User:Knalre/sandbox/Oscar Van Heerden

Oscar Van Heerden (born 28 March 1972) is a South African writer on social and political issues and a scholar of International Relations. He writes a weekly column for the Daily Maverick and has published a number of academic journal articles.

Life And Career
Oscar Van Heerden was born in Retreat, Cape Town, South Africa and grew up in Mitchells Plain, the coloured township established under apartheid. In 2005 he returned to studies, reading a Masters in International Relations at the University of Cambridge , before going on to do his PHD in the same subject. During this time he was a member of Churchill College and served as President of the Churchill College Student Union. Since graduating with his PhD in International Relations he has contributed to articles in Cambridge Newsletters, Including in 2014 an article reflecting on his experience there, and in 2017 on the Cambridge Minute.

Work
From 1997 to 1999 Oscar Van Heerden Worked in the ANCYL President's Office and Advised on political and strategic matters and from 2014 to 2016 he worked in the Johannesburg Executive Mayor’s office as Director of Parks and Zoo.

He is an ‘Opinionista’ for the Daily Maverick for whom he has written over 100 opinions pieces. His articles have included one on the treatment of women in South Africa, one on President Trump’s election , and one on South Africa State Capture, and finally one on the International Criminal Court. Oscar also wrote an article “A monarchy that makes a mockery of our Constitution” that criticized the IFP in July 2019 and received a rebuttal from IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

In 2017 he published a book “Consistent or Confused: the politics of Mbeki’s foreign policy” which has a foreword by Kgalema Motlanthe . Oscar also has long form pieces in ‘The Thinker”, including one on the positive promise of Cyril Ramaphosa election to head of the ANC.

He is currently an Africa Leadership Initiative fellow affiliated with the Aspen Global Leadership Network.