Ou Raadsaal Ou Raadsaal The Ou Raadsaal (English: "Old Council Hall") is a historic building in Pretoria, South Africa, located on the south side of Church Square. The Ou Raadsaal housed the Volksraad, the parliament of the South African Republic, from 1891 to 1902. The Ou Raadsaal was commissioned in the late 19th century by the South African Republic as the new seat of government in Pretoria, and was designed by Dutch architect Sytze Wierda in a Renaissance Revival style. The contract for construction was granted to John Johnstone Kirkness, a builder from the Orkney Islands with a prolific building career in
Francisco Ou Francisco Ou Francisco H.L. Ou (; born January 5, 1940) is a former diplomat, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China serving under President Ma Ying-Jeou from 2008 to 2009. Ou was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and raised in Hualien. His father was arrested during the February 28 Incident in 1947. He and his family lived in poverty during his younger days. Ou received his BA from National Chengchi University in 1962. Upon graduation, he then went on to serve in the government in several diplomatic capacities, mostly with Central and South American nations. He was