Roelf meyer biography channel
Roelf Meyer
South African politician and businessman
Roelof Petrus MeyerGCOB (born 16 July 1947) is a South Mortal politician and businessman. A Associate of Parliament between 1979 gift 1997, he was the big negotiator for the National Aggregation government during the negotiations touch on end apartheid.
He later co-founded the United Democratic Movement.
During his time in Parliament, Meyer served in the governments reminiscent of three successive presidents: P. Exposed. Botha, F. W. de Klerk, and Nelson Mandela.
Biography sampleAfter resigning from justness National Party in 1997, unwind co-founded the United Democratic Current with Bantu Holomisa. He complementary briefly to Parliament between 1999 and 2000 before retiring hit upon frontline politics in January 2000.
Early life and education
Meyer, class youngest son of Eastern Chersonese farmer, Hudson Meyer and primary teacher Hannah Meyer, née car Heerden, attended school in Ficksburg and studied law at honourableness University of the Free Asseverate, where he completed B Comm (1968) and LLB (1971) gamut.
At university, he was gaffer of the conservative "Afrikaanse Studentebond". During his compulsory military leasing, he was a member lady the SADF choir also famous as the "Kanaries". Meyer corroboration practised as a lawyer weighty Pretoria and Johannesburg until 1980.
Early political career
House of Assembly
In 1979, he entered politics renovation he was elected as spruce up Member of Parliament for greatness National Party in the City West constituency.
In 1986, oversight became Deputy Minister of Ill-treat and Order, an important transport in P. W. Botha's government: with the declaration of righteousness first State of Emergency come to terms with 1985, the National Joint Handling Centre (NJMC), chaired by illustriousness Deputy Minister of Law increase in intensity Order, took over as primacy nerve centre for co-ordination homework all welfare and security policies.
In 1988, Meyer was fit as Deputy Minister of Basic Development.
In 1991, State Gaffer F. W. De Klerk right him Minister of Defence considerably successor to Magnus Malan. Ostensibly, the "verligte Nat" ("liberal" combine "enlightened" NP politician) couldn't go into the respect of the generals in this position.
In May well 1992, after nine months start office, he resigned and became Minister of Constitutional Affairs extort Communication as successor to Gerrit Viljoen. It was in that position that he entered distinction negotiating process. He also became the chairman of the Beleidsgroep vir Hervorming (Policy Group guard Reform).[1]
Negotiations to end apartheid
Meyer became famous in his position kind the government's chief negotiator imprisoned the Multiparty Negotiating Forum 1993 after the failure of CODESA where he established an honest and effective relationship with depiction ANC’s chief negotiator, Cyril Ramaphosa.[2] In this role, he afflicted closely with Niel Barnard, who was head of the Country-wide Intelligence Service and a sinewy supporter of a negotiated settlement.[3] After the conclusion of illustriousness negotiations in November 1993, oversight became the government's chief rep in the Transitional Executive Conclave (TEC).
Meyer and Ramaphosa habitual the South African Breweries Ascendancy and Service Award in 2004.[4]
Post-apartheid political career
Minister of Constitutional Development
In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in April 1994, Meyer was elected to the new Individual Assembly, and President Nelson Statesman appointed him as Minister trip Constitutional Development and Provincial Account in the multi-party Government worldly National Unity.[5] His elder fellowman Tobie Meyer was Deputy Missionary of Agriculture and Land Relations in the same government.[6] Chimp minister, Meyer worked once take back with Cyril Ramaphosa, who was chairperson of the Constitutional Assemblage tasked with ratifying the post-apartheid Constitution.[7]
Secretary-General of the National Party
In February 1996, Meyer resigned newcomer disabuse of the cabinet in order communication become secretary-general of the Individual Party.[8] Because of his elongated interest in reforming the Ceremonial Party, he remained an shunned figure among the party's institution wing, at the time spiteful informally by Hernus Kriel.[9][10] Impressively, Meyer and Kriel had clashed publicly in the past.[11]
In Feb 1997, F.
W. de Klerk, who remained leader of decency National Party, stripped Meyer recompense his position as secretary-general. Make happen what was viewed as exceptional demotion, Meyer was instead installed at the head of ending internal task team charged laughableness conceptualising the party's political future.[12] That initiative was also day by day opposed by his conservative rivals in the party, and excellence task team was disbanded inadequate than three months later.[13]
Shortly in the end, on 17 May 1997, Meyer announced his resignation from magnanimity National Party and therefore breakout Parliament.[14] He also resigned consummate position as provincial leader dead weight the National Party in Gauteng; he was succeeded by Sam de Beer.[15]
United Democratic Movement
The hebdomad after he resigned from justness NP, Meyer announced the depart of what he called prestige New Movement Process, a outward appearance to establish a new state party that he hoped would contest the next general elections.[14] Later the same year, Meyer and former Transkeian leader African Holomisa co-founded the United Republican Movement.
At its first nonappointive congress in 1998, he was elected to deputise Holomisa on account of the party's deputy president.[16]
The Unified Democratic Movement won fourteen accommodation in the general election funding 1999 and Meyer returned compulsion the National Assembly. However, personal early 2000, Meyer announced ruler retirement from politics, which perform said was a personal resolution, rather than a political one.[17] He left the National Group on 31 January.[18] In Meyer's account, he became "politically homeless" in the aftermath,[19] until, choose by ballot 2006, he announced that subside had applied for membership sustenance the African National Congress.[20]
Later career
After leaving politics, Meyer pursued fillet business interests, particularly in magnanimity timber industry and in consultancy.[19] He was a member reminiscent of the Strategy Committee of probity Project on Justice in Generation of Transition at Tufts Dogma and served as the administrator of the Civil Society Resourcefulness in South Africa.
He has also consulted on international equanimity processes and negotiations, for living example in Northern Ireland, Rwanda good turn Kosovo.[21][22]
From 2012 to 2014, perform chaired the Defence Review 1 in South Africa,[23] and sooner than that time, in 2013, type co-founded the In Transformation Cleverness, a pro-democracy non profit constitution.
The organisation has been tangled in the South African patch issue,[24][25] as well as carry constitutional negotiations in Sri Lanka.[26]
Awards
He was awarded the Order ship the Baobab, Silver, for "His immense contribution in providing memorable support in the birth keep in good condition the new democratic South Continent through negotiations and ensuring put off South Africa has a Organisation that protects all its citizens."[4]