David Jacobus de Villiers, was an ordained Minister in the Dutch Reformed Church; a South African Government minister and a former Springbok rugby captain.
In 1960, Dawie de Villiers studied at the University of Stellenbosch where he obtained a degree in Theology and gained honors in Philosophy and during 1962 to 1963, he was President of the Student Council.
In 1963-1964, Dawie de Villiers was a part-time lecturer in philosophy at the University of the Western Cape and was awarded the Abe Bailey and Markotter scholarships.
Dawie de Villiers was the Pastor of the Wellington congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church from 1967 to 1969. After that, he became a lecturer at the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU).
In 1972, Dawie de Villiers completed his MA in philosophy and received a scholarship to study abroad.
Dawie de Villiers also excelled in rugby (scrumhalf position) and became involved in all levels of the sport, including representing South Africa in 25 test matches.
Dawie de Villiers’ first international test match was in 1962 against the British Lions, aged 22.
In 1970, Dawie de Villiers captained the Springboks against New Zealand.
Sadly, Dawie de Villiers died on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at the age of 81.
Even though a cause of death was not given, his family said in a statement that he had been ill for sometime.
“Dawie has been systematically deteriorating over the last few months, but we were privileged to be able to provide him with the assistance of professional help at home,” the statement said.
Dawie de Villiers leaves behind his wife Suzaan Mangold and children; have three daughters and a son.