Hernus Kriel was the first Premier of the Western Cape

Western Cape

The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...

 province. He previously served as the Minister of Law and Order in the South African government under Frederik Willem de Klerk

Frederik Willem de Klerk

Frederik Willem de Klerk , often known as F. W. de Klerk, is the former seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994...

.

Kriel served as premier from May 11, 1994 to May 11, 1998 as a member of the National Party

National Party (South Africa)

The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...

. He became known for having questioned the objectivity of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for having advocated for the return of the death penalty.

He is married to Anna-Mari (née Jooste).