Cape Town – Former Springbok coach Peter De Villers is now a GOOD party Member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature.
Announcing the development on Monday the GOOD Party said it was “very pleased to announce that Peter De Villiers will be taking over the party’s vacant seat in the Western Cape Parliament”.
De Villiers, who had a long and successful career as a teacher, prior to moving full-time into rugby, has spent the past two years serving his community with passion and commitment as a GOOD councillor and caucus leader in the Drakenstein Municipality.
The party described the former Springbok coach as “a leader of calibre and integrity whose presence will positively impact the work of the provincial legislature”.
De Villiers was selected to fill the Western Cape position by GOOD’s National Management Committee following interviews conducted over the weekend.
The vacancy arose after the party’s expulsion of Shaun August.
“Coach”, as De Villiers is known in his community, led GOOD’s campaign in the 2021 Local Government Elections in Drakenstein in which GOOD obtained four seats in the council.
He is best known for his successful stint as Springbok rugby coach.
De Villiers was the first Springbok coach of colour.
Though he struggled to gain acceptance from “verkrampte” rugby officials, writers and fans, his results against all the top teams in the world, including the All Blacks, in New Zealand, spoke for themselves.
It is a measure of his grace that after taking the position of coach of the Deaf Springbok Sevens rugby team last year he described it as the most exciting in his career.
Before rugby, De Villiers had a 20-year career as a teacher.
He rose through the ranks to serve as a head of department, deputy principal and acting principal.
Those were difficult times in South Africa.
The youngsters De Villiers taught and mentored attest today to the role he played, beyond teaching, in their development as human beings.
De Villiers said it had been a great honour to serve his beloved Drakenstein community as a councillor.
“Now I have the opportunity to serve the wider Western Cape community. I will use the same tools that have served me for many years: Listening to others, considering what they say, and being constructive in response,” De Villiers said.
GOOD Secretary-General Brett Herron said: “Peter de Villiers is a humble and honest leader, with no interest in tenders or political games”.
MP Herron added: “He is going to Wale Street because he wants to contribute to developing a province that is fairer, with a place in the sun for all its people”.
