this speech, he talked about what the provincial government had achieved. He also shared his plans for the future of the Western Cape. He spoke about crime and how his government planned to make the province safer.
On 19 September 2019, Winde and his Provincial Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, announced a big plan. They said the provincial government would invest a lot of money to train and hire 3,000 safety officers and 150 investigators. The goal of this safety plan is to cut the province's crime rates in half within the next ten years. The first 500 safety officers started their work in February 2020.
Re-election in 2024
On 26 August 2023, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen, announced that Alan Winde would be their candidate for Premier again. This was for the 2024 provincial election. The Democratic Alliance won the election, keeping control of the province with over 55% of the votes.
Second Term as Leader
Alan Winde was re-elected as Premier on 13 June 2024. This happened during the first meeting of the new Provincial Parliament. He received 26 votes, showing continued support for his leadership.
Alan Winde's Personal Life
Alan Winde married his wife, Tracy, in 1993. They have two children together. The family lives in Claremont, Cape Town. Winde's son is studying sound engineering, and his daughter has finished high school. Winde was also a member of his daughter's high school's governing body.
Winde has Type 2 diabetes. In May 2021, it was reported that he improved his health. He did a 21-day plant-based eating program with help from a wellness centre in Cape Town.
Images for kids
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Winde in 2018
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Winde as Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in 2013
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Alan Winde for Premier campaign bus, unveiled in April 2019.
