Meet SA’s youngest MP ever, Cleo Wilskut (20)

Age is nothing but a number for Cleo Wilskut, Parliament’s youngest MP. 

Wilskut turned 20 on 27 April, making her the youngest MP in South Africa’s history. 

She was among 400 individuals sworn in as MPs at the National Assembly last week. 

She is a member of the Patriotic Alliance. 

While this is a major win for the youth, youth representation in Parliament is still low.

South Africa’s youth comprise 34.3% of the population, but only 20% of the National assembly are young people.

Of the 400 National Assembly seats, 79 are occupied by people between the ages of 20 and 39.

On the other end of the spectrum, the oldest MP is the Democratic Alliance’s Christian Hattingh, who turned 76 on 2 June.