Les Govender | |
|---|---|
| 2025 Photo of Les Govender | |
| Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2024 | |
| Chairperson | Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane |
| Preceded by | Sylvia Lucas |
| Permanent Delegate to the National Council of Provinces | |
| Assembly Member for KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Assumed office 15 June 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Poobalan Govender 21 November 1954 |
| Nationality | South African |
| Political party | Inkatha Freedom Party |
Poobalan "Les" Govender (born 21 November 1954) is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who is currently serving as the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces. A member of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP),he was a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature until the May 2024 general election.
Govender was born on 21 November 1954. [1] Until 2024 he represented the IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature. [2]
In the May 2024 general election,he was ranked 11th on the IFP's provincial party list for KwaZulu-Natal. [3] He was elected as a permanent delegate of KwaZulu-Natal in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP),the upper house of the South African Parliament. [2]
On 9 July 2024,the plenary of the NCOP elected Govender as the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP. [4] Elected unopposed,he was nominated for the position by Kenny Mmoiemang of the African National Congress (ANC) in terms of a coalition agreement between the ANC and IFP. [5] He deputised NCOP Chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane,who had taken office almost a month earlier;the deputy chairmanship election had been delayed since then,reportedly because of a disagreement among the coalition partners. [5]