Overview
Marthinus Christoffel Johannes van Schalkwyk (born 10 November 1959) is a South African politician, academic, and lawyer, who serves as High Commissioner to Australia. He previously served as MP and Minister of Tourism in the Cabinet of South Africa. Formerly Premier of the Western Cape and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Africa, he was the leader of the New National Party from its inception on 8 September 1997 until its dissolution on 9 April 2005. He was appointed Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the Thabo Mbeki administration after merging his party with the ruling African National Congress (ANC), despite the poor performance of the former in the 2004 General Election.
Early life and career
Van Schalkwyk matriculated from Pietersburg High School in 1977. He was a national serviceman in the South African Defence Force (SADF) from 1978 to 1979 and later attended the Rand Afrikaans University, where he earned a Masters of Arts in Political Science and a B Proc. (a junior legal degree). As a prominent student leader of whites in the 1980s, he was a founding member and chairman of Jeugkrag (Afrikaans for Youth Power), an organisation purportedly opposed to the Afrikaner establishment, but which was secretly funded by military intelligence. Later, he lectured Political Science at Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) and Stellenbosch University.
Political career
His political career began during the late apartheid years at the Rand Afrikaans University as chairman of the Student Representative Council (SRC), the Afrikaanse Studentebond (ASB), and later of the Ruiterwag, the youth wing of the Broederbond.
Van Schalkwyk succeeded Frederik Willem de Klerk as leader of the National Party in 1996, and reorganised it on 8 September 1997 as the New National Party in a bid to distance the party from its apartheid past. He remained the NNP's leader until its dissolution on 9 April 2005. He also served as Premier of the Western Cape and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Africa.
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