Businessman. Parliamentarian. Diplomat. Conservationist. Kent Durr’s career has spanned business, politics, diplomacy and conservation. He served as South Africa’s 10th Ambassador (the last) to the Court of St James’s in London and then later as the 17th High Commissioner (the first) of the democratic South Africa following our return to the Commonwealth, which he had helped to facilitate. He served under both Presidents F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela.
“I’m a former businessman, parliamentarian and diplomat, a lifelong conservationist and a Renaissance man. I’m also a dedicated family man with a strong belief in duty, honour and responsibility. I have spent my life in public office, working for a fair and just dispensation for South Africa. I have a great passion for history, foreign affairs and the ongoing upliftment of South Africa. I sincerely believe, as a custodian of our time, that the best results can be achieved by people simply working together and inspiring each other.” Kent Durr.
The resignation in 2005 from Parliament of Mr Kent Durr MP – diplomat, politician, amateur historian, globetrotting outdoorsman and lifelong conservationist – brought to an end a long career during which he not only saw South Africa change almost beyond recognition, but played an important part in bringing about the historic transformation.
A member of an old South African family, Mr Durr was born in the Cape in 1941. His father was Dr John Durr, a well-known medical practitioner who was trained at the University of Cape Town, the University of Edinburgh and Guy’s Hospital, London. His mother was the former Diana Skelton, of a prominent London family.
Mr Durr, who was educated at the South African College Schools (SACS) in Cape Town and at the University of Cape Town, and later also studied privately in Australia, embarked on an adventurous and multifaceted career when barely out of his teens.
Spectamur Agendo Award – 2015
In 2015, Kent Durr was honoured by his old alma mater, the South African College Schools (SACS), with the presentation of the rare Spectamur Agendo Award for his lifetime contribution to conservation and achievements in public life.
Mr Durr went into business in 1961 and became managing director and an executive director of family property and publishing companies, while simultaneously pursuing a variety of other interests, most prominent among them being environmental conservation of all kinds and extreme sports.
During the next four decades, he was to be a prime mover in fighting pollution, conserving wetland, intertidal and marine resources, and protecting 17th- and 18th- century architecture.
From 1977 to 1984, he also served as a non-executive director of public companies and as chairman of a building society and non-profit companies, as his personal contribution to helping the homeless, disabled and disadvantaged.
(Left to right: Kent Durr, Gen. Magnus Malan, President FW de Klerk and Mr Pik Botha)
In 1974, Mr Durr was elected a Member of the Provincial Council for Constantia. In 1977, he was elected Member of Parliament for Maitland, Cape. In 1989, he became Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism in the De Klerk Cabinet, swiftly building a reputation as one of the most effective ministers ever to hold these portfolios, and leading the early breakout into international markets for South African business in Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia.
A dedicated reformer from his early days in Parliament, he was always at the cutting edge of change and reconciliation. ln the process, he gained a measure of credibility with all parties, which placed him in a unique position to play a meaningful role in the events following the unbanning of the African National Congress in 1990 that set South Africa on the road to its present dispensation.
Mr Durr was the first public figure to speak out and warn of the threat and impact of HIV/AIDS. In the mid-1980s, he warned society and the business community to prepare. His predictions have been remarkably accurate.
In April 1991 President de Klerk nominated Mr Durr for the key position of Ambassador to the Court of St James’s to represent the transformation process, and to guide South Africa back into the Commonwealth and rebuild the country’s all-important relations with the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Mr Durr did so with marked success, earning such respect from the British that he was made a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Vintners and, in February 1991, was honoured by being awarded the Freedom of the City of London.
When Mr Nelson Mandela took over the presidency of the Government of National Unity after the 1994 general election, Mr Durr became South Africa’s first High Commissioner since the country’s departure from the Commonwealth in 1961 (and the 17th since Union in 1910).
In March 1995, Mr Durr retired as High Commissioner and resumed his business career. He served as chairman, CEO and director of various international US NASDAQ-listed global environmental companies, then became chairman of CIGA (the Commonwealth lnvestment Guarantee Agency) and a director of other companies for five years before returning to South Africa. He had offices in London and New York and traded in twelve countries on three continents.
Although he had not intended to resume a political career, Mr Durr was approached by several political parties and, in August 1999, accepted an invitation to stand for election to Parliament as a member of the National Council of Provinces for the African Christian Democratic Party, representing the Western Cape. ln 2004, he was re-elected to the House of Assembly.
At the same time, he continued to pursue his conservation interests, among other things buying a historic farm in the Darling district, where he has devoted much of his energy to restoring the buildings and protecting the rare botanical and zoological species.
During his years as an ACDP MP, Mr Durr gained the respect of his fellow parliamentarians for his continuing work in fostering reconciliation and co-operation among all parties and his general contribution as one of the most experienced representatives in Parliament.
Mr Durr married his late wife, Suzanne (née Wiese), in 1966, and they had a son and two daughters: Bluett, Alexandra and Kate. Suzanne died in April 2010. He married Melanie Catherine Williamson in 2024.