Pieter Kriel: Biography, Age, Activist, Girlfriend

Pieter Kriel (born 2 March 2004) is a South African political and human rights activist, social media commentator, writer, and social critic. He is known for his provocative, left-leaning views on race, privilege, equality, decolonisation, and South African politics, often challenging conservative Afrikaner narratives.

Biography: Pieter Kriel

Real Name: Pieter Adriaan Kriel

Place of Birth: Heidelberg, Gauteng, South Africa

Date of Birth: 2 March 2004 (Age - 22)

Occupation: Political and Human Rights Activist, Writer

Years Active: 2018 to present

Parents: Lemont Kriel and Ramona Mears, David Schalk Pelzer (step-father)

Political Views: Pan-Africanist, Humanist, Decolonisation

Nationality: South African

Early Life and Education

Pieter Adriaan Kriel was born in Heidelberg, Gauteng, South Africa. His parents are Lemont Kriel and Ramona Mears. He was raised by his stepfather, David Schalk Pelzer who died in January 2024. He attended Hoër Volkskool in Heidelberg. ^[1]

He began creating online content as a teenager, initially posting videos about computer games, magic, and athletics on YouTube. At age 14, around 2018, he became an atheist and started questioning systems of power, including politics, religion, and history. This marked the beginning of his deeper engagement with political and social issues. ^[2]

Career and Activism

Kriel gained prominence in his late teens and early 20s through TikTok, X (Twitter) and Facebook where he shares rapid commentary on race, justice, and current affairs. As of 2025, he had built a significant following of hundreds of thousands on TikTok and Facebook. He also writes articles and has a Gumroad site for his work. ^[3]

Key positions and activities:

• He identifies as a humanist advocating for equality, African integration, wealth redistribution, post-nationalism, and decolonisation (both structural and mental).
• He strongly criticises narratives of “white genocide” or ethnic targeting of Afrikaners in South Africa, arguing that issues stem from broader criminal and systemic failures rather than racial persecution.
• He has distanced himself from AfriForum and its CEO Kallie Kriel (no family relation), positioning himself as the latter’s “antithesis.”
• His comments on Afrikaners moving to the US (e.g., as refugees) sparked major controversy, death threats, and family estrangement. He has said they were fleeing “equality” rather than persecution.
• In 2025, he visited the occupied Palestinian territories (West Bank areas like Bethlehem), documenting conditions and drawing parallels to apartheid-era South Africa, which drew both support and criticism (e.g., accusations of “white privilege” from some commentators).
• Influences include Thomas Sankara, Steve Biko, Christopher Hitchens, and George Orwell. He has explored various religious traditions (formerly Christian, expressed interest in aspects of Orthodox Judaism at times, though he later clarified he is not Jewish). ^[4][5]

He aims to build a grassroots, youth-driven Pan-African humanist movement focused on justice and unity, and has expressed ambitions in advocacy, writing, and potentially broader leadership.

Personal Life

Pieter Kriel is in a relationship with his girlfriend who simply identifies herself by the name Desire on social media.  He is based in the Johannesburg where he continues to do his activism work. ^[6]