Carl Niehaus
Encyclopedia
Carl Niehaus is the former spokesman for South Africa
n ruling party the African National Congress
, former spokesman for Nelson Mandela
, and was a political prisoner after being convicted of treason
against the apartheid state. He stepped down as ANC spokesman in February 2009 after admitting to maladministration of his own finances, extensive borrowing from political contacts and possible fraud.
student Niehaus was shopped to the security police
by his flatmate after speaking incautiously about blowing up the gasworks in Johannesburg
. In 1983 he was convicted of treason and received a prison sentence of 15 years. He was released in the 1990.
In 2008 he publicly disclosed that he was gang raped in prison the night before his guilty verdict was handed down. The truth of this claim has subsequently been questioned by a former friend, Bart Luirink, editor of the Dutch Zuidelijk Afrika Magazine
(Unisa) awarded in April 1988 and an honours degree (Cum Laude) from the same institution two years later. Niehaus was awarded the "international medal" of the University of Utrecht in 2000. This medal is granted to persons who have contributed to the international profile of Utrecht University in an exceptional way.
and the chairman of the correctional services committee.
In late 1996 he was appointed South Africa's ambassador to the Netherlands
.
At the end of his term as ambassador he became an executive director of Nicro, the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders.
In late 2000 he became the joint chairman of the Home for all initiative, a campaign by white activists to apologise for apartheid.
Parts of his confession were questioned on the same day, when the Gauteng
provincial government said it had independently discovered that Niehaus had forged the signatures of provincial ministers in order to secure a loan. Niehaus claimed he had confessed the forgery within hours of committing it.
Niehaus stepped down as spokesman of the ANC the same day in what the party described as a mutual decision.
His debts were later estimated to total nearly R4.5 million.
In September 2008 he married businesswoman Mafani Gunguluza.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n ruling party the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
, former spokesman for Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, and was a political prisoner after being convicted of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
against the apartheid state. He stepped down as ANC spokesman in February 2009 after admitting to maladministration of his own finances, extensive borrowing from political contacts and possible fraud.
Treason conviction and sentence
As a young theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
student Niehaus was shopped to the security police
Security police
In some countries, including the United States, security police are those persons, employed by or for a governmental agency, who provide police and security services to those agencies' properties....
by his flatmate after speaking incautiously about blowing up the gasworks in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. In 1983 he was convicted of treason and received a prison sentence of 15 years. He was released in the 1990.
In 2008 he publicly disclosed that he was gang raped in prison the night before his guilty verdict was handed down. The truth of this claim has subsequently been questioned by a former friend, Bart Luirink, editor of the Dutch Zuidelijk Afrika Magazine
Education
In February 2008 investigations by a number of media organisations found that Niehaus had falsely claimed to hold a masters degree and a doctorate in theology from the University of Utrecht. Claimed qualifications confirmed to be true included a Bachelor’s in Theology from the University of South AfricaUniversity of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
(Unisa) awarded in April 1988 and an honours degree (Cum Laude) from the same institution two years later. Niehaus was awarded the "international medal" of the University of Utrecht in 2000. This medal is granted to persons who have contributed to the international profile of Utrecht University in an exceptional way.
Career
In 1994 he became the spokesman for Nelson Mandela and, subsequently, a member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and the chairman of the correctional services committee.
In late 1996 he was appointed South Africa's ambassador to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
At the end of his term as ambassador he became an executive director of Nicro, the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders.
In late 2000 he became the joint chairman of the Home for all initiative, a campaign by white activists to apologise for apartheid.
2009 scandal
In February 2009 Niehaus stepped down as spokesman for the ANC after a newspaper reported on a "broad trail of bad debt and broken promises" stemming from his personal financial mismanagement, including one instance of possible fraud. Niehaus confessed to most of the allegations against him in the same article.Parts of his confession were questioned on the same day, when the Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
provincial government said it had independently discovered that Niehaus had forged the signatures of provincial ministers in order to secure a loan. Niehaus claimed he had confessed the forgery within hours of committing it.
Niehaus stepped down as spokesman of the ANC the same day in what the party described as a mutual decision.
His debts were later estimated to total nearly R4.5 million.
Personal life
In 1986 Niehaus married Jansie Lourens, who had recruited him into the armed struggle against apartheid and who was sentenced to four years for the same treason plot that saw Niehaus jailed. The couple divorced in 2002 and Niehaus married Linda Thango.In September 2008 he married businesswoman Mafani Gunguluza.