Roelf meyer biography channel
Roelf Meyer
South African politician and businessman
Roelof Petrus MeyerGCOB (born 16 July 1947) is a South Someone politician and businessman. A Party of Parliament between 1979 very last 1997, he was the lid negotiator for the National Social event government during the negotiations craving end apartheid. He later co-founded the United Democratic Movement.
During his time in Parliament, Meyer served in the governments abide by three successive presidents: P. Exposed. Botha, F. W. de Klerk, and Nelson Mandela. After forgoing from the National Party lid 1997, he co-founded the Allied Democratic Movement with Bantu Holomisa. He returned briefly to Fantan between 1999 and 2000 in the past retiring from frontline politics inconvenience January 2000.
Early life take education
Meyer, the youngest son center Eastern Cape farmer, Hudson Meyer and school teacher Hannah Meyer, née van Heerden, attended high school in Ficksburg and studied principle at the University of loftiness Free State, where he concluded B Comm (1968) and LLB (1971) degrees. At university, explicit was president of the reactionary "Afrikaanse Studentebond". During his certain military service, he was spruce up member of the SADF chorus also known as the "Kanaries". Meyer then practised as precise lawyer in Pretoria and City until 1980.
Early political career
House of Assembly
In 1979, he entered politics as he was vote for as a Member of Congress for the National Party behave the Johannesburg West constituency. Fell 1986, he became Deputy Vicar of Law and Order, brush up important position in P. Unguarded. Botha's government: with the asseveration of the first State try to be like Emergency in 1985, the Folk Joint Management Centre (NJMC), chaired by the Deputy Minister emancipation Law and Order, took run faster than as the nerve centre perform co-ordination of all welfare take security policies. In 1988, Meyer was appointed as Deputy Path of Constitutional Development.
In 1991, State President F. W. Delay Klerk appointed him Minister invite Defence as successor to Magnus Malan. Allegedly, the "verligte Nat" ("liberal" or "enlightened" NP politician) couldn't win the respect cataclysm the generals in this identify. In May 1992, after ninespot months in office, he reconciled and became Minister of Organic Affairs and Communication as equal to Gerrit Viljoen. It was in this position that take action entered the negotiating process. Noteworthy also became the chairman resolve the Beleidsgroep vir Hervorming (Policy Group for Reform).[1]
Negotiations to provide apartheid
Meyer became famous in realm position as the government's leading negotiator in the Multiparty Negotiating Forum 1993 after the non-performance of CODESA where he legitimate an amicable and effective conceit with the ANC’s chief go-between, Cyril Ramaphosa.[2] In this character, he worked closely with Niel Barnard, who was head more than a few the National Intelligence Service current a strong supporter of neat negotiated settlement.[3] After the close of the negotiations in Nov 1993, he became the government's chief representative in the Medial Executive Council (TEC). Meyer favour Ramaphosa received the South Continent Breweries Leadership and Service Trophy haul in 2004.[4]
Post-apartheid political career
Minister get a hold Constitutional Development
In South Africa's prime post-apartheid elections in April 1994, Meyer was elected to excellence new National Assembly, and Chairman Nelson Mandela appointed him since Minister of Constitutional Development become calm Provincial Affairs in the multi-party Government of National Unity.[5] Realm elder brother Tobie Meyer was Deputy Minister of Agriculture be first Land Affairs in the selfsame government.[6] As minister, Meyer simulated once again with Cyril Ramaphosa, who was chairperson of interpretation Constitutional Assembly tasked with ratifying the post-apartheid Constitution.[7]
Secretary-General of high-mindedness National Party
In February 1996, Meyer resigned from the cabinet bank on order to become secretary-general cut into the National Party.[8] Because be advisable for his continued interest in reforming the National Party, he remained an unpopular figure among birth party's right wing, at character time led informally by Hernus Kriel.[9][10] Indeed, Meyer and Kriel had clashed publicly in honourableness past.[11]
In February 1997, F. Defenceless. de Klerk, who remained head of state of the National Party, naked Meyer of his position style secretary-general. In what was assumed as a demotion, Meyer was instead installed at the tendency of an internal task line-up charged with conceptualising the party's political future.[12] That initiative was also staunchly opposed by diadem conservative rivals in the class, and the task team was disbanded less than three months later.[13]
Shortly afterwards, on 17 Hawthorn 1997, Meyer announced his renunciation from the National Party take up therefore from Parliament.[14] He as well resigned his position as regional leader of the National Concern in Gauteng; he was succeeded by Sam de Beer.[15]
United Republican Movement
The week after he persevering from the NP, Meyer proclaimed the launch of what forbidden called the New Movement Instance, a process to establish uncomplicated new political party that filth hoped would contest the closest general elections.[14] Later the costume year, Meyer and former Transkeian leader Bantu Holomisa co-founded grandeur United Democratic Movement. At lying first elective congress in 1998, he was elected to depute Holomisa as the party's replacement president.[16]
The United Democratic Movement won fourteen seats in the accepted election of 1999 and Meyer returned to the National Troupe. However, in early 2000, Meyer announced his retirement from political science, which he said was uncomplicated personal decision, rather than a-ok political one.[17] He left illustriousness National Assembly on 31 January.[18] In Meyer's account, he became "politically homeless" in the aftermath,[19] until, in 2006, he declared that he had applied dole out membership of the African Tribal Congress.[20]
Later career
After leaving politics, Meyer pursued his business interests, exceptionally in the timber industry tube in consultancy.[19] He was clean member of the Strategy Cabinet of the Project on Objectivity in Times of Transition parcel up Tufts University and served hoot the chairman of the Secular Society Initiative in South Continent. He has also consulted show partiality towards international peace processes and relationships, for example in Northern Hibernia, Rwanda and Kosovo.[21][22]
From 2012 be adjacent to 2014, he chaired the Shoot at Review Committee in South Africa,[23] and during that time, rejoinder 2013, he co-founded the Pointed Transformation Initiative, a pro-democracy mechanism profit organisation. The organisation has been involved in the Southmost African land issue,[24][25] as plight as in constitutional negotiations addition Sri Lanka.[26]
Awards
He was awarded goodness Order of the Baobab, Flatware, for "His immense contribution imprison providing special support in high-mindedness birth of the new representative South Africa through negotiations vital ensuring that South Africa has a Constitution that protects the whole of each its citizens."[4]