Barely hours after saying “I do”, Peter Present and his bride left home to join the armed struggle, and to live a double life not even family knew about.
On 29 November, Present’s book, Quiet Activists: A Memoir of Love, Purpose, Family and Fighting for Justice in South Africa, was launched at the McGregor Museum in Kimberley.
In this book, Present shares what prompted them to make this decision, and his journey of learning to trust again and of overcoming the last-remaining shackles that held him hostage in his mind, long after freedom had been won. The book is described as offering another perspective on the struggle.
At the launch, Alistair Andrews introduced Present, telling the guests he met Present on 4 January 1982, when they reported to start their draughting course at the De Beers Draughtsman Training Centre.
While Present originally hails from Elsies River in the Western Cape, his political consciousness was honed in Kimberley. A qualified draughtsman, Present also attained qualifications in education, and started his career in education administration at the Western Cape Department of Education in 1996. Amongst others, he was the advisor to the MEC for Education, chief director who was responsible for policy coordination, infrastructure planning, human capital planning and strategic planning, and joined Deloitte to support provincial education departments to improve their administrative systems.
Since 2019, Present is a partner in HashData, a software development company, and strives to improve education in the country. He is also a director in Job-Abled, a non-government organisation focused on finding job opportunities for people with special needs.
