Tony Leon

Anthony James Leon (born 15 December 1956) is a South African politician who served as leader of the opposition from 1999-2007 as leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

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, 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 and Helen Suzman as his biggest inspirations.

In the same year he was elected to the Johannesburg City Council for Yeoville.

When the results for the election were released, it was announced that the NP candidate Sam Bloomberg had won.

However Harry Schwarz, his political mentor, uncovered that this was untrue, and Leon was declared the winner.

He became 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 Commission, and as such was an advisor to the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (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.

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.

At the 1994 general elections, Leon was again elected to Parliament in the first democratic National Assembly, 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 as the DP took 38 seats, showing a growth of over five-fold.

He led the DA from its inception in 2000, until his retirement from leadership in 2007.

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 – a newcomer in the elections – also attracting support.

Leon built a high media profile as opposition leader by criticising the ANC government under Nelson Mandela but more so under his successor, President Thabo Mbeki.

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 was elected to be the new party leader on 6 May 2007.

From September to December 2007, Leon was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

On 29 November 2007, Mr. Leon was a guest at the prestigious Yale Political Union, 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 describing it as "eloquent, funny and rich... an important record of South Africa’s young democracy, witnessed from the other side of the fence".

Although still a member of the DA, he served as the South African Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay under the ANC government from 2009 to 2012.

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."

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, Sunday Times, and Business Live.

He is also the author of five books.

Leon was born and raised in Durban during the apartheid 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.

Leon was voted 16th in the TV channel SABC3's Top 100 Great South Africans.