Deborah Anne "Debbie" Schäfer (born 18 December 1966) is a South African politician and lawyer who served as the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Education and a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament for the Democratic Alliance (DA) from 2014 to 2022.

[2] Schäfer practised as an attorney of the Cape High Court for twelve years before starting her political career as a ward councillor.

[3] In 2002, she was elected to the Cape Town City Council as the councillor for ward 62, an area that included the suburbs of Wynberg and Constantia.

She retained her position when newly elected Parliamentary Leader Lindiwe Mazibuko announced her Shadow Cabinet in February 2012.

Premier Helen Zille announced in a subsequent statement that Schäfer had been appointed as the Provincial Minister of Education.

[7] Following her re-election in May 2019, newly elected premier Alan Winde announced that Schäfer would remain as Provincial Minister of Education.