Rhodes College media assertion:
A lengthy-serving Rhodes College Board of Governors member and Chairperson, Mr Mike Spicer, passed away this week.
Mr Spicer started his toddle at Rhodes College as a student in 1971, where he finished an MA in Historical past in 1977. In 2009, he was elected to the Board of Governors and by 2012, he was serving as Chair. He served as Chair except 2019, after which he was awarded a Lifetime Honorary Award at a peculiar ceremony in Franschhoek (2020).
On the match, Mr Spicer thanked Rhodes College and participants of the Board for having helped shape his experiences. He educated the new Board: “It’s been a most rewarding seven years of my lifestyles [as Chair].”
Rhodes College will cruise its flag at half-mast for every week in recognition of Mr Spicer’s fair in our College.
In honour of his predominant contribution to Rhodes College, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learn, Professor Peter Clayton, shares a fitting tribute:
Tribute to Michael Spicer by Professor Peter Clayton
It’s with sadness that we enlighten the Rhodes Community of the dying of Michael Spicer, alumnus (1971-1977), member of the Rhodes College Board of Governors since 2009, and Chair of the Board of Governors (2012-2019).
Born in 1953, Michael matriculated at St John’s College, Johannesburg, earlier than enrolling at Rhodes College, where he graduated with a BA degree in 1974, followed by a Masters degree in Historical past in 1977. He was a top instance of the implicit benefits of tertiary training, showing the total abilities and cognitive talents that one acquires which lengthen past the disciplinary boundaries of the field one is studying.
Drawing on all sides of his humanities-based entirely entirely training, Michael modified into one in all South Africa’s most influential alternate figures. Deal with a glorious deal of who reach thru our halls of studying, Michael met his accomplice Ireen at Rhodes College.
In his early profession, Michael labored at Royal Institute of Global Affairs in the UK and the South African Institute of worldwide Affairs, where he was appointed as Deputy Director. He rose to prominence in the alternate world in a 20-yr profession at Anglo American, changing into Govt Vice-President of Anglo American PLC, and Non-Govt Director of Anglo American South Africa, occupying the distance of non-executive chairman from 2012 to 2015.
His tenure at Anglo coincided with the turbulent interval of striking an cease to apartheid in South Africa. The management of Anglo American done a critical fair in brokering dialogue with, and between, the ANC in exile and penal advanced, and the apartheid government. Michael, along with conclude colleagues similar to Gavin Relly and Clem Sunter, had an limitless affect on South Africa’s socio-political tightrope stroll in the future of this interval.
Michael later served as CEO of Industry Management South Africa (2005-2011) and as its Vice-President (2011-2014). He was a member of the board of Rothschild South Africa (2006-2015), and non-executive chairman of BDFM (2011-2013). In 2013 he was appointed as an independent Non-Govt Director at Adcorp Holdings Slight and in 2014 as Deputy Chairman of the board of the Western Cape Tourism, Replace and Funding Promotion Company (Wesgro). He also served as a board member of Slip up Cape Town and the Brenthurst Foundation.
Michael done many roles in public lifestyles. He was appointed in 2006 as an inaugural member of the Presidential Global Advisory Board of Mozambique and attributable to this truth chaired that physique. He was Chairman of the Council at St John’s College, and in 2012 was invited by President Joyce Banda of Malawi to be a member of her Presidential Economic Advisory Council. He served as a trustee of the Birdlife National Belief, and, as a eager cyclist, was president of Team Africa Rising.
Michael will be warmly remembered by the Rhodes College neighborhood for serving the College with dedication and distinction, for his extensive involvement in alternate and public lifestyles, for his contribution to our country’s transition to a still democracy, and for being a momentous fair mannequin for our slogan ‘Where leaders be taught’.
He is survived by his accomplice Ireen, and their sons Nicholas and Simon. We explicit our heartfelt condolences to them, and to all who will mosey away out him.
Minerals Council South Africa media assertion:
The unexpected passing of Michael Spicer, an influential businessman, leader and psychological who helped steer South Africa to democracy, is a loss for our country, says Minerals Council South Africa CEO, Roger Baxter.
“We are profoundly jumpy on hearing of the passing of Michael who done this kind of enormous fair in our country’s history and championing alternate. Our deepest condolences mosey to Michael’s family,” Baxter says.
“He was a outstanding one who carried out so powerful correct for therefore many folks. As an executive director at Anglo American, we labored closely on a glorious deal of issues,” he says.
With a Masters in Historical past with distinction from Rhodes College, Michael was loads of rare those that learnt from history and labored tirelessly to be sure that that it didn’t repeat itself.
He joined Anglo American in 1985, rising to the distance of Govt Vice President of the multi-national sources firm in 1999. He stayed on with Anglo after it moved its vital itemizing to London and was the chair of Anglo American South Africa when he retired in 2015.
It was in the future of his time at Anglo American, and working closely with then-chairman Gavin Relly, that he done a key fair in enticing the then-banned African National Congress (ANC), opening the manner for alternate to opt the exiled celebration and delivery political negotiations that culminated in the landmark 1994 elections and still transfer of strength.
In his fair as deputy chairman of the Consultative Industry Motion (CBM), he helped facilitate these engagements. The CBM was then instrumental in drawing up South Africa’s new constitution.
“The most critical point to design about this transitional interval was that main corporations invested heavily in influencing the transition due to they believed it was critical for their brief, medium and lengthy time-frame pursuits,” Michael wrote in 2016 as he traced the fair of alternate in the national discourse from at this time earlier than 1994 into the fractious years under then-President Jacob Zuma when family participants with the government soured and modified into deeply acrimonious and distrustful.
“Industry and government communities in South Africa are much less homogenous and devour the burden of an apartheid past and an an increasing variety of fractious liberation circulation held collectively more by referencing the divided past than constructing the unified future,” he renowned in a remarkably prescient observation.
Michael was a utilizing power unhurried unifying huge alternate in its engagement with the government. He served as CEO of Industry Management South Africa, an influential organisation.
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