{{Short description|South African politician, farmer and newsreader (1946–2014)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | party = {{plainlist| *African National Congress (from 2005) *New National Party (1997–2005) *National Party (until 1997)}} | office1 = Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament | term_start1 = June 2002 | term_end1 = April 2009 | citizenship = South Africa | death_date = {{death date and age|2014|05|05|1946|12|07|df=yes}} | birth_date = {{birth date|1946|12|07|df=yes}} | office2 = Member of the National Assembly | office = Western Cape Provincial Minister for Agriculture | premier = {{plainlist| *Ebrahim Rasool *Lynne Brown}} | term_start = April 2004 | term_end = April 2009 | successor = Gerrit van Rensburg | term_end2 = June 2002 | term_start2 = May 1994 | predecessor = Johan Gelderblom }}

'''Jacobus Johannes "Cobus" Dowry''' (7 December 1946 – 5 May 2014) was a South African politician who served in the Western Cape Executive Council from 2002 to 2009. He served in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2002 and in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament from 2002 to 2009. He represented the National Party (NP) and New National Party (NNP) until September 2005, when he crossed the floor to the African National Congress (ANC). He was an SABC newsreader before entering politics and he was involved in commercial farming after he retired from politics in 2009.

== Early life and career == Dowry was born on 7 December 1946<ref name=":02" /> and was classified as Coloured under apartheid.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 February 1998 |title=SA needs new instrument for reconciliation: Van Schalkwyk |url=https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/media/1998/9802/s980223c.htm |access-date=2023-04-20 |website= |agency=SAPA}}</ref> He had a master's degree and was formerly a newsreader for the SABC.'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2002-06-26 |title=A bed under every Red |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2002-06-27-a-bed-under-every-red/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2014 |title=Oudminister van landbou oorlede |url=https://www.landbou.com/landbou/nuus/oudminister-van-landbou-oorlede-20170914 |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Landbou |language=af-ZA}}</ref>'''

== Legislative career: 1994–2009 == In the 1994 general election, he was elected to an NP seat in the National Assembly.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |date=24 May 1994 |title=Minutes of proceedings of the Constitutional Assembly |url=https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/constitution/history/MINUTES/CA24054.PDF |access-date=2 April 2023 |publisher=Department of Justice and Constitutional Development}}</ref> In the next general election in 1999, he was re-elected his seat under the banner of the relaunched NNP.<ref name=":02">{{cite magazine |date=11 June 1999 |title=General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures |url=https://gazettes.africa/archive/za/1999/za-government-gazette-dated-1999-06-11-no-20203.pdf |magazine=Government Gazette of South Africa |location=Pretoria, South Africa |publisher=Government of South Africa |volume=408 |issue=20203 |pages= |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref> However, he left during the legislative term to join the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in June 2002, swopping seats with provincial legislator Willem Doman.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-06-20 |title=DA set to bleed in municipalities |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2002-06-21-da-set-to-bleed-in-municipalities/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}</ref> Newly elected Premier Marthinus van Schalkwyk appointed him to succeed Doman in the Western Cape Executive Council as Provincial Minister for Local Government.<ref name=":1" />

In the 2004 general election, Dowry was re-elected to the provincial parliament and was retained in the Executive Council by van Schalkwyk's successor, Ebrahim Rasool, who named him as Provincial Minister for Agriculture.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 April 2004 |title=Rasool: Announcement of Western Cape Cabinet |url=https://www.polity.org.za/article/rasool-announcement-of-western-cape-cabinet-30042004-2004-04-30 |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=Polity |language=en}}</ref> In August of the following year, he announced that he would cross the floor to the ANC during September's floor-crossing window.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-08-19 |title=ANC: 3 DA: 0 |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2005-08-19-anc-3-da-0/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}</ref> He remained in the agriculture portfolio when Rasool was succeeded by Lynne Brown in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 August 2008 |title=Brown unveils new Cabinet |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/brown-unveils-new-cabinet-20080801 |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Farming career == He left the legislature after the next general election in 2009 and subsequently farmed olives on a smallholding in Tulbagh.<ref name=":2" /> He also served as the inaugural chairperson of the South African Agricultural Association and was a director of the Agri Mega Group until November 2012.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |date=2014 |title=Farewell to Cobus Dowry |url=https://milksa.co.za/sites/default/files/milk_essay/MEO34%20July%202014_0.pdf |journal=Milk Essay |volume=5 |issue=3 |page=9 |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref>

== Personal life and death == He was married to Judith Dowry, with whom he had eight children.<ref name=":2" /> He died on 5 May 2014, aged 67, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Laaks |first=Angelique |date=2014-05-12 |title=Milk SA board member passes away |url=https://www.mpo.co.za/milk-sa-board-member-passes-away/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=MPO |language=en-ZA}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://www.netwerk24.com/netwerk24/cobus-dowry-sterf-na-kankerstryd-20140505 "Cobus Dowry dies after battle with cancer"] * [https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/farming-community-mourns-passionate-small-farmer-cobus-dowry/ "Farming community mourns passionate small farmer, Cobus Dowry"]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowry, Cobus}} Category:2014 deaths Category:Coloureds Category:National Party (South Africa) politicians Category:African National Congress politicians Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1994–1999 Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1999–2004 Category:Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer Category:1946 births