Dr Piet Koornhof, one of the most controversial figures in South African history, dies

Updated: 12 Nov 2015

Dr Piet Koornhof, one of the most controversial figures from South Africa's apartheid era, died in a Stellenbosch frail care centre at the age of 82, following a stroke. Early in his life, as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, Koornhof wrote a doctoral thesis that fully accepted the inevitability of black urbanisation. Koornhof was born in Leeudoringstad, in what is currently North West Province, on August 2, 1925. In 2001, Koornhof surprised many of his comrades when he joined the ANC, serving as Member of Parliament. His eldest son, Dr Gerhard Koornhof, also joined the ANC in 2003.

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South African History Online. (2012, November 7). Dr Piet Koornhof, one of the most controversial figures in South African history, dies. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094042

South African History Online (2012) ' Dr Piet Koornhof, one of the most controversial figures in South African history, dies', South African History Online, 7 November. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094042 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

South African History Online, Dr Piet Koornhof, one of the most controversial figures in South African history, dies [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094042, (accessed 22 October 2026).

" Dr Piet Koornhof, one of the most controversial figures in South African history, dies." South African History Online, 7 Nov. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094042. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. " Dr Piet Koornhof, one of the most controversial figures in South African history, dies." South African History Online. November 7, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094042.