Dr Leon Schreiber was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs from 3 July 2024.
He is a Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance. He previously served as Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration, as a Whip in the National Assembly, and as Strategy and Communications Advisor to the Leader of the Opposition.
Before he was first elected to Parliament in May 2019, Dr Schreiber worked as a Senior Research Specialist at Princeton University’s Innovations for Successful Societies programme, where he conducted research in numerous African and Asian countries on how to build and reform government institutions.
He earned his Doctorate in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the Free University of Berlin in 2015, after completing Master’s, Honour’s and Bachelor's degrees in International Studies and Political Science at Stellenbosch University. He matriculated from Paul Roos Gymnasium and grew up in the Namaqualand region of the Northern Cape.
Dr Schreiber has an extensive publication record, including his 2018 book, Coalition Country, as well as policy papers, journal publications and press articles.
He has been recognised with multiple awards, including being named one of the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2017. He was the 2015 runner-up in the St Gallen Wings of Excellence Award for young leaders, and received a European Commission Scholarship Award for his doctoral studies.
Source: Department of Home Affairs
