Madikizela had previously been an active member of the ANC. He became prominent in 2005, when he led a group of disaffected ANC members in the Makhaza area of Khayelitsha who had been supportive of former Western Cape Premier and ANC Provincial Chairperson Ebrahim Rasool in his leadership battle with Mcebisi Skwatsha. After Skwatsha won the leadership election, Madikizela and some of Rasool's supporters in Khayelitsha claimed that they were being marginalised, and later excluded as possible ANC candidates for the local government elections in 2006. In early 2006, Madikizela along with several other ANC members, including some party councillors, were expelled from the party after it became known of their intention to contest the local government elections as independent candidates. Although he was not elected as a councillor, Madikizela remained politically active, joining the United Democratic Movement in 2007. He was appointed the party's Cape Town Metro Regional Secretary until a party investigation found that he had secretly convinced party members to join the Democratic Alliance. He was subsequently hired as a communication officer at the City of Cape Town, and later a spokesperson in the office of former Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille. He officially became a member of DA in October 2008. Following the April 2009 general election, newly-elected Premier Helen Zille appointed him to the post of Provincial Minister of Housing. He was appointed as Provincial Minister of Human Settlements following his re-election in May 2014. In April 2015, Madikizela was elected deputy provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape, unseating DA veteran Theuns Botha. He was subsequently named the acting provincial leader in February 2017, when incumbent Patricia de Lille resigned. He was elected to the position for a full term on 7 October 2017. Newly elected Premier Alan Winde appointed Madikizela as Provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works in May 2019. Madikizela is also the Leader of Government Business in the Provincial Parliament. In October 2019, he declared his intention to run for interim Federal Leader of the DA following Mmusi Maimane's resignation. Madikizela dropped out of the leadership race on 11 November 2019. John Steenhuisen was elected interim leader on 17 November 2019. On 26 January 2020, Madikizela announced that he would consider running for DA Federal Leader at the party's Federal Congress in May. He declined to run for the post on 10 February 2020. He will, however, run for re-election at the party's provincial conference later on in the year.
Controversy
In September 2010, the ANC called for his resignation after his answer to a parliamentary question from the ANC's Pierre Uys over the provision of housing in the Western Cape. Madikizela had said "unfortunately" there was no influx control to regulate the movement of people into the Western Cape. The ANC called for Helen Zille to fire him, angered that he had linked the provision of services to the apartheid policy of influx control.
Madikizela has been embroiled in a number of controversies surrounding housing developments in Mandela Park, Khayelitsha. He has been accused by the Mandela Park Backyarders as well as journalists of breaking a promise of giving residents of the community houses in new Mandela Park developments. The controversy has resulted in large demonstrations and blockades against construction in the community. The community of Mandela Park has also accused the MEC of refusing to meet with them.
