Former CEO of the Institute of Race Relations John Kane-Berman has died after a short illness. He was 76.

IRR CEO John Endres said Kane-Berman left a “profound legacy”, having been “a fearless proponent of liberalism before, during and after SA’s democratic transition”.

Kane-Berman was born in Johannesburg in 1946. He was educated at St John’s College, the University of the Witwatersrand and at Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. After a career beginning in journalism in the 1960s, he became the Institute’s CEO in 1983, remaining in that position until 2014.

Kane-Berman’s life was about opposition to the abuse of power and how its misuse hurt the most defenceless people, said the IRR.

“His work was always informed by an unshakeable commitment to freedom. This was the golden thread that ran through his work both before 1994 and after,” said the IRR.

“Kane-Berman was known for his eloquent presentation, exceptional memory, thorough command of his subject matter and exemplary discipline. He was insistent in demanding that nothing less than true nonracialism and personal freedom would allow the dignity and prosperity of all South Africans to flourish.”

Kane-Berman is survived by his partner Pierre Roestorf, and by his extended family.

TimesLIVE