Meredith Nahola

Meredith Nahola (born Meredith Bonelwa Komani; 5 May, 1979), is a Capetian politican who currently serves as the Prime Minister of the Cape. At 40 years old, Nahola became the youngest Prime Minister of the Cape, after Hellen Zille stepped down in July of 2019.

Nahola was born in Cape Town to parents of both Coloured and Xhosa ancestry. Her parents were fairly wealthy owning multiple successful retail and tourist-related ventures throughout the city. Nahola was sent to private school during her primary and secondary school years, before enrolling in the University of Cape Town. Nahola graduated from the University of Cape Town as salutatorian with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and African Studies. The same year she was accepted at Harvard Law School and graduated at the top of her class. Nahola returned to Cape Town, opening her own business law practice Komani and Associates.

In 2014, Nahola decided to run against Conservative MP Jackson Hampton in Parliamentary elections. Nahola won the seat by 788 votes, which prompted Hampton to call for a recount. The recount diminished Nahola's lead to 563 votes, but was declared the winner. From there, Nahola became a rising star in the Liberal Party, and in 2018 was appointed to TBD by Prime Minister Hellen Zille. Following Zille's resignation, Nahola was elected Prime Minister by a TBD-TBD vote.