I have been an activist all my life. I fought against apartheid and for the rights and dignity of the oppressed people of my country. For this I went to jail and then into exile. Now that we have attained our freedom we have many other challenges. One of them is to make our society a kinder and more humane one. To that end we need to learn to live in harmony with our environment. The animal kingdom in South Africa has had a raw deal for hundreds of years. Many people now champion the cause of terrestrial animals. Having been an IWC Commissioner, the plight of the worlds whales became apparent to me. The terrible butchery of whaling was once part of this country too. Sea Shepherd alerts and educates people through its radical actions, which is why I decided to side with this organisation.

CURRICULUM VITAE

DATE OF BIRTH 17 October 1945, Namibia
NATIONALITY South African
LANGUAGES English, Afrikaans, German, Dutch

 
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

1996:
Postgraduate Diploma in Company Direction, Graduate Institute of Management Training, Midrand

1969:
Teaching Diploma in Higher Education, Johannesburg College of Education

1965 - 1968:
B.A Degree, University of the Witwatersrand

1964:
Matric, (First Class), Damelin College, Johannesburg

1961 - 1963:
German School, Johannesburg

1956 - 1960:
Hoër Jongenschool, Paarl

1951 - 1955:
German School, Johannesburg

 
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Since April 2006 Managing Director of Feike, a private company involved in Marine Regulatory Law and Environmental Management matters. (www.feike.co.za)

2005 - 2006 Appointed Head of the Long-term Commercial
Fishing Rights Allocation Unit of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

2000 - 2005 Deputy Director-General, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

1997 - 1998 Executive Director, The Mvula Trust, Johannesburg

1996 - 1997 Executive Director, Kagiso Trust, Johannesburg

1992 - 1996 Deputy Executive Director, Kagiso Trust

1991 - 1992 Director Administration, Lawyers for Human Rights

1983 - 1991 Executive Director, International Defence and Aid
Fund for Southern Africa, London

1983 - 1979 Legal Aid Officer and Fund-raiser, International
Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, London

1976 - 1978 In exile, head of the External Mission of the Christian
Institute, in Utrecht, The Netherlands

1975 - 1976 Assistant to the Director, Ds Beyers Naude, at the
South African Christian Institute, Johannesburg

1972 - 1975 Staff Member, Study Project of Christianity in
Apartheid Society

1971 Youth Director, Progressive Party of South Africa

1969 and in 1970 Elected Vice President, National Union of South
African Students. A full-time post in Cape Town

 
SOME ACHIEVEMENTS AND POSITIONS HELD

1998 Knighted, "Order of the Polar Star", First Class, by
the King of Sweden

1997 - 1999 Appointed to serve on the Implementation
Committee to create a National Development Agency

1994 - 1999 Board Member and Finance Committee Chairperson,
Micro Projects Programme of the European Union in Port Elizabeth

1993 to date Board Member, South Africa History Archives.

1992 - 1999 Patron, Beyers Naude Development Foundation.

1992 - 1999 Board Member, Open School, Johannesburg

1995 - 1997 Non-Executive Director, Johannesburg Housing Co.

1994 - 1997 Board Member and twice elected Chairperson of The Mvula Trust Board of Trustees

1994 - 1997 Non-Executive Director, Kagiso Publishers (Pty) Ltd

1993 - 1997 Non-Executive Director, Kagiso Trust Investments

1991 - 1997 Board member and Treasurer, Fundani Scholarship Fund

1992 - 1993 Chairperson, ANC Pretoria Central Branch

1991 Awarded the Bruno Kreisky Prize for Services to Human Rights.

1985 - 1991 Founder member and twice elected Chairperson of the South Africa/Namibia Committee of secular European Non-Governmental Organizations

1985 - 1991 Founder member and twice elected Chairperson of the Standing Committee of European non-governmental organisations to adjudicate and allocate funds (Victims of Apartheid Fund) to South African NGO's and development projects.

1989 - 1990 Member of the organising committee of the International Tribute Concert calling for the release of Nelson Mandela held twice at Wembley Stadium, London.

1989 - 1990 Founder and Executive member of the International Release Mandela Committee.

1988 - Present Board member, Southscan, news magazine.

1988 - 1989 Executive member of the 'International Commission of Inquiry into the Crimes of the Racist Apartheid Regime in South Africa'.

1987 Motivator and executive organiser of the Conference on Children, Repression and the Law in Apartheid South Africa, held in Harare, Zimbabwe.

1983 - 1986 Chairperson, Anti-apartheid Movement, Islington,
London.

1982 Commissioned by NOVIB, Holland, to undertake an evaluation study of the ANC school and settlement centres at Mazimbu and Dakawa in Tanzania.

 
POLITICAL HISTORY

In 1991 I was granted conditional indemnity from prosecution and returned to live permanently in South Africa.

In 1990 I first returned to South Africa when the ANC and the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa was unbanned.

In 1986 I was cited as co-conspirator in the trial of the Rev. Cedric Mayson, charged with sedition and treason.

In 1976 I fled South Africa fearing re-arrest. My passport had been previously been withdrawn. I was subsequently given political asylum in the Netherlands.

In 1975 I was detained under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act and held in solitary confinement for 73 days after which I was released without charge.

In 1974 I refused to testify before a secret tribunal known as the Schlebusch Commission of Inquiry into the Christian Institute. For this I was charged under the Commissions Act. For technical reasons the trial was ruled to be a mis-trial and I was not sentenced.

In 1973 my passport was permanently withdrawn. I was granted a new SA passport in 1993.

In 1972 I was charged under the Suppression of Communism Act for the possession of banned literature. I was acquitted.

In 1969 I was charged under the Riotous Assemblies Act for organizing a march on John Vorster Square, calling for the release of detainees, including Mrs. Winnie Mandela and Mr. Wally Serote. I was found guilty and had to pay a fine.