Carol Johnson
Member of the National Assembly
In office
23 April 2004 – May 2009
Personal details
Born (1972-07-04) 4 July 1972
CitizenshipSouth Africa
Political party
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2004)​

Carol Beatrix Johnson (born 4 July 1972) is a South African politician who served in the National Assembly from 2004 to 2009. She was the spin doctor of the New National Party (NNP) until September 2005, when she crossed the floor to join the African National Congress (ANC).

Political career

Johnson was born on 4 July 1972.[1] She was the national spokesman and spin doctor for the NNP in the early 2000s and was viewed as one of the "top lieutenants" of party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk.[2] In the 2004 general election, she was elected to an NNP seat in the National Assembly, representing the Western Cape constituency.[1] During the election period, she told the Guardian that the NNP would "be around for a long time to come".[3]

However, when van Schalkwyk announced in August 2004 that he intended to join the ANC, Johnson said that she would follow him:[2] she, van Schalkwyk, and six other NNP members announced that they intended to defect from the party to the ANC during the next floor-crossing period.[4] She officially remained an NNP member until 1 September 2005, when, at the outset of the 2005 floor-crossing window, she formally joined the ANC.[5] She left her seat after the 2009 general election.

Personal life

Johnson married politician Willie Aucamp, the son of Cassie Aucamp, on 10 July 2004 in the Stellenbosch Dutch Reformed Church.[2] Their marriage followed a "whirlwind romance" that began on election night in April 2004.[6] When Johnson left the NNP, Aucamp left his own party, Nasionale Aksie, to join the ANC with her.[2] She filed for divorce shortly afterwards in September 2004.[6][7][8]

References

  1. 1 2 "General Notice: Notice 717 of 2004 - Electoral Commission – List of Names of Representatives in the National Assembly and the Nine Provincial Legislatures in Respect of the Elections Held on 14 April 2004" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 466, no. 2677. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 20 April 2004. pp. 4–95. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Love persuades right-winger to join ANC". IOL. 9 August 2004. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Carroll, Rory (16 April 2004). "Apartheid's heirs buried by ANC's landslide victory". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Eight NNP MPs to defect to ANC". The Mail & Guardian. 28 October 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "National Assembly Members". Parliamentary Monitoring Group. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 Joubert, Jan-Jan (14 September 2004). "'Golden couple' hit the rocks". News24. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Louw, Nicolene (15 September 2004). "Aucamp's past catching up?". News24. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  8. ↑ Malan, Marlene (19 September 2004). "Money behind break-up". News24. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
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