Former civil servant, academic, author, poet, politician and Federal Chairperson of the official opposition in South Africa, the Democratic Alliance (DA), Dr Ivan Meyer, was appointed the Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape Government on 12 June 2024.

Before taking up his most recent portfolio, Dr Meyer served as Minister of Social Development (2009 –August 2010), Minister of Sport and Cultural Affairs (September 2010 – May 2014),  Minister of Finance (May 2014 to May 2019) and Minister of Agriculture and Leader of Government Business (May 2019 to June 2024).

Minister Meyer is a former Senior Public Policy and Local Governance Lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch. Before that, he served as the Chief Director: of Provincial Training in the Western Cape Provincial Administration.

He holds a PhD. in Public Administration from the University of Stellenbosch and several international certificates and diplomas. He has published widely in education, housing, local government and public administration.

Dr Meyer is a proponent of fiscal discipline in all spheres of government and champions the idea that public servants should create public value.

As the Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism Dr Meyer will focus on trade, investment and tourism aligned to the Western Cape Government’s Growth for Jobs strategy.

Dr Meyer also supports the development of a safe, productive, innovative agriculture economy that can respond to climate change and food security challenges.

A firm believer in promoting language rights, a founding principle of the SA Constitution, Dr Meyer is fluent in Afrikaans, English, and German. He also authored many poems published in the anthology Teater van die Velore Tyd in 2012. The anthology consists of poetry in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa and Dutch.