André Isak "Kraai" van Niekerk (born 1938) is a South African former politician. He obtained a Ph.D. in Agriculture at the

University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

, and then worked in several research positions before settling down in Rugseer near Kenhardt as a sheep farmer. Van Niekerk embarked on a political career for the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

when he was elected MP for Prieska in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. He became Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the cabinet of P.W. Botha in 1986.

F. W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk ( , ; 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as the seventh and final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as Deputy President of South Africa, deputy president a ...

appointed him

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. He and Dr.

Dawie de Villiers Dawid Jacobus de Villiers (10 July 1940 – 23 April 2022) was an ordained minister in the Dutch Reformed Church; a South African Government minister and a Springbok captains, Springbok rugby captain. Biography His father Coenie was a railway c ...

were the only ministers of the last apartheid government to keep their posts in the Government of National Unity under President

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

(until the end of the GNU in 1996). For some time, he was also the National Party's Chairman in the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

. He retired from parliament in 1997 to join

Louis Luyt Louis Luyt (18 June 1932 – 1 February 2013) was a South African business tycoon and politician, and one-time rugby administrator. Having been a rugby player as a young man, Luyt went on to become a businessman. He founded Triomf Fertiliser a ...

's Federal Alliance before the elections in 1999. After the 1999 elections, he became part of the two-member caucus of the FA, which entered into an alliance with the Democratic Alliance. After the elections in 2004 he became Spokesperson on Agriculture of the DA caucus in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. Van Niekerk, who is a member of

AgriSA Agri SA (Agri South Africa) is the biggest agricultural organisations in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nin ...

, has represented not less than three parties in the South African parliament. He is married to Theresa and the couple have three children.

References

1938 births Living people People from Eshowe Afrikaner people South African people of Dutch descent National Party (South Africa) politicians Federal Alliance (South Africa) politicians Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Agriculture and land affairs ministers of South Africa Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa) Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1999–2004 Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2004–2009 Stellenbosch University alumni {{NorthernCape-politician-stub