James Selfe

James Selfe (23 August 1955 – 21 May 2024) was a South African politician who was a Member of Parliament for the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), and the party's Federal Council Chairperson. He was also the party's Shadow Minister of Correctional Services. Selfe resigned from Parliament and as the Shadow Minister of Correctional Services with effect from 31 December 2021. After earning a master's degree, Selfe worked between 1979 and 1988 as a researcher for the Progressive Federal Party, the forerunner to today's Democratic Alliance. He became the party's communications director in 1988, and a member of the President's Council a year later. In 1992 he became an executive director of the party. In 1999 he stayed in parliament, but moved to the National Assembly. in addition to being chair of the Democratic Alliance's Federal Council. Selfe told the commission that his "many calls over many years" that Parliament should investigate Bosasa "fell on deaf ears". On 10 December 2021, the National Assembly bid farewell to long-serving Selfe in its final sitting of 2021. During this sitting, members of Parliament from across the aisle praised Selfe for his contributions to South Africa.