Jan Hendrik Hofmeyer Hoogendyk was born in 1911 into a strict 'dopper' home.
Hoogendyk was married to Jackie, an accountant.
He enlisted with the South African Forces in 1942 to fight against Nazi Germany during World War II and, on returning home, became a member of the Springbok Legion and the Congress of Democrats (CoD). When he was arrested in 1956, he left his wife with a six-month-old baby.
He was also an active member of the South African Congress of Democrats and became the Secretary of its Natal Branch in 1954. He was also Chairman of the CoD in Johannesburg.
Hoogendyk was accused number 29 of the 155 charged with treason in December 1956, and charges were later withdrawn against him in 1958.
In the 1960s, Jan and his wife went to Lesotho where they worked as administrators for a ‘Flying Doctor’ organisation called Basomed.
Hoogendyk died on 12 February 1990 in the United Kingdom, one day after the release of Nelson Mandela.