Dawie de Villiers

David Jacobus de Villiers, born on 10 July 1940 in Burgersdorp,Cape Province, was a South African Government minister and a former Springbok rugby captain.

His father Coenie was a railway clerk and organizer of the National Party and Member of Parliament for the Vasco constituency from 1953 to 1961. The family moved to Caledon where he began his schooling. However, they moved to a year to Bellville, where he matriculated in 1959 at the Hoërskool Bellville.

In 1960 he studied at the University of Stellenbosch where he obtained a degree in Theology and gained honors in Philosophy. During 1962 to 1963 he was President of the Student Council.

In 1963-1964 he was a part-time lecturer in philosophy at the University of the Western Cape and was awarded the Abe Bailey and Markotter scholarships. After that, he became a lecturer at the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). In 1972 he completed his MA in philosophy and received a scholarship to study abroad.

De Villiers also excelled in rugby (scrumhalf position) and became involved in all levels of the sport, including representing South Africa in 25 test matches, His first international test match was in 1962 against the British Lions, aged 22. In 1970 he captained the "Springboks" against New Zealand.

While he was lecturing at RAU, the then rector, Gerrit Viljoen, persuaded him at this time to become active in politics. Against his father’s wishes, De Villiers entered politics and stood for election. He was elected to the House of Assembly as MP for Johannesburg West and was re-elected in the elections of 1974 and 1977.

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