Dirk Cornelis du Toit was the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs

Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs (South Africa)

The Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs was, from 1996 to 2009, a Minister of the Cabinet of South Africa, with responsibility for the Departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs. The portfolio was created in 1996 when the positions of Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Land Affairs were...

 of the Republic of South Africa from 1999 to 2009.

Du Toit became a Supreme Court Advocate in 1970 and obtained his doctorate in law in the Netherlands at Leiden University

Leiden University

Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...

, becoming Professor of Law at the University of the Free State

University of the Free State

The University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:...

 from 1975 to 1994. He joined the Progressive Federal Party

Progressive Federal Party

The Progressive Federal Party was a South African political party formed in 1977. It advocated power-sharing in South Africa through a federal constitution, in place of apartheid...

, the anti-apartheid parliamentary opposition, and secretly joined the banned 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...

. He was also legal adviser to the National Education Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu).

Following the end of apartheid, Du Toit became a Member of Parliament for 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...

 in 1994

South African general election, 1994

The South African general election of 1994 was an election held in South Africa to mark the end of apartheid, therefore also the first held with universal adult suffrage. The election was conducted under the direction of the Independent Electoral Commission .Millions queued in lines over a three...

. He helped to draft the Constitution of South Africa

Constitution of South Africa

The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the country of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the government. The current constitution, the country's fifth, was...

 in 1996.

His interest in human rights and land affairs led him to become Deputy Minister of Agriculture under Lulu Xingwana in the governments of Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...

 and Kgalema Motlanthe from 1999 until his retirement following the 2009 election

South African general election, 2009

South Africa held national and provincial elections to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each province on 22 April 2009....

. During his tenure, he supported land reform and worked to end the exploitation and unfair eviction of farm workers. He died June 1, 2009.