View source for Hendrik Schmidt

{{Short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = 
| name = Hendrik Schmidt
| honorific-suffix = [[Parliament of South Africa|MP]]
| image = Hendrick-Schmidt.jpg 
| office = Shadow Deputy Minister of Mining
| predecessor = 
| term_start = 2004
| term_end = 2019
| leader = [[Tony Leon]] and [[Helen Zille]]
| constituency_MP2 = Emfuleni South, [[Gauteng]]
| parliament2 = 
| term_start2 = 2004
| term_end2 = 
| majority2 = 
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 = 
| birth_date = 
| birth_place = Klerksdorp
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| nationality = [[South Africa]]n
| spouse = 
| party = [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]]
| relations = 
| children = 
| residence = 
| alma_mater = [[University of South Africa]] and [[University of Johannesburg]]
| occupation = 
| profession = [[Advocate]]
| religion = 
| signature = 
| website = 
| footnotes = 
}}
'''Hendrik Schmidt''' is a South African politician, a Member of [[Parliament of South Africa|Parliament]] with the [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]], and the [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (South Africa)|Shadow Deputy Minister of Mining.]]

==Background==
Schmidt was born in Klerksdorp, South Africa in 1963. He attended schools in Durban, Welkom and Virginia.<ref name="dapage">{{cite web|url=http://www.da.org.za/our_people.htm?action=view-page&category=members-of-parliament&person=671 |title=hendrik |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921045454/http://www.da.org.za/our_people.htm?action=view-page&category=members-of-parliament&person=671 |archivedate=2011-09-21 }}</ref>

==Education==
He holds several law degrees, including a B. Iuri., an LLB from [[University of South Africa|Unisa]], an LLM from [[Rand Afrikaans University]] / [[University of Johannesburg]], a Masters in Philosophy (UJ) and a PhD in mining law (UCT). He has worked for the Department of Justice in the district and regional court as a Public Prosecutor and then as a State Advocate and Senior State Advocate. From 1994 to 1999, he was an advocate for the Witwatersrand Local Division and has been a member of the Society of Advocates of South Africa since 1994.<ref name="dapage"/>

==Political life==
Schmidt began his political career as a councillor in the Northern Metropolitan Council and went on to become an MP in 1999. He held the position of Democratic Alliance  spokesperson on Minerals and Energy from 2004 to 2009, and was instrumental in pursuing and exposing the truth surrounding the Oilgate scandal, involving the [[African National Congress]] and Petro-SA.<ref name="PetroSA">{{cite web|url=http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/archive/index.php/t-25957.html |title=petro SA}}</ref> On his re-election to Parliament in 2009, he was appointed as the Shadow Minister of Mining.
As a fierce opponent of nationalization of the mining industry in South Africa,<ref name="anc">{{cite web|url=http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/anc-grabs-mines-by-stealth-da-1.875138 |title=anc}}</ref> he has released many statements to validate his skepticism of the [[ANC]]’s ability to do this while turning a profit.<ref name="mines">{{cite web|url= http://www.polity.org.za/article/da-statement-by-hendrik-schmidt-democratic-alliance-shadow-minister-of-mining-on-the-lack-of-job-creation-in-state-owned-mines-30092010-2010-09-30 |title=mines}}</ref>

His current constituency is Randwest, which includes [[Randfontein]] and [[Westonaria]]. It is a community affected by mining activities and, as spokesperson on Mining, Hendrik has provided much assistance with respect to the Mega tailings facilities to be established by Harmony and Mintails in the two different areas.<ref name="dapage"/>

==Quote==
Quote: "Expenditure in individual human capital and community development is an investment and not a cost."<ref name="dapage"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Offices held ==
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (South Africa)|Shadow Deputy Minister of Mining]]|years=2004–present}}
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{{South African Shadow Cabinet}}

{{DA National Assembly members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Hendrik}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2004–2009]]
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2009–2014]]
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2014–2019]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1999–2004]]