Clem Sunter, Who Helped Shepherd South Africa’s Transition To Democracy, Has Died

Frans Cronje, who knew Clem for more than 30 years, said, “He was part of an extraordinary group of South Africans centred around Anglo American who played an extremely important role in shepherding South Africa out of apartheid into a peaceful transition to democracy. Clem’s own work in the High-road/Low-road scenarios that set out potential upsides of a negotiated democratic settlement versus the horror of a drawn-out political conflict captured the imaginations of a whole generation and was credited by FW de Klerk as having been instrumental in getting key actors, including inside his own government, to embrace the need to work towards a democratic transition.”

Born in Suffolk, England, on 8 August 1944, Clem was educated at Winchester College and later at Oxford University, where he studied politics, philosophy, and economics. He joined Anglo American in the early 1970s and went on to serve as Chairman and CEO of its Gold and Uranium Division from 1990 to 1996, when it was the largest gold producer in the world. He also headed its scenario planning team, where he developed the High-road/Low-road scenarios.

A statement released on behalf of his family read, “Among the defining moments of his career, Sunter presented his scenarios to President PW Botha’s Cabinet in 1986 and met Nelson Mandela in prison shortly before his release to discuss possible national trajectories. He also engaged with other key figures of the period, including Mangosuthu Buthelezi and FW de Klerk, contributing to a broader strategic dialogue that ultimately aligned with the negotiated transition… Internationally, he lectured at institutions including Harvard Business School and the Central Party School in Beijing, and delivered presentations across Europe, India, Singapore, Britain, Australia and several African countries.”

He often reminded audiences, “It is better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong.”

Cronje, who spoke to Clem at length about South Africa’s outlook just weeks ago, said he was extremely heartened to hear about the depth of public support for the unity government and of polls showing the degree of common ground that still exists between the majority of South Africans as this showed that the “high-road” prospect was still very much alive.

Clem Sunter is survived by his wife Margaret, née Rowland, whom he married in 1969, their three children — Katy, Dave, and Rob — and seven grandchildren.