PERSONALITY PROFILE

In conversation with Ernst Roets

“Some of my happiest memories growing up involve farms – as well as some of my worst.” Ernst Roets, Head of Policy and Action at AfriForum.

The public face of civil rights organisation AfriForum, Ernst has to deal with human tragedy on a daily basis, and yet somehow he manages to keep upbeat, his trademark sense of humour perhaps the antidote to the serious side of his life.

Born in Pretoria, a very small Ernst and his family moved to Tzaneen, where he went to kindergarten, primary school and high school. His was a sentimental childhood, he says, a great childhood lived by what he laughingly refers to as a weird kid! “I enjoyed doing funny things in front of people and making them laugh. And I had wonderful friends.” He loved school, too, proudly matriculating from Merensky High School in 2003 with the idea of pursuing a career in community work. This leaning was the result of living in fear of farm murders and going out at night with his grandfather to catch those stealing telephone cables – experiences that he admits had a big impact on his life.

Your early years

I wasn’t sure what profession to choose when I was in high school. I considered psychology first, before eventually deciding to study law. After I had attained my LLB, I did my articles as a candidate attorney at Hurter Spies, AfriForum’s go-to law firm. Though I qualified as an attorney, I did not end up working as one, instead accepting a fulltime position at AfriForum, where I had long been involved on a voluntary basis as national chairperson of AfriForum Youth.

Tell us more about AfriForum and what you do

AfriForum works according to a civil rights charter, committed to playing a role in a well-functioning democracy where minorities are included, and their rights protected, in conjunction – where possible – with NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and other civil society organisations. Kallie Kriel, AfriForum’s CEO, started AfriForum – before then he worked in Solidarity’s marketing department. And Alana Bailey also played a leading role in getting the organisation up and running. Their intention was to create a platform for minorities that would allow their voices to be heard in the post-1994 political dispensation.

In 2011, I was promoted to Deputy CEO of AfriForum. Then, in 2019, we decided to do away with the ‘Deputy CEO’ job titles (there were four of us) and to make those job titles more descriptive of what we actually do. My job title was then changed to Head of Policy and Action.

Is there such a thing as a typical workday for you?

No! AfriForum currently has close to 200 full-time employees, more than 150 branches and in excess of 150 community safety structures across South Africa. Further, more than 12 000 people are involved, as volunteers, through the various safety structures. There’s always something big happening that sort of disrupts one’s schedule. On Mondays I am usually booked for meetings for the entire day. Other than that, my days are usually filled with a combination of planning meetings for campaigns, time in the studio to do video recordings, press and other conferences, joining networking meetings, going to court and attending events. I also spend a lot of time reading and writing. WhatsApp and emails take up much more of my time than I would like, but they come with the job. I try not to spend too much time on social media, but it’s also an important part of my job. I drink a lot of coffee and there are days when it’s so hectic that I don’t eat anything at all – possibly why I’m not overweight!

A new favourite motto

Recently, when I was in Hungary, we had a meeting with some senior government representatives with which we discussed the challenges that we were experiencing. One of them said to us: “There are no challenges, only tasks.” It’s been one of my favourite mottos since then.

The rewards

For me, one of the greatest rewards is the sense of fulfilment which I get from doing something that really matters, and that makes a difference.

Who were and are your heroes?

Growing up, definitely my father and my grandfather… my family as a whole, actually. In my work environment, my mentors include Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, Dirk Hermann and Flip Buys, people that I am privileged to know personally. Among the academics I admire most are Professor Koos Malan – I did my LLB dissertation and my LLM thesis under him, and I’m now doing my doctorate under him, too – and Professor Danie Goosen.

Kallie Kriel has a fantastic natural sense of what to do, how to do it and how to frame an argument. He’s also incredible with people and a great leader – he’s the reason AfriForum has more than 280 000 members today. Dirk Hermann is also a wonderful leader with an impressive instinct for activism and I’ve learned a lot from him over the years. Flip Buys is one of the wisest people I know; Koos Malan is not only an expert in constitutional law, he also understands politics and current affairs and has an incredible ability to make sense of what’s happening. Danie Goosen is a philosopher who doesn’t focus on abstract theories about how the world should be but rather on understanding the world as it is.

Do you have a bucket list?

My wife has a never-ending bucket list, and she often encourages me to draft one of my own! I actually did so a few years ago and most of the things on it are done, including writing a book, playing in a band (again), publishing a music album and owning a PRS guitar. My next bucket list will include finishing my LLD, visiting Japan and Greece, seeing Dream Theatre perform live and writing more books.

Five important things in your life:

My work with AfriForum, spending time with my wife and children, playing guitar, reading books and exercising. I almost never spend time on anything that isn’t one of these five. I read a lot – this year I’ve managed to read a book virtually every week. I enjoy political theory and history, only reading fiction when there is an important underlying political message, such as in the works of Aldous Huxley, George Orwell and Albert Camus.

Your thoughts on South Africa as it is now:

I do not think that South Africa, as we know it, is sustainable. The system is too centralised and may too easily be taken over by whoever wins the election, to enforce their views on the whole society. The country needs a more decentralised system where local communities have more authority to make decisions that are important to them and in which different cultural communities may live in mutual recognition and respect.

One of my biggest concerns is the misdiagnosis of the current crisis in South Africa, attributing it to corruption or crime or Zuma’s presidency, or unemployment. These are symptoms of an underlying problem, not the problem itself. If people mistake the symptoms for the problem, they are going to work towards unsustainable solutions, which is a waste of time and energy. My father contracted malaria when I was about eight years old. His illness was misdiagnosed and, despite the treatment meted out by the doctors, he became sicker and sicker to the point where he nearly died. This is why I am so emphatic about diagnosing and treating problems – what happened to my father had a lasting effect on me.

Advice to your younger self

I would tell my younger self a lot: not to try to be an expert in everything, for one thing. It is okay to admit when you are wrong and to stick to your area of expertise. I believe that people who cannot do this are generally untrustworthy. Also, don’t expect everyone in the team to think and be like you – rather make an effort to understand what they’re good at and allow them to capitalise on their strengths. Then, while it’s sometimes good to work alone, isolation is dangerous. And when it comes to succeeding, good arguments aren’t going to win the day – action weighs much more than arguments. Every single thing that you do comes with an opportunity and a cost, so when you decide to do something, you are, in essence, choosing not to do something else.

My approach to life is generally theoretical. When I was younger, I loved skateboarding. I would study the tricks with a very technical approach. This is why I enjoy playing lead guitar, too. I usually don’t learn songs – rather I focus on finger exercises and studying the theory. Those are just my hobbies, but they summarise my approach to life as well – which is probably why I like debating so much, too!