27 Tony Leon ‘GNU’ times for political prize fighter and democrat Tony Leon, who has been a household name in politics for many decades, this year made a remarkable return to the frontline of South African politics. He is the Absa Professional Excellence Award winner for 2024. Leon, who grew up in Durban in a secular but liberal Jewish household, was a key negotiator for the current Government of National Unity (GNU). He was asked by the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) to be one of the party’s six negotiators to ensure that the DA was part of the final GNU. “I wasn’t looking for a role, but I was asked to perform it,” Leon recalls. “I just felt this was too important in terms of the national future to sit up and say, ‘Well, I don’t want to go back into politics’.” This award-winning author, acclaimed speaker, consultant, and columnist, who has had two highly successful careers in frontline South African politics and as an international diplomat, spent about six weeks this year immersed in what he said was the frontline of the often “hairy” GNU negotiations with the African National Congress (ANC), and he found it very interesting. “It was difficult because you’ve got two opposing forces from across 30 years of division, strong dislike in some cases, and they’re having to come together not because they wanted to, but because the country’s election results demanded it, and particularly because the alternative just outside the door – and still there incidentally – was the mass populist, divisive EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters] and MK [uMkhonto we Sizwe].” His GNU negotiating work aside, Leon says he has also made a unique impact on South Africa by helping to negotiate the South African Constitution, serving as the South African ambassador to Argentina from 2009 to 2012, and founding the DA. He has since started a specialist public relations and public affairs agency, Resolve Communications, that has successfully tackled a range of challenging assignments for global firms, Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed and private companies, and various industry associations. A member of Parliament for nearly 20 years, Leon remains the longest serving leader of the opposition in Parliament since the advent of democracy in 1994. Lauded by Nelson Mandela for his “enormous contribution to democracy”, Leon says he has inspired others in the past few years through his passion for community, writing of five books on contemporary issues, and offering via lectures and articles a principled and pragmatic approach to national and international issues. His greatest achievements, he says, were forming a strong liberal opposition party in South Africa, establishing a market for South African ports in South America, and offering principled thought leadership unencumbered by political fashion. His father was a lawyer and judge, and his mother was active in politics through civil society movements. Growing up, Leon’s interests included politics and debating. “I didn’t just want to be a politician, I wanted to be in politics to bring about certain results,” says this Kearsney College alumnus. “I had a clear value system which came from a combination of circumstances – my background, my parents, my community, but also my beliefs.” Leon, a trained lawyer, faced his biggest challenge in overcoming hostility to minority racial and religious membership in a quest to build a non-racial and inclusive country. If he had to do one thing again, “It would be to speak and stand fast for opinions and values despite pressure to conform or keep silent. Taking up unpopular causes as well.” Leon, who has spoken at institutions such as the European Parliament in Brussels, says he has helped contribute to job creation, skills development, and education by authoring policies and practices advancing economic opportunism and job creation. “I have done significant pro bono work to promote a culture of reading and appreciation of literature. I have mentored countless young professionals in a host of careers and with opportunities for self-improvement. I have also guided companions in navigating complex terrains.” Leon’s advice to a young person would be, “Read, read, read on a host of topics and not just in a narrow professional niche. Be open to outside counsel, and never be afraid to both ask questions and listen with your ears, not your mouth.” Leon had a life-changing moment when President Mandela offered him a seat in his Cabinet in January 1997. “Mandela invited me to an early morning breakfast at his home, very early, six o’clock. He liked to get up early,” Leon reminisces. “He offered me a seat in his Cabinet”. Leon considered it a generous and tempting offer, “but I realised it would prevent the establishment of a viable opposition, so I declined it” with thanks and appreciation. The DA was a seven-seat party at the time. “I realised that if I had gone to the government in 1997 rather than long after I retired from the DA, there wouldn’t have been the possibility of building a democratic opposition in this country.” Nevertheless, Leon believes that it’s important for non-ANC faces to represent the country and the world. “I was the most identifiable non-ANC face in the country at that time outside of politics, and the government offered me an ambassadorship. I chose to go to three countries in South America because I thought I could do interesting things there, important to trade. I was centred as ambassador to Argentina and surrounding countries. It was very absorbing.” The past few years have had an impact on this dog-lover’s thinking. “I think more carefully about decisions now and less impetuously than before. I resist the temptation to accept offers simply for the sake of prestige.” Leon, a proud grandfather and golf fan, believes in standing by his convictions. “There are two types of politicians, a weather-based one who turns around and fluctuates with every gust” or “the signpost that knows where it’s going, and sticks to that direction”. Some think, some do, some both, too few. Absa Professional Excellence Award winner “
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDAwNDg=