16 Facts About Kader Asmal

Abdul Kader Asmal was a South African politician.

Kader Asmal was a professor of human rights at the University of the Western Cape, chairman of the council of the University of the North and vice-president of the African Association of International Law.

Kader Asmal was married to Louise Parkinson and had two sons.

Kader Asmal was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, received a doctorate Honoris Causa from Queen's University Belfast and was a laureate of the 2000 Stockholm Water Prize.

Kader Asmal was the son of an Indian shopkeeper and one of seven children.

Later in 1952, Kader Asmal left Stanger to attend the Springfield Teacher Training College in Durban.

Kader Asmal stated that while he was in Ireland in the late 1970s, he assisted the ANC to find IRA volunteers, who did reconnaissance on South Africa's Sasolburg refinery, which was then bombed by the uMkhonto we Sizwe, the ANC's military wing in 1980.

Kader Asmal was a lecturer in law at Trinity College Dublin for 27 years, specializing in human rights, labour and international law.

Kader Asmal was a board member of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria.

In 1990, Kader Asmal returned to South Africa and shortly afterward, he was elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee.

Kader Asmal decide to close down all Teacher Training Colleges as well as certain Technical Colleges.

In 2004, Kader Asmal left government but would remain in Parliament until 2008.

Kader Asmal resigned from parliament in 2008 in protest against the ANC's disbanding of the elite Scorpions anti-crime unit.

Kader Asmal felt it was a poor decision and that it was improper that politicians who had been investigated and found by the Scorpions to be engaged in corruption then took part in the vote to disband the organisation.

Kader Asmal called for the controversial Protection of State Information Bill to be scrapped.

Kader Asmal died in 2011 after suffering a heart attack.