Niel Barnard was in his teens 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.
13 Facts About Niel Barnard
1.
2.
Niel Barnard did his compulsory military service in the commando system and reached the rank of captain and then was part of the Citizen Force in Bloemfontein.
3.
Niel Barnard met his wife, Engela Brand in 1968 and they married on 1 April 1972.
4.
Niel Barnard began his education at the University of the Orange Free State in 1968, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history.
5.
Niel Barnard followed this up by completing a Master of Arts in 1972 and a PhD in 1975.
6.
Niel Barnard started at the Department of National Security as Chief Deputy Secretary on 3 December 1979.
7.
Niel Barnard would take over at DONS on 1 June 1980 after the retirement of the existing head Alec van Wyk.
8.
Niel Barnard believed that if the referent object is state security, then, in essence, it means that the intelligence structures have to secure the government from its own citizens.
9.
Niel Barnard first met with Mandela in 1988 at the prison.
10.
Niel Barnard 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.
11.
Niel Barnard was Director of the NIS from 1980 to 1992, when he was replaced by his long standing deputy Mike Louw.
12.
In 1994, Niel Barnard took over a post in the Department of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs under Roelf Meyer in the Government of National Unity.
13.
Niel Barnard died from cancer in Gansbaai, Western Cape, on 13 January 2025, aged 75.