P. W. Botha
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In office 1948 –1958 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Pieter Willem Botha 12 January 1916 Republic of South Africa |
Political party | National Party (1946–1990) |
Spouses | |
Children | Rossouw, Pieter Willem, Elanza, Amelia, Rozanne |
Alma mater | Grey University College |
Profession | Politician |
Signature | |
Part of a series on |
Apartheid |
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Pieter Willem Botha,
First
In
Early life and education
Pieter Willem Botha was born on a farm in the
Botha initially attended the Paul Roux School and matriculated from Bethlehem Voortrekker High School. In 1934, he entered the Grey University College (now the University of the Free State) in Bloemfontein to study law, but left early at the age of twenty in order to pursue a career in politics. He began working for the National Party as a political organiser in the neighbouring Cape Province. In the run-up to World War II, Botha joined the Ossewabrandwag, an Afrikaner nationalist group which was sympathetic to the German Nazi Party; but months after the German attack on the USSR, Botha condemned the Ossewabrandwag and changed his ideological allegiance to Christian nationalism.[3][4]
In 1943, Botha married
Parliamentary career
At age 30, Botha was elected head of the National Party Youth in 1946, and two years later was elected to the
Botha was keen to promote constitutional reform, and hoped to implement a form of
Upon becoming
As Prime Minister and later
In 1977, as Minister of Defence, Botha began a
State President
In 1983, Botha proposed a new
The plan included no chamber or system of representation for the black majority. Each Black ethno-linguistic group was allocated a 'homeland' which would initially be a semi-autonomous area. However, blacks were legally considered citizens of the
The new constitution also changed the
Though the new constitution was criticised by the black majority for failing to grant them any formal role in government, many international commentators praised it as a "first step" in what was assumed to be a series of reforms. On 14 September 1984, Botha was elected as the first state president under the newly approved constitution.
Implementing the presidential system was seen as a key step in consolidating Botha's personal power. In previous years, he had succeeded in getting a number of strict laws that limited freedom of speech through parliament, and thus suppressed criticism of government decisions.
In many western countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom (where the Anti-Apartheid Movement was based) and the Commonwealth, there was much debate over the imposition of economic sanctions in order to weaken Botha and undermine the white regime. By the late 1980s – as foreign investment in South Africa declined – disinvestment began to have a serious effect on the nation's economy.
Apartheid government
Botha undertook some changes to apartheid practices, but these were rejected by many as superficial and inadequate. He legalised interracial marriage and miscegenation, both completely banned since the late 1940s. The constitutional prohibition on multiracial political parties was lifted. He also relaxed the Group Areas Act, which barred non-whites from living in certain areas. In 1988, a new law created "Open Group Areas" or racially mixed neighbourhoods but these neighbourhoods had to receive a Government permit, had to have the support of the local whites immediately concerned, and had to be an upper-class neighbourhood in a major city in order to be awarded a permit. In 1983, the aforementioned constitutional reforms granted limited political rights to "Coloureds" and "Indians". Botha also became the first South African government leader to authorise contacts with Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned leader of the African National Congress (ANC).
Even these reforms, rejected as meagre by opponents of apartheid, went too far for a group of NP hardliners, led by former Education Minister Andries Treurnicht. In 1982, the group broke away to form the Conservative Party. However, they did not even begin to meet the demands of the opposition. In the face of rising discontent and violence, Botha refused to cede political power to blacks and imposed greater security measures against anti-apartheid activists. Botha also refused to negotiate with the ANC.
In 1985, Botha delivered the Rubicon speech, a policy address in which he refused to give in to demands by the black population, including the release of Mandela.[9] Botha's defiance of international opinion further isolated South Africa, leading to economic sanctions and a rapid decline in the value of the rand. The following year, when the United States introduced the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, Botha declared a nationwide state of emergency. He is famously quoted during this time as saying, "This uprising will bring out the beast in us".[10]
As economic and diplomatic actions against South Africa increased,
In spite of the concessions made by Botha, the apartheid years under his leadership were by far the most brutal.[citation needed] Thousands were detained without trial during Botha's presidency, while others were tortured and killed. The TRC found Botha responsible for gross violations of human rights.[13] He was also found to have directly authorised "unlawful activity which included killing."[14] Botha declined to apologise for apartheid. In a 2006 interview to mark his 90th birthday, he suggested that he had no regrets about the way he had run the country.[15] Botha denied that he had ever considered black South Africans to be in any way inferior to whites, but conceded that "some" whites did hold that view. He also claimed that the racial segregation laws of apartheid "started in Lord Milner’s time" and the National Party merely inherited them; however, Botha conceded that the Afrikaner population had been "happy to perpetuate [apartheid]", as many of them "were, and some of them still are... 'racists at heart'".[16]
Fall from power
State President Botha's loss of influence can be directly attributed to decisions taken at the
On 18 January 1989, Botha (then aged 73) suffered a mild stroke which prevented him from attending a meeting with Namibian political leaders on 20 January 1989. Botha's place was taken by acting president J. Christiaan Heunis.[19] On 2 February 1989, Botha resigned as leader of the National Party (NP), anticipating his nominee – finance minister Barend du Plessis – would succeed him. Instead, the NP's parliamentary caucus selected as leader education minister F. W. de Klerk, who moved quickly to consolidate his position within the party as a reformist, while hardliners supported Botha. In March 1989, the NP elected De Klerk as state president but Botha refused to resign, saying in a television address that the constitution entitled him to remain in office until March 1990 and that he was even considering running for another five-year term. Following a series of acrimonious meetings in Cape Town, and five days after UNSCR 435 was implemented in Namibia on 1 April 1989, Botha and De Klerk reached a compromise: Botha would retire after the parliamentary elections in September, allowing de Klerk to take over as state president.
