Tony Leon: The Life and Career of a South African Politician

Dec 04, 2025 0

Anthony James "Tony" Leon (born December 15, 1956) is a South African politician who served as leader of the opposition from 1999 to 2007 as leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA). He led the DA from its inception in 2000, until his retirement from leadership in 2007. Before that, he led the Democratic Party from 1994. He is the longest-serving leader of the official opposition in parliament since the advent of democracy in 1994.

Tony Leon at the Cape Town Press Club in 2012

Early Life and Education

Leon grew up in Durban, South Africa during the apartheid era. He was educated at Clifton School (Durban) and Kearsney College near Durban. His father, Ramon Leon, was a High Court Judge. Both his parents were active in the liberal, anti-apartheid Progressive Party (which later became the Democratic Party).

In 1974, at the age of 18, he became an organiser for the Progressive Party, one of the two opposition parties represented in parliament at the time. After this, he qualified as an attorney at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he was President of the Law Students' Council and Vice-President of the Students' Representative Council, and became a lecturer in the Law Department in 1986. He has credited Harry Schwarz and Helen Suzman as his biggest inspirations.

Political Career

In the same year he was elected to the Johannesburg City Council for Yeoville. When the results for the election were released, it was announced that the National Party candidate Sam Bloomberg had won. However, Harry Schwarz, his political mentor, uncovered that this was untrue, and Leon was declared the winner.

In 1986 he was elected to the Johannesburg City Council, where he became Leader of the Opposition. In 1989, he was elected to parliament for the Progressive Party's successor, the Democratic Party (DP), taking over the Houghton constituency from Helen Suzman.

At the 1994 general elections, Leon was again elected to Parliament in the first democratic National Assembly, as well as leader of the Democratic Party. At the time, the Democratic Party was perceived as merely a minor party of white liberals, an oddity in the first non-racial democratic government of South Africa.

Leon was elected to the first democratic National Assembly. He became Leader of the Democratic Party (DP), then a minor party of white liberals.

Leon has built a high media profile as Opposition Leader, effectively criticising the ANC government of Mandela's successor, President Thabo Mbeki, for failing to deal with South Africa's huge problems of poverty, unemployment and the AIDS epidemic.

At the April 2004 elections, however, the ANC actually increased its vote. After the 2004 general elections, the DA under Leon had a vote increase of 2.8%, as did the African National Congress (ANC) with an increase of 3.3%.

On November 26, 2006, Leon announced that he would step down from the leadership of the DA in 2007, and would not accept nomination for the leadership of the party.

Leon, nevertheless, kept his seat in Parliament until 2009, when its term expired. Leon retired as leader of the DA on 5 May 2007.

From September to December 2007, Leon was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's John F.

On November 29, 2007, Mr. One of South Africa's leading political commentator, Justice Malala wrote about him: “Every South African should wake up today and say a little thank you to Tony Leon ... he was fearless when many were fearful, vocal when many had lost their voices, openly critical when many would only speak in whispers ...

Leon was voted 16th in the TV channel SABC3's Top 100 Great South Africans.

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Post-Political Career

In 2008, Leon released his autobiography On the Contrary. The book was favourably received, The Economist describing it as "eloquent, funny and rich... an important record of South Africa’s young democracy, witnessed from the other side of the fence".

In the last quarter of 2008 Leon was a Visiting Fellow at the Cato Institute Center for Liberty and Global Prosperity in Washington DC.

Tony Leon's Autobiography "On the Contrary"

After Leon completed his over 20 years as an MP, he was invited to write two weekly columns in leading South African Sunday paper "Sunday Times" and in leading daily paper "Business Day", winning excellent reviews for his writing and analysis even from previous political opponents. Journalist Xolela Mangcu wrote: "As for Tony Leon? The man is the best thing to have happened to the media in the past many years, particularly over the course of the nastiest political analysis in the history of our young democracy. His turn of phrase is impeccable, and his analysis without any trace of prejudice.

In August 2009, Tony Leon was appointed by President Jacob Zuma as Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. After receiving diplomatic training, he started as Ambassador in September.

Since returning from his three year post in Buenos Aires in September 2012, Tony Leon has been thinking, writing, speaking and about matters in South Africa and the world. He consults to businesses both locally and abroad and has a special interest in risk consulting on Africa and South America and on navigating the intricacies of the booming markets of South America.

Tony Leon annually addresses multiple audiences of academics, policy-makers, students and business leaders across the globe, providing one of the most highly sought after in-depth analyses on Africa - covering a range of issues from leadership and governance through to investment and public policy matters.

In 2013, Tony founded the PR film Resolve Communications, which deals with strategic communications, crisis management, and lobbying.

He has also been a columnist for several media houses like Business Day and the Sunday Times.

In 2008, Leon released his autobiography On the Contrary.

In 1998, Leon published his first book on the eve of the second democratic election, entitled Hope & Fear: Reflections of a Democrat (Jonathan Ball, 1998).

Books by Tony Leon:

Hope & Fear: Reflections of a Democrat (1998)
On the Contrary (2008)
The Accidental Ambassador: From Parliament to Patagonia (2013)
Opposite Mandela: Encounters with South Africa's Icon (2014)
Future Tense - Reflections on My Troubled Land (2021)
Being There - Backstories from the Political Front (2025)

Leon published a memoir of his ambassadorial life titled The Accidental Ambassador: From Parliament to Patagonia (Pan MacMillan, 2013). Shortly after former President Nelson Mandela's death in December 2013, Leon published another book, this time concerning Mandela's presidency and leadership from the perspective of the parliamentary opposition. Opposite Mandela: Encounters with South Africa's Icon was published in May 2014 by Jonathan Ball Publishers.

His recently published (May 2014) memoir “Opposite Mandela-Encounters with South Africa’s Icon” has drawn critical acclaim.

In March 2021, Jonathan Ball Publishers released Leon's fifth book: Future Tense - Reflections on My Troubled Land. Drawing from his vantage points of years in active politics and his subsequent career as an opinion writer and columnist, this book captures and analyses recent South African history, with a focus on corruption within the government. It also provides an insider view, for the first time, of the power struggles within the Democratic Alliance and plots the country's likely future trajectory.

In April 2025, Jonathan Ball Publishers released Leon's sixth book: Being There - Backstories from the Political Front.

Ambassadorial Role

In August 2009, President Zuma appointed Leon as Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. After receiving diplomatic training, Leon took up his post in September.

On his return in January 2013, he was awarded a fellowship at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). He wrote a paper entitled "Where in the World is South Africa?", which was subsequently published in the South African Journal of International Affairs, 2013, Vol.20.

Tony then responded to former DA leader Helen Zille’s nomination for him to take up the ow vacant US Ambassador role. The former Ambassador to Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay responded: “Probably not. I’m not seeking a job.

Tony Leon is an author, columnist, speaker, Business Advisor and Executive Chairman at Resolve Communications, He was the long serving Leader of the Opposition in South Africa and then appointed by President Zuma as South Africa’s Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in 2009.