Cobus Grobler

Jacobus Daniel Grobler (born 19 October 1973) is the ninth and current State President of the Republic of South Africa, succeeding the first Conservative state president, Sarel Dussen, in July 2001. Grobler is known for his strict adherence to Apartheid and fundamentalist Protestant Christianity. He, along with his predecessor, Sarel Dussen, were key in the dismantling of the 1990s democratization process (known locally as the Traitor's Rise and Fall) of elements of the National Party and black Africans seeking to be enfranchised and given political rights. Prior to engaging in national politics, Grobler (known popularly and prefers "Cobus" - pronounced k-OH-b-uh-s) was the first Deputy Managing Director of the Civil Cooperation Bureau, a domestic special operations organization dealing mostly with political dissent in the country.