Tim Harris (South African politician)
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Timothy Duncan Harris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 6 May 2009 – 6 May 2014 | |
| Leader | Mmusi Maimane |
| Succeeded by | Michael Bagraim |
| Constituency | City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Shadow Minister of Finance | |
| In office 2012–2014 | |
| Succeeded by | Dion George |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1979 (age 46–47) Cape Town, South Africa |
| Party | Democratic Alliance |
| Spouse | Cara Louise Harris |
| Children | Neve |
| Alma mater | University of Cape Town |
Tim Harris (born c. 1979) is a South African politician, a former Democratic Alliance member of the National Assembly, and a Parliamentary Counsellor to Mmusi Maimane, the Leader of the Opposition. He served as Shadow Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2014, and was succeeded by Dion George. A former chief of staff to party leader Tony Leon,[1] Harris was the party's national events manager during the 2009 general election campaign, and was subsequently elected to Parliament aged 29, initially to the National Council of Provinces where he served as the Western Cape's Provincial Whip before being moved to the National Assembly in a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle.[2] He has been characterised as the "sexiest man in politics".[3]
Harris was born in Cape Town but grew up in KwaZulu-Natal, where he attended all-boys Hilton College. He returned to the Western Cape in 1998 to complete an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Cape Town,[4] majoring in English Literature and Economics. He then completed an honours degree in economics in 2001 while he was Chair of UCT Rag.[1] After briefly working at an investment bank in Johannesburg, Harris again returned to Cape Town to complete his Masters in Economics.
In late 2007 and early 2008, he travelled with two friends up Africa's west coast on the first surfing trip between Cape Town and London by the west coast route, garnering international attention in the process.[5] He told BBC News of the episode:
The biggest adventure was the 36 hours we spent trying to cross from the Congo to Gabon. We spent most of the day trying to cut our way through thick jungle, and our average speed was about half a kilometre a day. Then we tried to traverse a deep puddle, got stuck, and ran our battery down as we tried to get out. So we had to spend the night in the jungle.[5]
In November 2009, he told The Leader World magazine:
[I]n the little bit I’ve travelled I’ve seen that this country (South Africa) is one where you can make a huge difference quite easily. We have, as it's often said, first world institutions, a great deal of first world infrastructure, and [a] first world press... [T]he potential for growth is massive—much more so than any developed market.[6]
On 26 March 2011, he married his wife, Cara Louise. They had their first daughter, Neve, in June 2012.[4]