Hermanus Jacobus Kriel (14 November 1941 – 5 July 2015) was the first Premier of the Western Cape province.
He previously served as the Minister of Law and Order in the South African government under Frederik Willem de Klerk.
He became known for having questioned the objectivity of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for having advocated for the return of the death penalty in South Africa.
[4] He defected to the Democratic Party in June 2000; the DP had overtaken the NP as the official opposition in the National Assembly of South Africa after the election held the year before.
[5] He was however ranked unfavorably by the DP's electoral college,[6] and would instead later appear on the candidate list for the small African Christian Democratic Party.