Okkie Terblanche


Ockert Stefanus "Okkie" Terblanche is a South African politician and retired police general serving as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Police since June 2019 and a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since May 2019. He was previously a Permanent Delegate of the National Council of Provinces representing the Western Cape from October 2015 to May 2019. Terblanche is a member of the Democratic Alliance.

Career

Terblanche was part of the South African Police Service where he served as major general until 2010. He relocated to the town of Mossel Bay and campaigned for the DA during the 2011 South African municipal elections. He was later elected the chair of the DA branch in ward 10 of the municipality.
In October 2015, the DA caucus in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament nominated him to become a party representative in the NCOP, the upper house of the South African parliament. He was confirmed as a delegate on 15 October and served as a delegate until the May 2019 general election when he was elected to the lower house, the National Assembly. DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane appointed him as the Shadow Deputy Police Minister on 5 June 2019. John Steenhuisen was elected as parliamentary leader in October 2019 and retained Terblanche in his post.