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Anthony James Leon (born 15 December 1956) is a
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n politician who served as
leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
from 1999 to 2007 as leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA). He led the DA from its inception in 2000, until his retirement from leadership in 2007. Before that, he led the Democratic Party from 1994. He is the longest-serving leader of the official opposition in parliament since the advent of democracy in 1994. Although still a member of the DA, he served as the South African Ambassador to
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
and
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
under the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
government from 2009 to 2012. Since 2012, Leon has been serving as Executive Chairman of Resolve Communications (Pty) Ltd - a South African-based advocacy for reputation management and strategic communications consultancy, and a consultant to various international companies. Leon is also a contracted columnist to Arena Holdings Ltd, with his columns appearing weekly or monthly in ''
Business Day A business day normally means any day except a legal holiday. It may also mean a business day of operation, any of the days an organization operates. It depends on the local workweek which is dictated by local customs, religions, and business ...
'', ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', and BusinessLive. He is also the author of five books.


Early life

Leon was born and raised in
Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...
during the
apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English:  , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
era. He was educated at Clifton School (Durban) and Kearsney College 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). He is
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and had his
Bar Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...
at the Great Synagogue in Durban, where he also attended
High Holiday In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of: #strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); #by extension, the ...
services with his family.


Political career

In 1974 at the age of 18, he became an organiser for the Progressive 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 The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...
, 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 Heinz Schwarz (13 May 1924 – 5 February 2010) was a South African lawyer, statesman, and long-time Internal resistance to South African apartheid, political opposition leader against apartheid in South Africa who eventually served as th ...
and
Helen Suzman Helen Suzman, Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (née Gavronsky; 7 November 1917 – 1 January 2009) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and p ...
as his biggest inspirations. In the same year he was elected to the
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
City Council for
Yeoville Yeoville is an inner city neighbourhood of Johannesburg, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. It is located in Region F (previously Region 8). Originally intended as a "well-to-do" neighbourhood, it instead developed into a white working ...
. When the results for the election were released, it was announced that 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 ...
candidate Sam Bloomberg had won. However, Harry Schwarz, his political mentor, uncovered that this was untrue, and Leon was declared the winner. He became the 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 A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...
Commission, and as such was an advisor to the
Convention for a Democratic South Africa The apartheid system in South Africa was ended through a series of bilateral and multi-party negotiations between 1990 and 1993. The negotiations culminated in the passage of a new interim Constitution in 1993, a precursor to the Constitution ...
(CODESA) and a delegate to the multi-party negotiations that led to the end of apartheid and the establishment of a non-racial democracy in 1994. At the 1994 general elections, Leon was again elected to Parliament in the first democratic
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 ...
, 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 non-racial democratic government of South Africa. Yet between 1994 and 1999 its seven members managed to become the most vocal, active and involved legislators. In 1998, Leon published his first book on the eve of the second democratic election, entitled ''Hope & Fear: Reflections of a Democrat'' (Jonathan Ball, 1998). 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 The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
as the DP took 38 seats, showing a growth of over five-fold. After the 2004 general elections, the DA 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 The Independent Democrats (ID) was a South African political party, formed by former Pan Africanist Congress member Patricia de Lille in 2003 via floor crossing legislation. The party's platform was premised on opposition to corruption, with ...
– a newcomer in the elections – also attracting support. Leon built a high media profile as an opposition leader by criticising the ANC government under
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 ...
but more so under his successor, President
Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...
.


Post Politics

On 26 November 2006, Leon announced that he would step down from the leadership of the DA in 2007, and would not accept nomination for the leadership of the party at the party's congress in May 2007. He officially stepped down at that conference, and
Helen Zille Otta Helene Maree (''née'' Zille ; born 9 March 1951), known as Helen Zille, is a South African politician. She has served as the Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance since 20 October 2019. From 2009 until 2019, she w ...
was elected to be the new party leader on 6 May 2007. Leon, nevertheless, kept his seat in Parliament until 2009, when its term expired. 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." Leon was voted 16th in the TV channel SABC3's Top 100 Great South Africans. From September to December 2007, Leon was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
's
John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
. On 29 November 2007, Mr. Leon was a guest at the prestigious
Yale Political Union The Yale Political Union (YPU) is a debate society at Yale University, founded in 1934 by Alfred Whitney Griswold. It was modeled on the Cambridge Union and Oxford Union and the party system of the defunct Yale Unions of the late nineteenth an ...
, 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'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' describing 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 Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
''. 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 The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch ...
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. Leon published a series of articles in ''Business Day'' from the campaign trail of the
2009 South African general election General elections were held in South Africa on 22 April 2009 to elect members of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. These were the fourth general elections held since the end of the apartheid era. The North Gauteng High Cour ...
. 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 ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' and in leading daily paper ''
Business Day A business day normally means any day except a legal holiday. It may also mean a business day of operation, any of the days an organization operates. It depends on the local workweek which is dictated by local customs, religions, and business ...
'', winning excellent reviews for his writing and analysis even from previous political opponents. Since 2012, Leon has been a contracted columnist to Arena Holdings Ltd with his columns appearing weekly or monthly in ''Business Day'', ''Sunday Times'', and the ''Business Live'', respectively.


