Early Life, Education and Academic Career
Born in Pretoria to an Afrikaner family, Slabbert grew up in Pietersburg (now 'Polokwane') in northern Transvaal (now the Limpopo Province of South Africa). He matriculated from the Pietersburg Afrikaans High School in 1958.
After graduating from high school van Zyl Slabbert studied theology at the University of Stellenbosch for 18 months before deciding that sociology was his calling. He completed a BA Honours at the university, and a doctorate in 1967.
After completing his studies he worked as a sociology lecturer at Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University, the University of Cape Town. In 1973, he was appointed head of the sociology department of the University of the Witwatersrand.
Read more about this topic: Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert
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