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Democratic Alliance youngster Mathew Cuthbert, whose star is on the rise, seems to be emerging as the party’s whizz kid.
The MP from Kempton Park previously served as the DA’s head of policy and prior to that was the party’s shadow minister of trade and industry.
Last week, he was catapulted to the party’s highest echelons when the DA federal executive appointed him DA CEO, a position that has been vacant since 2021.
DA federal council chair Ashor Sarupen, who is in charge of the party’s day-to-day affairs, said the DA leadership elected in April at the party’s congress prioritised the vacancy as soon as they assumed office.
“The new leadership felt strongly that we need to invest in the professionalisation of the party’s operations if we are to give ourselves the best chance to be largest party in South Africa, because many of our officials are now also simultaneously in government.
“The FedEx then resolved to recruit a CEO,” said Sarupen.
Cuthbert is essentially the DA’s head honcho at an administrative level.
The position is largely an administrative role and puts Cuthbert in charge of overseeing the DA’s daily affairs, such as staff management, electoral campaigning and strategy. He is also the DA’s accounting officer with the hundreds of staff members reporting to him.
The 33-year-old believes he is ready for the task.
I will be co-leading certain parts of the national campaign, alongside our national campaign managers Ashor Sarupen and Werner Horn, and that includes matters related to our communications strategy.
— DA CEO Mathew Cuthbert
He says he has earned his stripes in the DA, having started as a low-ranking constituency officer in Ekurhuleni in 2015.
From there he went on to serve as councillor in that city between 2016 and 2019 before he was elevated to the National Assembly.
Cuthbert has a degree in political science from the University of Pretoria, a master’s from the Wits School of Governance and a postgraduate diploma from the Wits Business School.
He will be an integral part of the DA’s electoral campaign strategy in his new role.
“I will be co-leading certain parts of the national campaign, alongside our national campaign managers Ashor Sarupen and Werner Horn, and that includes matters related to our communications strategy.”
Cuthbert said the DA’s campaign would continue focusing on dislodging the ANC in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Mangaung.
He said the party would be focusing on a number of key strategic municipalities, retaining the City of Cape Town and winning eThekwini, Tshwane and Mangaung.
“We believe we will be the largest partners in those areas.”
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