South African ambassadorship and return to South Africa

In August 2009, President Zuma appointed Leon as Ambassador to
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
and
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
. After receiving diplomatic training, Leon took up his post in September. Leon followed many DA and Democratic Party members who became ambassadors, such as
Harry Schwarz Harry Heinz Schwarz (13 May 1924 – 5 February 2010) was a South African lawyer, statesman, and long-time Internal resistance to South African apartheid, political opposition leader against apartheid in South Africa who eventually served as th ...
,
Zach de Beer Zacharias Johannes de Beer (11 October 1928 – 27 May 1999) was a South African politician, businessman and diplomat. A liberal Afrikaner, he was the last federal leader of the Progressive Federal Party and then the co-federal leader of the ...
, Douglas Gibson and Sandra Botha. On his return in January 2013, he was awarded a fellowship at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). He wrote a paper entitled "Where in the World is South Africa?", which was subsequently published in the ''South African Journal of International Affairs'', 2013, Vol.20, No.3,447-457. Leon also published a memoir of his ambassadorial life titled ''The Accidental Ambassador: From Parliament to Patagonia'' (Pan MacMillan, 2013). The book received critical acclaim with ''Business Day'', where it was said to be "fascinating... Leon is an excellent writer and recounter... eloquent and heartwarming." (Sue Grant-Marshall). The ''
Cape Times The ''Cape Times'' is an English-language morning newspaper owned by Sekunjalo Investments, Independent News & Media SA and published in Cape Town, South Africa. the newspaper had a daily readership of 261000 and a circulation of 34523. By th ...
'' described the book as "intelligent, engaging and incredibly funny" (Shaun Swingler).


Nelson Mandela

Shortly after former President Nelson Mandela's death in December 2013, Tony Leon published another book, this time concerning Mandela's presidency and leadership from the perspective of the parliamentary opposition. ''Opposite Mandela: Encounters with South Africa's Icon'' was published in May 2014 by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Sue Grant-Marshall in Business Day wrote: "It is no surprise that in the year after Mandela's death a cascade of books by those who know the international icon are flooding the shops and bookshelves. Leave space for this one - it's written from Leon's particular perspective as Mandela's political opponent. It does not disappoint in this, his fourth book, for he tells fascinating tales with characteristic frankness and vigour."


New Book: ''Future Tense, Reflections of My Troubled Land, 2021.''

In March 2021, Jonathan Ball Publishers released Tony Leon's latest book: ''Future Tense - Reflections on My Troubled Land''. Drawing from his vantage points of years in active politics and his subsequent career as an opinion former and columnist, this book captures and analyses recent South African history, with a focus on the squandered and corrupted years of the past decade. It also provides an insider view, for the first time, of the power struggles within the Democratic Alliance and plots the country's likely future trajectory. The book was favourably reviewed by
Niall Ferguson Sir Niall Campbell Ferguson, ( ; born 18 April 1964)Biography
Niall Ferguson
.


Personal life

In 2000, Leon married Michal (formerly Even-Zahav) from Israel, the mother of his two stepchildren, Noa and Etai Even-Zahav.


References


External links


Democratic Alliance websitePersonal website

On The Contrary - Tony Leon's latest book

Tony Leon's Book at Exclusive Books

South African Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Tony 1956 births Living people Alumni of Kearsney College White South African people Harvard Kennedy School staff Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Jewish South African politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1994–1999 Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1999–2004 Progressive Party (South Africa) politicians Democratic Party (South Africa) politicians Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa) Ambassadors of South Africa to Argentina Ambassadors of South Africa to Paraguay Ambassadors of South Africa to Uruguay