Pieter Mulder

Pieter Mulder
South African Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
In office
11 May 2009 – 25 May 2014
President Jacob Zuma
Preceded by Dirk du Toit
Succeeded by Bheki Cele
Leader of the Freedom Front Plus
In office
26 June 2001 – 12 November 2016
Preceded by Constand Viljoen
Succeeded by Pieter Groenewald
South African Member of Parliament
In office
1988 – 30 November 2017
Personal details
Born (1951-07-26) 26 July 1951
Randfontein, Transvaal, South Africa
Political party Freedom Front Plus
Other political
affiliations		 Conservative Party of South Africa
Spouse(s) Triena Mulder
Relations Connie Mulder (father)
Children Heleen
Suzanne
Catrien
Connie
Gerdi

Pieter Mulder (born 26 July 1951) is a South African politician and the former leader of the Freedom Front Plus. He served as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the cabinet of President Jacob Zuma from 2009-2014.[1]

Biography

Early life and politics

He was born in Randfontein and grew up in Randfontein and Cape Town. He completed his high school education at the Riebeeck High School in Randfontein, where he was headboy and Victor Ludorum in athletics. The son of former cabinet minister Connie Mulder, the young Mulder first worked as a lecturer at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, before being promoted to head of the university's communications department. He represented the town of Potchefstroom in Parliament since 1988, initially elected as an MP for the Conservative Party (KP).[2]

Freedom Front

Prior to South Africa's first multi-racial elections in 1994, Mulder co-founded the Freedom Front with General Constand Viljoen, a former head of the South African Defence Force. During the elections of 1994, the Freedom Front won nine seats in the National Assembly. This number was slashed to just three during the 1999 elections. Viljoen, who acted as leader since the party's founding, retired from politics in 2001 and left Mulder in charge.

Deputy Minister and Leader of the Freedom Front Plus

In 2004, under Mulder's leadership, the Freedom Front was renamed Freedom Front Plus after absorbing the smaller Conservative Party, the Afrikaner Eenheids Beweging (Afrikaner Unity Movement), which lost its only seat in the National Assembly due to floor-crossing, and the Federale Alliansie of Dr. Louis Luyt. During the elections in 2004, the new "Freedom Front Plus" managed to gain four seats in the National Assembly. It has held on to them ever since.

On 10 May 2009 President Jacob Zuma announced his appointment of Mulder as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.[3] Mulder served until May 2014, when he was replaced by former Police Commissioner Bheki Cele.

Mulder stepped down as leader of the Freedom Front Plus in late 2016, and was replaced by fellow MP Pieter Groenewald.[4] He remains a member of parliament for a transitional period, however.

References

  1. ↑ "Home | Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)". apps.gcis.gov.za. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  2. ↑ "Pieter Mulder | Who's Who SA". whoswho.co.za. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  3. ↑ "News24 | South Africa's leading source of breaking news, opinion and insight". News24. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "FF Plus leader Mulder steps down". eNCA. 12 November 2016.

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