Tony Leon
Encyclopedia
Anthony James "Tony" Leon (born December 15, 1956) is a South Africa
n politician who served as leader of the opposition
from 1999-2007 as leader of the Democratic Alliance. Although still a member of the DA, he currently serves as the South African Ambassador to Argentina
under the ANC government.
near Durban
. His father Ramon Leon was a High Court Judge. Both his parents were active in the liberal, anti-apartheid Progressive Party (which later became the Democratic Party).
, one of the two opposition parties represented in parliament at the time. After this, he qualified as an attorney at the University of the Witwatersrand
, where he was President of the Law Students' Council and Vice-President of the Students' Representative Council, and became a lecturer in the Law Department in 1986. He has accredited Harry Schwarz
and Helen Suzman
as his biggest inspirations. In the same year he was elected to the Johannesburg
City Council for Yeoville. When the results for the election were released, it was announced that the NP candidate Sam Bloomberg had won. However Harry Schwarz
, his political mentor, uncovered that this was untrue, and Leon was declared the winner. He became leader of the opposition in the city council.
In 1989 he was elected to Parliament for the Houghton
constituency, representing the Progressive Party's successor, the Democratic Party
.
From 1990 to 1994 he chaired the DP's Bill of Rights
Commission, and as such was an advisor to the Convention for a Democratic South Africa
(CODESA) and a delegate to the multi-party negotiations that led to the end of apartheid and the establishment of a multi-party democracy in 1994.
At the 1994 general elections
, Leon was again elected to Parliament in the first democratic National Assembly, as well as leader of the Democratic Party. At the time, the Democratic Party was perceived as merely a minor party of white liberals
, an oddity in the first multiracial government of South Africa. Yet between 1994-1999 its seven members managed to become the most vocal, active and involved legislators.
With the second democratic elections
in 1999 and the New National Party only retaining 28 seats (down from 82 in 1994), he became Leader of the Opposition
as the DP took 38 seats, showing a growth of over five-fold.
After the 2004 general elections
, the Democratic Alliance under Leon had a vote increased by 2.8%, as did the ANC with an increase of 3.3%. These gains came at a cost to three of the five minor opposition parties, with only the Independent Democrats — a newcomer in the elections — also attracting support.
Leon built a high media profile as opposition leader by criticising the ANC government under Nelson Mandela
but more so under his successor, President Thabo Mbeki
, for their inabilities to properly deal with South Africa's problems of poverty
, unemployment
and the AIDS
epidemic.
Leon retired as leader of the DA on 5 May 2007. He was succeeded by Helen Zille
who was elected as the new party leader on 6 May 2007.
On his retirement, former President Nelson Mandela said:"Your contribution to democracy is enormous. You have far more support for all you have done than you might ever read about".
One of South Africa's leading political commentator, Justice Malala wrote about him: "“Every South African should wake up today and say a little thank you to Tony Leon ... he was fearless when many were fearful, vocal when many had lost their voices, openly critical when many would only speak in whispers ... the man has done a remarkable job.”
~ Justice Malala, (7 May 2007)
Leon was voted 16th in the TV channel SABC3's Top 100 Great South Africans
. He became the first South African politician to record a podcast when his was launched during the 2006 local government election campaign.
From September to December 2007, Leon was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
.
On November 29, 2007, Mr. Leon was a guest at the prestigious Yale Political Union
, keynoting a student debate on the topic "Resolved: The Nation Should Not Be Tied To Ethnicity." After a vigorous debate, the motion passed.
In 2008, Leon released his autobiography On the Contrary. The book was favourably received, The Economist
described it as "eloquent, funny and rich... an important record of South Africa’s young democracy, witnessed from the other side of the fence". The book was also serialized by the Johannesburg Sunday Times.
The book won the Recht Malan Prize in the Via Afrika Book Awards for the best work of non fiction in 2009
In the last quarter of 2008 Leon was a Visiting Fellow at the Cato Institute Center for Liberty and Global Prosperity in Washington DC. His research paper: The State of Liberal Democracy in Africa - Resurgence or Recession was published in May 2010
He published a series of articles in Business Day from the campaign trail of the recent South African general election, 2009
.
