OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 4.00pm.
A FORMER leader of the Democratic Party and veteran of liberal politics in South Africa, Zach de Beer, died at age 70 in Cape Town on Thursday after suffering a stroke.
De Beer died at his Cape Town home, long-time colleague Colin Eglin said.
De Beer quit politics in 1994 after the DP managed to win only 1,7% of the vote in the first all-race election. He was succeeded by current leader Tony Leon.
De Beer then served as South Africa’s ambassador to The Hague for two years before resigning due to ill health.
He became involved in politics while studying medicine at the University of Cape Town and became one of South Africa’s youngest MPs in 1953 when he entered parliament on an opposition United Party seat at 23.
His career was marked by a break from full-time politics to pursue a business career for more than 20 years.
He was one of a group of liberals which split from the United Party in 1959 to form the Progressive Federal Party, of which he became leader in 1988.
A year later the party merged with two other liberal parties to form the Democratic Party. De Beer was one of a troika which led the DP until he was appointed sole leader in 1990.
He played a key role in the multi-party discussions which led to the end of white minority rule and the historic 1994 election.
De Beer also rose through the ranks of mining giant Anglo American and was a director until 1998. — AFP
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