Gerrit Olivier

Abbreviated CV : Gert Cornelius Olivier, 2 January 1935

Gerrit Olivier (the name he uses and is known by) holds a PhD in International Politics from the University of Pretoria, the first one of its kind ever to be awarded by a South African University. He was senior lecturer in Political Science at the University of Zululand and professor of International Politics at the University of Pretoria. In 1983 he joined the South African diplomatic service, serving as the country's first diplomatic representative in the Soviet Union and first Ambassador in the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. In 1996 he was appointed at the Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg) as director of the Centre for European Studies, a position he still holds. During his academic career he received research grants from the SA Human Science Research Council, the British Council, the Deutsche Akademische Austauchdienst (DAAD), the American and the Taiwanese Governments and was visiting fellow at the Centre for International Politics at Harvard University and the Moscow Institute for Diplomacy and Internatioaaanl Relations (Mgimo). Professor Olivier was founding member of the South African Political Science Association, of which he also became the President and the first editor, for nine years, of the South African Journal of Political Science, Politikon. Positions he currently hold include that of Chairman of the International Committee of the SA Business Chamber (CHAMSA), Commissioner of the SA Broadcasting Complaints Commission and Chairman of the Pretoria Branch of the SA Institute of International Affairs. He is the Author and co-author of numerous academic books and articles, a regular commentator on radio and television and the writer of newspaper articles on topical international issues. Prof Olivier is married to Dr Suzan Emily Olivier and has three children, Michéle, Tanya and Anton-Louis

(Inligting van sy dogter Michéle)

Professor Gerrit Olivier assumed his present position as Director for the Centre for European Studies in Africa at the Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg, South Africa in July 1996. Previously he was a career diplomat, serving for 14 years as Chief Director of Planning at the South African Department of Foreign Affairs. In 1991 he was appointed as Head of the South African Interest Office in the Soviet Union. In 1992 he assumed the position of South Africa's first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, a position he held until November 1995.

Before entering the Diplomatic Service, Dr Olivier was professor of International Politics at the University of Pretoria. He was a founder member and President of the South African Political Science Association, and the first editor of the South African Journal for Political Science, POLITIKON. Dr Olivier was a DAAD visiting scholar at the University of Tubingen, Germany (1975), and a fellow at the Centre for International Affairs, Harvard MA 1985. His academic qualifications include BA, BA Honors, Masters in Political Science, and a D Phil in International Politics.

Dr Olivier is author and co-author of 10 books on South African domestic and international politics, and has published numerous articles in scientific journals and newspapers. His present interests and research focuses are South Africa's foreign policy, global interdependence, European integration and Russian foreign and security policy.

http://www.uwc.ac.za/ECSA_SA/about/members/oliviercv.htm