Jonathan Deal

Jonathan Deal founded Treasure Karoo Action Group in 2011, and still serves as CEO. After cutting his teeth on a national campaign against Royal Dutch Shell and the Department of Mineral Resources, (2010 – 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.

Awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, commonly held to be the green equivalent of the Nobel prize, he 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 writes for various publications, including the Rhodes Business School web site and the Daily Maverick. He is a past chairman of the Southern African Freelancers Association and is sought after as a speaker and debater on shale gas mining at international conferences. Deal presented at Al Gore’s International Climate Leadership School in Johannesburg in March 2014 and was 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, he holds a fierce passion for Africa and regards himself as an African patriot. Reading widely on environment and civil rights issues, Deal views #SafeCitizen as a necessary vehicle to move lawful gun owners close to the police as trusted allies – 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 should be able via the lawful possession of a firearm to enjoy the constitutional guarantee of freedom from public or private violence.