However, Botha abruptly resigned from the state presidency on 14 August 1989, complaining that he had not been consulted by De Klerk over his scheduled visit to see President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia:
- "The ANC is enjoying the protection of president Kaunda and is planning insurgency activities against South Africa from Lusaka", Botha declared on nationwide television. He said he had asked the cabinet what reason he should give the public for abruptly leaving office. "They replied I could use my health as an excuse. To this, I replied that I am not prepared to leave on a lie. It is evident to me that after all these years of my best efforts for the National Party and for the government of this country, as well as the security of our country, I am being ignored by ministers serving in my cabinet."[20]
De Klerk was sworn in as acting state president on 14 August 1989 and the following month was nominated by the electoral college to succeed Botha in a five-year term as state president.[21] De Klerk soon announced the removal of legislation against anti-apartheid groups – including the African National Congress – and the release of Nelson Mandela. De Klerk's term saw the dismantling of the apartheid system and negotiations that eventually led to South Africa's first racially inclusive democratic elections on 27 April 1994.
In a statement on the death of Botha in 2006, De Klerk said:
- "Personally, my relationship with P. W. Botha was often strained. I did not like his overbearing leadership style and was opposed to the intrusion of the State Security Council system into virtually every facet of government. After I became leader of the National Party in February 1989, I did my best to ensure that P. W. Botha would be able to end his term as president with full dignity and decorum. Unfortunately, this was not to be."[22]
Retirement
Botha and his wife Elize retired to their home, Die Anker, in the town of
Botha remained largely out of sight of the media and it was widely believed that he remained opposed to many of F. W. de Klerk's reforms. He resigned from the Afrikaner Broederbond.
Botha refused to testify at the new government's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), set up to expose apartheid-era crimes and chaired by his cultural and political nemesis, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The TRC found that he had ordered the 1988 bombing of the South African Council of Churches headquarters in Johannesburg. In August 1998, he was fined and given a suspended jail sentence for his refusal to testify on human rights violations and violence sanctioned by the State Security Council (SSC) which he, as president until 1989, had directed.[23]
In June 1999, Botha successfully appealed to the High Court against his conviction and sentence. The Court's ruling by Judge Selikowitz (with Judge Foxcroft concurring) found that the notice served on Botha to appear before the TRC was technically invalid.[24]
Death
Botha died of a heart attack at his home in
President
Awards
- Taiwan: Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon (1980)[28]
- Decoration for Meritorious Services
References
- ^ Mary Braid (8 January 1998). "Afrikaners champion Botha's cause of silence". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- ^ McGreal, Chris (2 June 1999). "Botha's Conviction Overturned". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ P. W. Botha, Defender of Apartheid, Is Dead at 90, The New York Times, 1 November 2006
- ^ sahoboss (17 February 2011). "Pieter Willem Botha". South African History Online. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Pieter Willem Botha". South African History Online. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Gregory, Joseph R. (1 November 2006). "P. W. Botha, Defender of Apartheid, Is Dead at 90". The New York Times.
- ^ Gregory, Joseph R. (1 November 2006). "P. W. Botha, Defender of Apartheid, Is Dead at 90". The New York Times.
- ^ "South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Program – Building Bombs". nuclearweaponarchive.org. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Times, Alan Cowell and Special To the New York (17 August 1985). "BOTHA SPEECH: 2 SIGNALS". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ Moshenberg, Dan (9 April 2013). "Margaret Thatcher: no fond farewells from Africa". The Guardian.
- ^ Sparks, Allister (17 August 1986). "Moves by Botha Telegraph Pullback From Compromise". The Washington Post.
- ^ Cowell, Alan (22 May 1986). "South African President Warns of Further Raids". The New York Times.
- ^ [1] Dan van der Vat. The Guardian Obituary. 2 November 2006.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa. (2003) Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report, Vol. 6, Section 3, pp. 252–3, para. 326 (e), 327, and 328. - ^ The Groot Krokodil speaks, MWeb, 2 November 2006
- ^ MacLennan, Ben (19 March 2006). "PW Botha on the 'so-called apartheid policy'". Mail & Guardian.
- ^ "130-1988". klausdierks.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ New York Accords signed by Angola, Cuba and South Africa Archived 14 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Botha Is Expected to Be Discharged Soon". The New York Times. 22 January 1989.
- ^ "Washingtonpost.com: South Africa Report". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "South Africa Limited Reforms". country-studies.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Statement by F W de Klerk on the death of former president P W Botha (Issued by the F W de Klerk Foundation, Cape Town, 1 November 2006)] Archived 14 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ TRC findings: P W Botha, BBC News, 29 October 1998
- ^ "The Citizen", 2 June 1999
- ^ Former South Africa leader dies, BBC News, 1 November 2006
- ^ PW Botha: Reaction in quotes, BBC News, 1 November 2006
- ^ PW laid to rest, Independent Online (IOL), 8 November 2006
- ISBN 9780869752807 – via Internet Archive.
October 1980: Taiwan: Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon
Further reading
- Botha's last interview before he died
- The Mandela Document, dated prior to Mandela's release
- "Fighter and Reformer: Extracts from the Speeches of P. W. Botha", Compiled by J.J.J. Scholtz, Published: Bureau for Information, Pretoria, 1989
- The life and times of PW Botha – IOL
- PW, Tambo 'partners in peace' – News24
- 'He was my bread and botha' (By artists) – Mail&Guardian
- Zuma on PW: 'He saw the need for change' – Mail&Guardian
- Thabo Mbeki on PW – Moneyweb