Melanie Verwoerd

Melanie Verwoerd
Melanie Verwoerd
	Verwoerd in Mozambique in 2008
South African Ambassador to Ireland
	In office; 2001–2005
President	Thabo Mbeki
Preceded by	Pierre Dietrichsen
Succeeded by	Priscilla Jana
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
	In office; 9 May 1994 – March 2001
Personal details
Born	Melanie Van Niekerk; 18 April 1967; Pretoria, South Africa
Party	African National Congress
Spouse	Wilhelm Verwoerd (m. 1987; div. 2005)
Domestic partner	Gerry Ryan (2008–died 2010)
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Stellenbosch
Occupation	Political analyst; author; former politician and diplomat;
Website	Website
	Writing career
Notable works	When We Dance – A Memoir (The Verwoerd Who Toyi-toyied); 21 at 21: The Coming of Age of a Nation; Our Madiba: Stories and Reflections From Those Who Loved Him;

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Melanie Verwoerd (Afrikaans: [fərˈvuːrt]; née Van Niekerk; born 18 April 1967) is a South African and Irish political analyst and former diplomat and politician. She was previously the director of UNICEF Ireland.

Verwoerd was elected as a Member of Parliament for the African National Congress (ANC) during the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, and re-elected in 1999. In 2001, she was appointed as the South African Ambassador to Ireland, a position she held until 2005. Between 2007 and 2011 she was the executive director of UNICEF Ireland.