Francois was born in Makhado in 1977 (formerly known as Louis Trichardt) and grew up humbly in Carolina, a small town in Mpumalanga. Francois is a family man who married his childhood sweetheart, Lize, and they have two children together. Francois and Lize spent eight years abroad and returned to the South African platteland to expose their children to the same upbringing they had. Despite living aboard for eight years, they realised that there is no place like home.
Francois is an entrepreneur and politician who has always sought to make a difference in his community. He joined the DA in 2014 as an activist, and his official political journey commenced when he realised that to make a tangible difference in the lives of the residents of Swellendam Municipality, the DA had to win an outright majority in the 2016 elections. Francois was elected as ward councillor in the local government elections in 2016 and was appointed to the Mayoral Committee. He served as the Portfolio Chairperson for Finance and Infrastructure and the Chairperson of the Section 32 Committee, including various roles on other Committees of Council. Francois was elected the new Mayor of Swellendam with an increased DA majority after the 2021 local government elections.
His vision is to create an environment of economic inclusivity through facilitating free and fair opportunities and increasing the well-being, prosperity and competitiveness of Swellendam Municipality and all its residents. His daily mission is to formulate, develop and implement policies that ensure a safe and clean environment that will promote integrated social and community development, professionalise the administration and stimulate job creation and economic growth through infrastructure and human resources investment.