Ntsiza John Gogotya (born 2 July 1938) is a South African politician, businessman, and former minister who served 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 repre ...

from 1994 to 2009. He represented the National Party (NP) until March 1999, when he defected to the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC). He is known as the founder of the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

-era

Federal Independent Democratic Alliance Federal Independent Democratic Alliance (FIDA) was a South African black conservative group set up in 1987. It was later established that it was a front organisation for Apartheid government. Background It was established in July 1987 by an East R ...

, a black moderate group which opposed majority rule in South Africa and which was later revealed to have been a client of

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

intelligence.

Early life and career

Gogotya was born on 2 July 1938. He was a businessman and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

minister in the former

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

Apartheid-era political career

During

, Gogotya, though black, was an outspoken opponent of proposals for multi-racial democracy on the principle of one man, one vote. He organised on this basis first through Operation Advance and Upgrade, a

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

-based organisation, and from mid-1987 through the

(FIDA). In the former capacity, he visited

Washington D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1986 to lobby congressmen against passing the

Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was a law enacted by the United States Congress. The law imposed sanctions against South Africa and stated five preconditions for lifting the sanctions that would essentially end the system of apart ...

, arguing that divestment and sanctions harmed black South Africans. He was also an opponent of the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

-aligned United Democratic Front, which he said necklaced "black moderates like us", and in 1985 he warned American press that the anti-apartheid

(ANC) had been "swallowed hook, line and sinker by the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

". By 1990, South African liberals publicly alleged that FIDA was a front organisation for the apartheid government, an allegation denied by Gogotya. In 1996, at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Bantu Holomisa claimed that there was evidence that Gogotya had been on the payroll of the South African Defence Force (SADF). The commission ultimately found Holomisa's claim to be correct, concluding that FIDA had been established with funds from SADF's military intelligence division.

Post-apartheid political career

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Gogotya was elected to the new

, representing the National Party (NP), the former governing party. He defected to the ANC in late March 1999, ahead of that year's general election. He subsequently served two further terms in the National Assembly on the ANC's ticket, gaining election in 1999 and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. In October 1999, Gogotya was the target of an outburst during a parliamentary debate on

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

: opposition politician

Patricia de Lille Patricia de Lille (née Lindt; born 17 February 1951) is a South African politician who is the current Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and leader of the political party Good. She was previously Mayor of Cape Town from 2011 to 2018, ...

, believing that Gogotya was among those heckling her while she read out messages from rape survivors, shouted that Gogotya "will be raped one day".

Personal life

He is married to Wonkie Gogotya.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gogotya, John Living people 1938 births National Party (South Africa) politicians African National Congress politicians 20th-century South African politicians 21st-century South African politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa