Wendy Philander

Wendy Felecia Kaizer-Philander (née Kaizer; born 28 May 1976) is a South African politician who has been the Provincial Minister of Social Development in the Western Cape since August 2026 and a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament since August 2018. She was previously a Member of the Mayoral Committee of the Drakenstein Local Municipality. Kaizer-Philander is a member of the Democratic Alliance.

Life and career Kaizer-Philander was born in New York, a suburb of Paarl. She is the youngest daughter of Mary and Jack Kaizer. Her mother died when she was in grade 11. She attended Paulus Joubert Primary School and Paulus Joubert Secondary School. She served two terms as the Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements and Health during the mayoralties of Gesie van Deventer and Conrad Poole. She was assigned to serve on the Social Cluster committees. Following the May 2019 general election, she was sworn in for her first full term on 22 May 2019. She is the only parliamentarian from the Drakenstein municipality. In June 2019, Kaizer-Philander was elected chairperson of the Standing Committee on Health.

On 7 May 2022, she stood for interim deputy provincial leader of the DA at the party's provincial council meeting to elect new interim provincial leadership. She lost to JP Smith.

In January 2023, Kaizer-Philander was appointed as chief whip of the DA caucus in the Provincial Parliament and, therefore, the Chief Whip of the Provincial Parliament. She succeeded Lorraine Botha, who had died in August 2022.

Kaizer-Philander was re-elected to a seat in the provincial parliament in the 2024 provincial election. She was elected to chair the Social Development portfolio committee afterwards.

On 20 August 2026, premier Alan Winde appointed her Provincial Minister of Social Development, succeeding Jaco Londt, who became Provincial Minister of Education.