After Leon completed his over 20 years as an MP, he was invited to write two weekly columns in leading South African Sunday paper "Sunday Times" and in leading daily paper "Business Day", winning excellent reviews for his writing and analysis even from previous political opponents. Journalist Xolela Mangcu wrote: "As for Tony Leon? The man is the best thing to have happened to the media in the past many years, particularly over the course of the nastiest political analysis in the history of our young democracy. His turn of phrase is impeccable, and his analysis without any trace of prejudice. Through political analysis Tony may make up for what he lost in active politics."
as Ambassador to Argentina
, Uruguay
and Paraguay
. After receiving diplomatic training, he started as Ambassador in September. Leon follows many Democratic Alliance and Democratic Party members who have been appointed Ambassadors such as Harry Schwarz
, Zach de Beer
, Douglas Gibson and Sandra Botha
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n politician who served as leader of the opposition
Leader of the Opposition (South Africa)
The Leader of the Opposition in South Africa is a title held by the leader of the largest party, not forming part of the government, in the most important house of Parliament. This was the House of Assembly from 1910 to 1994 and the National Assembly from 1994. He or she acts as the public face of...
from 1999-2007 as leader of the Democratic Alliance. Although still a member of the DA, he currently serves as the South African Ambassador to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
under the ANC government.
Early life
Leon grew up in Durban, South Africa during the apartheid era. He was educated at Kearsney CollegeKearsney College
Kearsney College is a private boarding school for boys in Botha's Hill, a small town that lies between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa.- History :...
near Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. His father Ramon Leon was a High Court Judge. Both his parents were active in the liberal, anti-apartheid Progressive Party (which later became the Democratic Party).
Politics
In 1974 at the age of 18 he became an organiser for the Progressive PartyProgressive Party (South Africa)
The Progressive Party was a liberal party in South Africa that opposed the ruling National Party's policies of apartheid, and championed the Rule of Law. For years its only member of parliament was Helen Suzman...
, one of the two opposition parties represented in parliament at the time. After this, he qualified as an attorney at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
, where he was President of the Law Students' Council and Vice-President of the Students' Representative Council, and became a lecturer in the Law Department in 1986. He has accredited Harry Schwarz
Harry Schwarz
Harry Heinz Schwarz was a South African lawyer, statesman and long-time political opposition leader against apartheid, who eventually served as the South African ambassador to the United States during the country’s transition to representative democracy.Schwarz rose from the childhood poverty he...
and Helen Suzman
Helen Suzman
Helen Suzman, DBE was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician.-Biography:Helen Suzman, a life-long citizen of South Africa, was born as Helen Gavronsky in 1917 to Jewish immigrants....
as his biggest inspirations. In the same year he was elected to the Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
City Council for Yeoville. When the results for the election were released, it was announced that the NP candidate Sam Bloomberg had won. However Harry Schwarz
Harry Schwarz
Harry Heinz Schwarz was a South African lawyer, statesman and long-time political opposition leader against apartheid, who eventually served as the South African ambassador to the United States during the country’s transition to representative democracy.Schwarz rose from the childhood poverty he...
, his political mentor, uncovered that this was untrue, and Leon was declared the winner. He became leader of the opposition in the city council.
In 1989 he was elected to Parliament for the Houghton
Houghton Estate, Gauteng
Houghton Estate, often simply called Houghton is a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, north-east of the city centre. Part of it is located in Region 3, the other part in Region 4 ....
constituency, representing the Progressive Party's successor, the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (South Africa)
The Democratic Party was the name of the South African political party now called the Democratic Alliance . Although the Democratic Party name dates from 1989, the party existed under other labels throughout the Apartheid years, when it was the Parliamentary opposition to the ruling National...
.
From 1990 to 1994 he chaired the DP's Bill of Rights
Bill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...
Commission, and as such was an advisor to the Convention for a Democratic South Africa
Convention for a Democratic South Africa
The apartheid system in South Africa was ended through a series of negotiations between 1990 and 1993 and through unilateral steps by the de Klerk government. These negotiations took place between the governing National Party, the African National Congress, and a wide variety of other political...
(CODESA) and a delegate to the multi-party negotiations that led to the end of apartheid and the establishment of a multi-party democracy in 1994.
At the 1994 general elections
South African general election, 1994
The South African general election of 1994 was an election held in South Africa to mark the end of apartheid, therefore also the first held with universal adult suffrage. The election was conducted under the direction of the Independent Electoral Commission .Millions queued in lines over a three...
, Leon was again elected to Parliament in the first democratic National Assembly, as well as leader of the Democratic Party. At the time, the Democratic Party was perceived as merely a minor party of white liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, an oddity in the first multiracial government of South Africa. Yet between 1994-1999 its seven members managed to become the most vocal, active and involved legislators.
With the second democratic elections
South African general election, 1999
South Africa's second non-racial general election, held on 2 June 1999 was won by the African National Congress , who increased their number of seats by 14. Notable was the sharp decline of the New National Party, previously the National Party , who without former president F.W. de Klerk lost more...
in 1999 and the New National Party only retaining 28 seats (down from 82 in 1994), he became Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (South Africa)
The Leader of the Opposition in South Africa is a title held by the leader of the largest party, not forming part of the government, in the most important house of Parliament. This was the House of Assembly from 1910 to 1994 and the National Assembly from 1994. He or she acts as the public face of...
as the DP took 38 seats, showing a growth of over five-fold.
