Jonathan Deal
Executive Board Member
National Co-Ordinator
Jonathan co-ordinates the campaign's various efforts at the national level, including the efforts of the executive committee.
Jonathan Deal founded the Treasure Karoo Action Group – a civil society organisation in 2011, and still serves as CEO. After cutting his teeth on a national campaign focused initially on Royal Dutch Shell and the Department of Mineral Resources, (2010 to present) to prevent shale gas mining (fracking) in South Africa, he has been influential in creating SAFE CITIZEN – a civil rights group concerned with the safety of South Africans who daily face escalating and brutal crime amid a devolution of service from the Police.
Awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize - commonly held to be the green equivalent of the Nobel prize, Deal toured the United States in 2013 on a fact-finding mission, meeting with President Obama, leaders in academia, US government agencies and building strategic ties with environmental organisations and thought-leaders across the country.
His book, Timeless Karoo was published in 2007, and as a freelance journalist and photographer, he has written for various publications, including the Rhodes Business School, and the Daily Maverick. A past chairman of the Southern African Freelancers Association he sought after as a speaker and debater on shale gas mining at international conferences, and in March 2014, he presented at Al Gore’s International Climate Leadership School in Johannesburg, being honoured in the same year to be listed as 1 of 100 World Class South Africans - sharing the accolade with fellow citizens such as Nelson Mandela, Mark Shuttleworth and Charlize Theron.
As a global environmental advocate, firearms instructor and trainer he holds a fierce passion for South Africa. Reading widely on environment and civil rights issues, Deal views Safe Citizen as a necessary vehicle to promote the concept of united communities being safe communities proving that citizens who can defend themselves will be a powerful and positive influence on the communities in which they live.
He intends to use every resource available to unite lawful South Africans who support private firearm ownership, and change the untrue perception that firearms are bad and that private firearm owners are to blame for the flood of illegal firearms in the country.
He is determined that his fellow citizens (and vicariously all citizens – armed or not) should enjoy the constitutional guarantee of freedom from public or private violence.