Early Khoikhoi resistance to colonisation and the Dutch East India Company, Professor Ruben Richards
Thu Feb 25, 09:00 - Thu Feb 25, 10:00
Piesang Valley Community Hall
ABOUT
Cape Town born Ruben Richards is a multi-skilled South African deeply involved in nation building and reconciliation. Ruben’s professional career includes holding executive leadership positions across various sectors including business, academia, government and civil society.
Ruben’s skills includes serving as a technical resource person for countries in transition having served as the Executive Secretary of the Human Rights Violations Committee of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Deputy Director-General of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) within the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa.
In 2012 he established the Ruben Richards Foundation, a South African non-profit organisation dedicated to facilitating healing in traumatised communities. In 2015, the Foundation was awarded the prestigious National Reconciliation Award by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation for its work in community healing and confronting those things which exclude marginalised people from main stream society with particular reference to their work with criminal gangs and youth at risk (males and females)
During the citrus harvest season of 2020, and as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Foundation facilitated the first ever donation of Vitamin-C filled Oranges (6.8 million oranges) to the poor and vulnerable across South Africa. Furthermore, the Foundation is in the process of repurposing a 180ha vegetable farm on the west coast of Cape Town for the restoration and support of survivors of gender-based violence.
Ruben has consulted to various African countries on matters relating to transitional justice. Ruben was appointed by the Tunisia Truth Commission as an international observer of the first public hearings of that country held on 18 November 2016. Earlier, 28th-31st August 2016, Ruben delivered a keynote address in Kigali, Rwanda to a gathering of African Truth and Reconciliation Commission Executives on the topic of “lessons learned from the field”. Ruben has more recently (2017 to 2020) provided the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission of Zimbabwe with technical advisory services. Ruben currently advises the Ethiopian Truth Commission.
Ruben holds degrees from Switzerland, USA and South Africa and has served as visiting academic to WITS (P&DM), Albion College, Michigan and Texas Christian University (USA). Ruben is a published author with seven books and various articles. His most recent publication Bastaards or Humans (Vol.1 & 2) was endorsed by the Western Cape Education Department as an alternative history of South Africa to be integrated into the history curriculum of high school learners.
Ruben is 60 years old, resides in Western Cape, married for 35 years and has two adult children (Mpilo 29 yrs and Nomsa 24 yrs)