Elsenburg: Ministry: JJ Dowry

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MEC for Agriculture: Western Cape; Mr Cobus Dowry

Office
Tel: 021 483 4700/1 Fax: 021 483 3890

Head of Office: Mr Jan Bosman
Tel: 021 483 3889 Cell: 083 775 5312
E-mail: jbosman@pgwc.gov.za

Cobus Dowry was born at Touwsriver on 7 December 1946. He grew up in Klapmuts and attended Luckhoff High School till standard 7. After school he was a farm labourer until a farmer advised him to enrol for further education. He completed matric through Success College while working as a clerk in Bellville and later as a technical assistant at the University of the Western Cape. A BA degree followed as well as a diploma from the Bible School. He became a reverend of the Full Gospel Church of God and was involved in the ministry in a full- and part-time capacity.

In 1983 he was appointed as a junior announcer at the SABC in Johannesburg and completed his B.Th.-degree and honours degree in theology through Unisa as well as a masters degree in theological ethic at the University of Potchefstroom. Whilst at the SABC he became the first coloured Afrikaans television newsreader.

In 1994 he was elected as Member of Parliament under the banner of the National Party. In the first democratic Parliament of the RSA he served on the portfolio committees of Communication, Sport and Recreation, Welfare and Housing. He also became the chief information officer for the NP in the Western Cape.

In 1996 he was promoted to media spokesperson for the Federal Council of the National Party. This was followed by the appointment as Director: Research and in 1999 Director: Public Relations. He was later appointed as Community Development Advisor in the Office of the Leader of the New National Party.

In 1999 he was re-elected to Parliament and was appointed as a NNP Whip. He served on the Joint Program Committee, the Rules Committee and the Chief Whips Forum of Parliament as well as in the Communication Portfolio Committee.

On 3 September 2002 he was sworn in as Minister of Local Government in the Provincial Cabinet of the Western Cape. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the NNP’s Information Committee. On 28 February 2004 he was elected as a provincial deputy chairperson of the NNP. On 30 April 2004 he was sworn in as the Minister of Agriculture in the new provincial government.

In the course of his Parliamentary activities he went several times abroad: Sweden (1995); Luxembourg (1995); Belgium (1995); USA (1997); Djakarta (2000); Germany (2000); Belgium (2000); Cuba (2001); Netherlands, Uganda and Namibia. Brazil and the USA in 2003.

He currently lives in Tulbagh and is married to Judy.

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