Piet Welgemoed Explained

Party:National Party
Citizenship:South Africa
Birth Name:Peter Johannes Welgemoed
Office:Member of the National Assembly
Termstart:1994
Termend:1996
Office1:Minister of Transport
Successor1:Mac Maharaj
Termstart1:1991
Termend1:1994
President1:F. W. de Klerk

Peter Johannes "Piet" Welgemoed is a South African politician and businessman who was Minister of Transport from 1991 to 1994 under President F. W. de Klerk. He represented the National Party in the House of Assembly and National Assembly until 1996, when he resigned to pursue a career in business.

Education and early career

Welgemoed completed a doctorate in transport economics at Rand Afrikaans University in 1971.[1] From 1974, he was a professor in the department of transportation economics at the university, where he was also director of the Research Centre for Physical Distribution and Transportation Studies.

Welgemoed succeeded Piet Koornhof as the NP's representative in the Primrose constituency in the House of Assembly.[2] [3] Formerly a deputy minister, he was appointed to de Klerk's cabinet in April 1991, when he was named as Minister of Transport.[4] [5] Responsibility for Post and Telecommunications was added to his portfolio in 1992.

Post-apartheid career

In the 1994 general election, Welgemoed was elected to represent the NP in the new multi-racial National Assembly.[6] He was also appointed as the party's shadow minister for transport.[7] However, in 1996, he resigned from Parliament in order to take up what he described as an "exceptional private sector opportunity".[8]

In his subsequent corporate career, Welgemoed's position included the executive chairmanship of the Board of Market Power in South America, which he held from 1998; he was also a long-serving director at Comair until he resigned from the board in December 2019.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2012 . Comair Integrated Annual Report . 2023-06-17 .
  2. Web site: 29 November 1984 . The ruling National Party narrowly won an election for... . 2023-06-17 . UPI . en.
  3. News: 1984-12-01 . Governing party in South Africa fends off 3 electoral challenges . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-06-17 . 0362-4331.
  4. Web site: 28 March 1991 . Piet Welgemoed word Minister . 2023-06-17 . Die Burger . Afrikaans.
  5. Web site: 1991-08-06 . South Africa probes cause of luxury liner's sinking . 2023-06-17 . Baltimore Sun.
  6. Book: South Africa: Campaign and Election Report April 26–29, 1994 . . 1994 . 13 April 2023 . Yumpu.
  7. Book: Africa Research Bulletin: Political, social, and cultural series . 1994 . Blackwell . 11469 . en . Shadow cabinet.
  8. Book: West Africa . 1996 . West Africa Publishing Company, Limited . 612 . en.
  9. Web site: Smith . Carin . 9 January 2020 . Our board is not compromised, Comair hits back as more directors exit . 2023-06-17 . News24 . en-US.