At just 23 years old, Liam Chad Jacobs is fast becoming a household name in South African politics - and not for the reasons one might expect from a first-time parliamentarian, Cape town Etc reports.
The Democratic Alliance DA Member of Parliament has risen to prominence by doing what many South Africans have long demanded from their leaders: asking tough questions and refusing to let evasive answers slide.
Born on 3 March 2001, in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, Jacobs' rapid political ascent is backed by academic grit. He holds an Honours degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Pretoria. His political career officially began when he was elected leader of the Democratic Alliance Students Organisation DASO in October 2022. By 2024, he was elected to the National Assembly, representing Gauteng - a province far removed from his hometown, but now central to his mission to clean up public service.
Jacobs currently serves on the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts, and Culture. And its from this platform that he has launched a one-man mission against corruption, exposing questionable financial dealings in state-funded organisations.
In recent weeks, clips of Jacobs' interventions during committee meetings have gone viral across TikTok and Facebook. In one notable instance, he grilled officials from Netball South Africa, exposing over R2 million in consulting fees and an additional R119 000 spent on a social media influencer - expenses that Netball SA executives struggled to explain under scrutiny. The CEO of the organisation, in particular, found herself cornered by Jacobs' calm but direct line of questioning.