Kelman Seminar: Roelf Meyer – Sharing the South African Dialogue Experience
The Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution presents:
Roelf Meyer – Sharing the South African Dialogue Experience: How it Prevented a Civil War and its Possible Application in Today’s World of Polarization and Conflict
A virtual talk with:
Roelf Meyer
Monday, October 27, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public.
About the Talk:
At the end of the 1980s, South Africa was on the brink of a full-scale civil war. There was no hope of a solution. The world and South Africans were watching the unfolding of an insurmountable conflict. Then the pivotal happened. Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years. Both Mandela and FW de Klerk were prepared to engage in talks that led to dialogue and negotiations. That prevented further escalation of the tensions and led to a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy. Today, this lesson remains relevant for regions, countries, communities, and societies in conflict.
About the Speaker:
Roelf Meyer is a lawyer by profession. He served as Minister of Defense and of Constitutional Affairs in the cabinet of former President FW de Klerk and was intimately involved in the negotiations on the settlement of the South African conflict as Chief Negotiator for the National Party Government. It was in this capacity that he negotiated the end of apartheid together with Cyril Ramaphosa who was Chief Negotiator for the African National Congress (ANC). These negotiations resulted in the first democratic elections in South Africa at the end of April 1994. After the election Meyer continued in the portfolio of Constitutional Affairs in the Cabinet of former President Nelson Mandela.
In 2009 he received the Order of the Baobab in Silver for his role in the birth of the democratic South Africa through negotiations.
After his retirement from politics, he started to act as an advisor in peace processes. In this capacity, he has been involved in Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, Rwanda, Burundi, Iraq, Kosovo, the Basque Region, Guyana, Bolivia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Colombia, Myanmar, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, and the Central African Republic.
He served as Chair of the South African Defense Review Committee from 2011 to 2014 which committee produced a review document that was unanimously adopted by Government and Parliament.
He is presently a Director of In Transformation Initiative, a South African based institution that does facilitation and advisory work in and outside of the country.
Accommodation Statement:
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON) is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation(s) for persons with disabilities in connection with its programs and activities. Accommodations must not fundamentally alter applicable PON programming and are not retroactive.
Event participants should request accommodations at least two weeks prior to the start date of a program or event, as accommodations may take time to implement. Please note that PON will make every effort to secure services, but these are subject to availability.
To request accommodations please e-mail ponevents@law.harvard.edu.
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