Frederik van Zyl Slabbert
| Frederik van Zyl Slabbert | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 March 1940 |
| Died | 14 May 2010 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | South African |
| Political party | Progressive Federal Party |
| Alma mater | University of Stellenbosch |
Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert (2 March 1940 – 14 May 2010) was a South African political analyst, businessman and politician. He is best known for having been the leader of the official opposition — the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) — in the House of Assembly from 1979 to 1986.
Born in Pretoria to an Afrikaner family, Slabbert grew up in Pietersburg (now Polokwane) in northern Transvaal (now the Limpopo Province of South Africa). He matriculated from the Pietersburg Afrikaans High School in 1958.
After graduating from high school Van Zyl Slabbert studied theology at the University of Stellenbosch for 18 months before deciding that sociology was his calling. He completed a BA Honours at the university, and a doctorate in 1967.
After completing his studies he worked as a sociology lecturer at Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University, the University of Cape Town. In 1973, he was appointed head of the sociology department of the University of the Witwatersrand.
During his academic studies, Slabbert developed an active interest in politics, which led him to reject apartheid and to stand for a seat on Stellenbosch University's Students' Representative Council. He lost the election as he was considered to be too liberal.
In the 1974 general election, Slabbert stood for election as a Progressive Party (PP) candidate for the constituency of Rondebosch. Although he was not expected to win the seat, he beat the United Party (UP) candidate by 1,600 votes. Slabbert defended and retained this seat in the parliamentary elections of 1977 and 1981.
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