Niel Barnard

This article is about the South African intelligence officer instrumental in Nelson Mandela's release from prison. For the US physician and vegan, see Neal D. Barnard.

Dr Lukas Daniel 'Niel' Barnard is a former head of South Africa's National Intelligence Service and was notable for his behind-the-scenes role in preparing Nelson Mandela and South African presidents P.W. Botha and F. W. de Klerk for Mandela's eventual and, as he saw it, inevitable, release from prison and rise to political power.^[1] He attempted to ensure that the political transition would be as peaceful as possible.

Barnard was in his early 20s and at University at the time of the Rivonia Trial of 1963, in which Nelson Mandela and several other African National Congress leaders were convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison. Barnard first came to the attention of P.W. Botha after he had written a PhD thesis at the University of Free State. In the wake of the Info Scandal in which the Bureau of State Security (BOSS) had become mired, Botha appointed Barnard to form a new intelligence service.

The logic underpinning the new service was one of national security, which differed fundamentally from the state security paradigm that had underpinned BOSS. Central to this new vision was the core belief that the only way to find lasting security was to develop a nation, and that meant renegotiating the constitution to include all South African's irrespective of race. As the head of South Africa's National Intelligence Service (NIS), he recognized that his country would have to find a political settlement to eliminate apartheid and that Nelson Mandela would have to play a fundamental role in the process. He first met with Mandela in 1988 at prison. He met many times with Mandela in order to inform him about the political situation outside the prison and advise him on how to negotiate with South African president P. W. Botha. He arranged for Mandela to be given a suit of clothes befitting a future leader, and for future meetings to take place in a private residence near the prison. While counselling both parties on how to come to some agreements on the terms for Mandela's eventual release, he arranged several more meetings. When Botha's health forced him to resign, Barnard continued to facilitate discussions between Mandela and the new president, F. W. de Klerk.

Barnard was Director of the NIS from 1980 to 1992, when he was replaced by his long standing deputy Mike Louw. In 1994 Barnard took over a post in the Department of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs under Roelf Meyer in the Government of National Unity.^[2] It was this core logic that defined the ultimate role that Barnard was to play in creating the political climate behind the scenes for the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) that ultimately drafted the constitution underpinning the transition to democracy in 1994.^[3]

References

1. ^ Anthony Turton (2010), Shaking Hands with Billy (Shaking Hands with Billy ed.), Durban: South Africa: Just Done Productions, OL22656001M 
2. ^ www.justice.gov.za/trc/media/1998/9812/s981204b.htm
3. ^ Turton, A,R. 2010. Shaking Hands with Billy. Durban: Just Done Publications. http://www.shakinghandswithbilly.com

External links

• Barnard, Neil (1995). Interview with John Carlin. Frontline, The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela. PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/interviews/barnard.html. Retrieved 2008-11-04. 
• Adam Hochschild (1995-03-05). "A Match Made in Secret (Book Review)". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE1DE1230F936A35750C0A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-11-04. 
• Sparks, Allister (1994). Tomorrow is Another Country. Struik. 

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