Dereleen James

James was born in Johannesburg and matriculated from Chris Jan Botha Senior Secondary School with a senior certificate.^[2] She lives in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg.^[3] She is a single parent and has a son who had a drug addiction during his teenage years.^[3] Her son's drug addiction led to her to become involved in community activism.

In 2013, James wrote a letter addressed to South African president Jacob Zuma called "Dear Dad", in which she asked for the government's intervention in Eldorado Park's substance abuse crisis. Her letter led to Zuma and his cabinet ministers visiting the suburb to meet with James and community members.^[3] James founded the Yellow Ribbon Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preventing substance abuse, in 2013.^[3] She was appointed as a member of the SAPS National Youth Crime Prevention Forum in 2018 and then as a member of the SAPS National Anti-Drug and Gangsterism Priority Forum in 2019.^[3] She was also a member of the Central Drug Authority.^[3]

In 2018, James met Herman Mashaba, who was then the mayor of Johannesburg, at the opening of the Eldorado Park Community Based Substance Abuse Treatment Centre.^[3] She joined the party that he established in 2020, ActionSA, because she claimed that it was the only party focusing on the issue of substance abuse. She was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa in the 2024 national and provincial elections.^[4] Following her swearing-in, she was appointed a member of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, an alternate member of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development and an alternate member of the Portfolio Committee on Police in July 2024.^[5] She was elected deputy chairperson of the multi-party women's caucus in October 2024.^[6] She was appointed an alternate member of the Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in July 2025.^[5]

In September 2025, James called on president Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a state of emergency on the Cape Flats after 63 children were killed due to gun violence in the area over the past few months.^[7]

In late-November 2025, James alleged that parliament had refused to pay her expenses to attend hearings of the ad hoc committee in Pretoria. She then said that ActionSA paid for her to attend the hearings. The chairperson of the ad-hoc committee, Soviet Lekganyane, disputed her accusation by saying that parliament only covers the logistics claims of full-time members of the committee and not alternate members like James. The spokesperson of parliament, Moloto Mothapo, also emphasised the existing mechanisms available to Members of Parliament, such as the travel entitlement, that James could have used to undertake such a trip.^[8]