Former head of the national intelligence service, Niël Barnard, dies at 75

Former head of the national intelligence service, Niël Barnard has died at age 75 after battling cancer.

Barnard died on Monday in Gansbaai, Western Cape.

Barnard gained recognition as the inaugural representative of the South African government to initiate dialogue to facilitate a peaceful transition to constitutional democracy.

He began his education at the University of the Orange Free State (University of the Free State) in 1968 obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History.

He completed his Masters in 1972 and a PhD in 1975.

Before he was head of intelligence, he was a political science lecturer at the same university until he was promoted to professor.

In November 1979, former apartheid president, Pieter Willem Botha appointed Barnard to form an intelligence service and came into operation in 1980.

In 2017, Barnard launched his book, Peaceful Revolution-Inside the War Room at the negotiations.

Barnard said the book breaks new ground in understanding what happened during negotiations in the early 1990s.

The late leader of Inkatha Freedom Party, Mangosuthu Buthelezi reviewed Barnard's book and said he was not disappointed.

He said Barnard documented valuable information that provides insight into the negotiations and also drew his own conclusions, some of which were not quite right.

"He came to the negotiations fully cognisant of how the world viewed South Africa’s transition. As a former history professor at Georgetown University (in Washington DC), he understood the wider historical context and could draw parallels and lessons from experiences throughout the world.

"He was also first and foremost a libertarian. He approached the negotiations with an agenda to win for our country the best democratic outcomes with the greatest possible freedoms, and the greatest protection of those freedoms. He was, effectively, unchained from narrow political doctrines and from the entrenched bias bred, unwittingly or intentionally, into every South African," said Buthelezi at the time.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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