Frederik van Zyl Slabbert (born March 2, 1940) was a South African politician and is currently a political analyst and businessman. He is best known for being the leader of the official opposition — the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) — in the South African parliament from 1979 to 1986. March 2 is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... The Progressive Federal Party (PFP) was a South African political party formed in 1977. ... A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modelled after that of the United Kingdom. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

Born in Pretoria to an Afrikaner family, Slabbert grew up in what is now the Limpopo Province of South Africa. He matriculated from the Pietersburg Afrikaans High School in 1958. Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country South Africa Province Gauteng Established 1855 Area  - City 1,644 km²  (634. ... Afrikaners are an ethnic group of Northwestern European ancestry and associated with Southern Africa and the Afrikaans language. ... Capital Polokwane Largest city Polokwane Area  - Total Ranked 5th 123,900 km² Premier Mbhazima Shilowa (ANC) Population   - 2001   - 1996   - Density (2001) Ranked 4th 5,273,637 4,929,368 43/km² (Ranked 3rd) Languages Races Black (97. ... Polokwane (previously known as Pietersburg) is the capital of Limpopo Province (the province with the greatest increase in growth rate for 2003) in South Africa. ... Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The following year, 1959, Slabbert started his tertiary studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, but moved to Stellenbosch University after completing his first year, primarily to play rugby. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1961, a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree (Cum Laude) in 1962, a Master of Arts Degree (Cum Laude) in 1964 and a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1967. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of the Witwatersrand (pronounced vit-vaters-rant, with flat vowels -- see South African English) is a leading South African university situated in Johannesburg. ... Stellenbosch University (Afrikaans: Universiteit van Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised university which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. ... A rugby union scrum. ... A bachelors degree (Artium Baccalaureus, A.B. or B.A.) is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

After completing his studies he was a sociology lecturer at the universities of Stellenbosch, Rhodes, Cape Town and the Witwatersrand before being appointed as professor in 1973. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ...

He entered full-time politics the following year, eventually retiring as leader of the official opposition twelve years later.

Slabbert is married to Jane and has two children from his first marriage.

Political career

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. A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of...

In the South African general elections of 1974 Slabbert stood as parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Rondebosch on behalf of the Progressive Party (PP). Although he was not expected to win the seat he beat the United Party (UP) candidate by 1,600 votes. He retained the seat for the PFP (the successor party to the PP after two mergers with defectors from the "left-wing" of more right-wing parties) in the general elections of 1977 and 1981. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ...

Slabbert rose in the ranks of the PP/PRP/PFP and came to play an important role in the development of the party's ideology, particularly as the chairman of its Constitutional Committee. In 1979 he was elected as leader of the PFP and thus became the leader of the parliamentary official opposition. Slabbert retired as leader of the PFP and quit active politics in 1986; this decision was mainly due to his feeling that Parliament had become an irrelevant institution in the context of South Africa's political problems of that time. He published a book at this time entitled The Last White Parliament. Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

However, Slabbert re-entered politics in 1987 in order to further negotiations between white South Africans and the African National Congress (ANC). This lead to the Dakar conference, which took place between the anti-apartheid movement and leading (mainly Afrikaner) politicians, academics and businessmen in Senegal during the same year. The conference was organised by the Institute for a Democratic South Africa (IDASA), of which he later became the director of policy and planning. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... For political parties with similar names in other countries, see Northern Rhodesian African National Congress and Zambian African National Congress. ...

Slabbert also works as regional facilitator for the George Soros-backed funding organisation, the Open Society Foundation of Southern Africa, which identifies and invests in worthy projects in nine African countries. George Soros (pronounced ) [Shorosh] (born August 12, 1930, in Budapest, Hungary, as György Schwartz) is an American financial speculator, stock investor, philanthropist, and political activist. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

In addition, he co-founded Khula - a black investment trust - in 1990. Slabbert was appointed as chairman of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed Adcorp Holdings in 1998 and also sits on the boards of several other JSE-listed companies such as Wooltru, Investec and Radiospoor. Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Slabbert was voted 82nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004. Great South Africans was a South African television series that aired on SABC3 and hosted by Noeleen Maholwana Sangqu and Denis Beckett. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Works

• South Africa's Options: Strategies for Sharing with David Welsh. London: Rex Collings (1979). ISBN 0-86036-116-0
• The Last White Parliament: The Struggle for South Africa, by the Leader of the White Opposition. Sidgwick & Jackson (1986). ISBN 0-283-99349-9
• Comrades in Business: Post-Liberation Politics in South Africa with Heribert Adam and Kogila Moodley. Cape Town: Tafelberg Publishers (1998). ISBN 0-624-03601-4
• Tough Choices: Reflections of an Afrikaner African. Cape Town: Tafelberg Publishers (2000). ISBN 0-624-03880-7
• The Other Side of History: An Anecdotal Reflection on Political Transition in South Africa. Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers (2006). ISBN 1-86842-250-X (Also in Afrikaans as Duskant die geskiedenis, ISBN 0-624-04357-6.)

As editor

• Youth in the New South Africa: Towards Policy Formulation - Main Report of the Co-Operative Research Programme: South African Youth with Charles Malan, Hendrik Marais, Johan Olivier and Rory Riordan (Eds.). Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council Press (1994). ISBN 0-7969-1646-2