Les Govender
South African politician (born 1954)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Poobalan "Les" Govender (born 21 November 1954) is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who is currently serving as the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces. A member of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), he was a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature until the May 2024 general election.
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Les Govender | |
|---|---|
2025 Photo of Les Govender | |
| Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2024 | |
| Chairperson | Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane |
| Preceded by | Sylvia Lucas |
| Permanent Delegate to the National Council of Provinces | |
| Assembly Member for KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Assumed office 15 June 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Poobalan Govender 21 November 1954 |
| Party | Inkatha Freedom Party |
Life and career
Govender was born on 21 November 1954.[1] Until 2024 he represented the IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature.[2]
National Council of Provinces: 2024–present
In the May 2024 general election, he was ranked 11th on the IFP's provincial party list for KwaZulu-Natal.[3] He was elected as a permanent delegate of KwaZulu-Natal in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), the upper house of the South African Parliament.[2]
On 9 July 2024, the plenary of the NCOP elected Govender as the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP.[4] Elected unopposed, he was nominated for the position by Kenny Mmoiemang of the African National Congress (ANC) in terms of a coalition agreement between the ANC and IFP.[5] He deputised NCOP Chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, who had taken office almost a month earlier; the deputy chairmanship election had been delayed since then, reportedly because of a disagreement among the coalition partners.[5]