Michael James Minaar Louw was Director-General of the South African National Intelligence Service, and after the 1994 South African elections, was appointed as head of the new South African Secret Service.
13 Facts About Mike Louw
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Mike Louw played a key role as a representative of the South African government in the secret negotiations held between them and the ANC in exile which brought about the unbanning of the latter in 1990 and the release of Nelson Mandela.
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Mike Louw completed his secondary education at Prieska High School.
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Mike Louw was educated at the University of the Orange Free State and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with honours.
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Mike Louw started his working career in the Department of Labour.
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At the time of its name change, Mike Louw was working as the Director of International Political Research.
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Under Niel Barnard's restructuring of BOSS from 1980 into the NIS, the intelligence research division's importance grew and Mike Louw was instrumental in growing the reputation of the organisation with a daily product called National Intelligence Flashes and Sketches.
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Mike Louw would be promoted to Chief Director Research in the early eighties.
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Mike Louw was involved in talks with Nelson Mandela while he was still in prison.
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In May 1988, Mike Louw was one of four people appointed by President PW Botha to talk directly with Nelson Mandela.
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In January 1990, Mike Louw instructed Martiz Spaarwater to organise a second meeting with Thabo Mbeki and Aziz Pahad, representing the ANZ in-exile, in Lucerne on 6 February 1990.
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Mike Louw was married to Marie and had three children; Kobus, Marianna and Van Wyk.
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Mike Louw died from a stoke on 27 December 2009, while in Middelburg, Eastern Cape as he was returning to Pretoria with his family.