Betsie Verwoerd
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Betsie Verwoerd | |
---|---|
Spouse of the Prime Minister of South Africa | |
In role 2 September 1958 – 6 September 1966 | |
Preceded by | Susan de Klerk |
Succeeded by | Tini Vorster |
Personal details | |
Born | Orania, Northern Cape, South Africa | 17 May 1901
Nationality | South African |
Political party | National Party |
Spouse | |
Children | 7 |
Elizabeth "Betsie" Verwoerd (née Schoombee; 17 May 1901 – 29 February 2000) was the spouse of the Prime Minister of South Africa from 2 September 1958 until the assassination of her husband Hendrik Verwoerd on 6 September 1966.
Betsie was of Danish descent and born on 17 May 1901 to Wynand Johannes Schoombee and Anna Francina Susanna Schoombee (née Naude) in Middelburg in the Cape Colony.
Betsie met her husband while they both attended
Her husband
In 1992, she moved to
Betsie Verwoerd died at her home on 29 February 2000 at the age of 98. Nelson Mandela expressed his sadness at her death, stating he had been impressed with her "pure Afrikaner hospitality" when he visited her in 1995.[2]
After her death, her house in Orania was converted into a museum. A primary school in
References
- ^ "Beloved Country Repays Mandela in Kind". The New York Times. 23 March 1999. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ "Betsie Verwoerd, Apartheid Ruler's Wife, 98 - the New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.