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Tony Leon

トニー・レオン

Tonī Reon

Aliases: Anthony James Leon

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1956-12-15 (Durban)
Nationality
South Africa
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Durban → Johannesburg → Cape Town → Buenos Aires (during ambassadorship)

Career

Occupations
Politician, Diplomat, Lawyer, Author, Businessman, Activist
Active Years
1974-2024
Affiliations
Democratic Alliance (DA), Democratic Party (DP), Progressive Federal Party (PFP)
Memberships
Progressive Party, Progressive Reform Party
Influenced By
Harry Schwarz, Helen Suzman

Education

University of the Witwatersrand
Faculty of Law / Law Department
Degree: Attorney
Period: 1978-1982
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: South Africa
President of the Law Students' Council, lecturer in Law Department
Kearsney College
High School
Country: South Africa
Boarding school

Awards

Recht Malan Prize
2009
Work: On the Contrary
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Via Afrika Book Awards (Media24 Books Literary Awards)
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hope & Fear: Reflections of a Democrat

1998 Non-fiction

Reflections on South Africa's transition to democracy.

DemocracyAnti-apartheid

On the Contrary: Leading the Opposition in a Democratic South Africa

2008 Autobiography

Autobiography as opposition leader.

PoliticsDemocracy

The Accidental Ambassador: From Parliament to Patagonia

2013 Memoir

Memoir of ambassadorship.

DiplomacySouth Africa

Opposite Mandela: Encounters with South Africa's Icon

2014 Non-fiction

Encounters with Mandela from opposition view.

MandelaPolitical opposition

Future Tense: Reflections on My Troubled Land

2021 Political commentary

Reflections on South Africa's challenges.

CorruptionPolitics

Being There: Backstories from the Political Front

2025 Non-fiction

Backstories from politics including GNU formation.

Coalition governmentPolitical history

Bibliography

  • Hope & Fear: Reflections of a Democrat
  • On the Contrary
  • The Accidental Ambassador
  • Opposite Mandela
  • Future Tense
  • Being There

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Eloquent and funnyFrank and vigorous
Recurring Motifs
DemocracyPost-apartheid South AfricaOpposition politics

Legacy

Longest-serving leader of the opposition in democratic South Africa, led DA, vocal critic of ANC, author awarded literary prize for non-fiction.

In Popular Culture

  • Ranked 16th in SABC3's Great South Africans

Trivia

  • Of Jewish descent.
  • Had Bar Mitzvah at Durban's Great Synagogue.
  • Father was a High Court Judge.