Zach de Beer

Zacharias Johannes "Zach" de Beer (born Cape Town, South Africa, 11 October 1928 – 27 May 1999) was a liberal Afrikaner South African politician and businessman. He was the last leader of the liberal Progressive Federal Party and then the co-leader of the new liberal Democratic Party.[2]

Zacharias Johannes de Beer
South African ambassador to The Netherlands
PresidentNelson Mandela
Co-leader of the Democratic Party
In office
1989–1994
Serving with Denis Worrall (until 1990)
Wynand Malan (until 1993)
Succeeded byTony Leon
Leader of the Progressive Federal Party
In office
1988–1989
Preceded byColin Eglin
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Personal details
Born
Zacharias Johannes de Beer

(1928-10-11)11 October 1928
Woodstock, Cape Town,[1] South Africa
Died27 May 1999(1999-05-27) (aged 70)
Cape Town, South Africa
Spouse(s)Maureen Strauss (div.)
Mona Schwartz
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Cape Town
ProfessionPhysician

Educated at Bishop's Diocesan College in Rondebosch, He completed an MBChB degree at the University of Cape Town in 1951.[3] There he was elected president of the Students Representative Council.

Political career

De Beer was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1953 as an MP for the opposition United Party. He was 24 years old at the time, and was the youngest MP ever elected to the parliament. On the party's left wing, he and fellow MPs including Helen Suzman, Colin Eglin, Ray Swart, Harry Lawrence and Dr Jan Steytler resigned from the party after its national congress voted against returning any further land to the black majority for their occupation and use. He and the other liberal MPs formed the new Progressive Party in 1959. Like all the Progressive MPs except Helen Suzman, De Beer lost his seat in the 1961 general election. He joined an advertising agency before moving on to work for the Anglo American PLC/De Beers diamond mining conglomerate.

In the 1977 general election, he was returned to Parliament as an MP for what had become the Progressive Federal Party which had been formed that year through a merger of the Progressive Party and various other liberal groups of MPs.[2] He became the PFP's leader in August 1988[4] and, with Denis Worrall and Wynand Malan was a co-leader of the new Democratic Party when it formed in 1989.

Following the DP's defeat in the first post-apartheid election of 1994, De Beer resigned as party leader.[5] He was appointed South African ambassador to the Netherlands by Nelson Mandela.[2]

De Beer was for many years a director of Anglo American PLC/De Beers. He died of a stroke at his home in Clifton, Cape Town, in 1999.

References

  1. Allan, Jani (24 July 1988). "Poetry, politics, the PFP and, for Zach de Beer, a decent set of ideals to face the future with". The Sunday Times (South Africa).
  2. Trewhela, Paul (3 June 1999). "Obituary: Zach de Beer". The Independent.
  3. "Dr. Zacharias "Zac" Johannes De Beer". South African History Online. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  4. "Top South African Executive To Run Anti-Apartheid Party". NY Times. 6 August 1988. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. Uys, Stanley (1 June 1999). "Zach de Beer". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.