After the 2004 general elections
South African general election, 2004
Legislative elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 April 2004. The African National Congress of President Thabo Mbeki, which came to power after the end of the apartheid system in 1994, was re-elected with an increased majority....
, the Democratic Alliance under Leon had a vote increased by 2.8%, as did the ANC with an increase of 3.3%. These gains came at a cost to three of the five minor opposition parties, with only the Independent Democrats — a newcomer in the elections — also attracting support.
Leon built a high media profile as opposition leader by criticising the ANC government under Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
but more so under his successor, President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
, for their inabilities to properly deal with South Africa's problems of poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
epidemic.
Retirement
On November 26, 2006, Leon announced that he would step down from the leadership of the Democratic Alliance in 2007, and would not accept nomination for the leadership of the party at the party's congress in May 2007. Leon, nevertheless, kept his seat in Parliament until 2009, when its term expired.Leon retired as leader of the DA on 5 May 2007. He was succeeded by Helen Zille
Helen Zille
Helen Zille is the Premier of the Western Cape, a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and a former Mayor of Cape Town.Zille is a former journalist and anti-apartheid activist, and famously exposed the truth...
who was elected as the new party leader on 6 May 2007.
On his retirement, former President Nelson Mandela said:"Your contribution to democracy is enormous. You have far more support for all you have done than you might ever read about".
One of South Africa's leading political commentator, Justice Malala wrote about him: "“Every South African should wake up today and say a little thank you to Tony Leon ... he was fearless when many were fearful, vocal when many had lost their voices, openly critical when many would only speak in whispers ... the man has done a remarkable job.”
~ Justice Malala, (7 May 2007)
Leon was voted 16th in the TV channel SABC3's Top 100 Great South Africans
SABC3's Great South Africans
Great South Africans was a South African television series that aired on SABC3 and hosted by Noeleen Maholwana Sangqu and Denis Beckett. In September 2004, thousands of South Africans took part in an informal nationwide poll to determine the "100 Greatest South Africans" of all time...
. He became the first South African politician to record a podcast when his was launched during the 2006 local government election campaign.
From September to December 2007, Leon was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
.
On November 29, 2007, Mr. Leon was a guest at the prestigious Yale Political Union
Yale Political Union
The Yale Political Union , a debate society now the largest student organization at Yale University, was founded in 1934 by Professor Alfred Whitney Griswold , to enliven the university's political culture of the time. It was modelled on the Cambridge Union Society and Oxford Union...
, keynoting a student debate on the topic "Resolved: The Nation Should Not Be Tied To Ethnicity." After a vigorous debate, the motion passed.
In 2008, Leon released his autobiography On the Contrary. The book was favourably received, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
described it as "eloquent, funny and rich... an important record of South Africa’s young democracy, witnessed from the other side of the fence". The book was also serialized by the Johannesburg Sunday Times.
The book won the Recht Malan Prize in the Via Afrika Book Awards for the best work of non fiction in 2009
In the last quarter of 2008 Leon was a Visiting Fellow at the Cato Institute Center for Liberty and Global Prosperity in Washington DC. His research paper: The State of Liberal Democracy in Africa - Resurgence or Recession was published in May 2010
He published a series of articles in Business Day from the campaign trail of the recent South African general election, 2009
South African general election, 2009
South Africa held national and provincial elections to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each province on 22 April 2009....
.
After Leon completed his over 20 years as an MP, he was invited to write two weekly columns in leading South African Sunday paper "Sunday Times" and in leading daily paper "Business Day", winning excellent reviews for his writing and analysis even from previous political opponents. Journalist Xolela Mangcu wrote: "As for Tony Leon? The man is the best thing to have happened to the media in the past many years, particularly over the course of the nastiest political analysis in the history of our young democracy. His turn of phrase is impeccable, and his analysis without any trace of prejudice. Through political analysis Tony may make up for what he lost in active politics."
South African Ambassador
In August 2009, Tony Leon was appointed by President Jacob ZumaJacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
as Ambassador to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. After receiving diplomatic training, he started as Ambassador in September. Leon follows many Democratic Alliance and Democratic Party members who have been appointed Ambassadors such as Harry Schwarz
Harry Schwarz
Harry Heinz Schwarz was a South African lawyer, statesman and long-time political opposition leader against apartheid, who eventually served as the South African ambassador to the United States during the country’s transition to representative democracy.Schwarz rose from the childhood poverty he...
, Zach de Beer
Zach de Beer
Zacharias Johannes de Beer was a liberal Afrikaner South African politician and businessman...
, Douglas Gibson and Sandra Botha
Sandra Botha
Celia-Sandra Botha is a South African politician, who serves as South Africa's Ambassador to the Czech Republic. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, on behalf of the Democratic Alliance and its leader, Helen Zille...
.