P. W. Botha | |
|---|---|
 Botha in 1962 | |
| 6th State President of South Africa | |
| In office 3 September 1984 – 14 August 1989 Acting until 14 September 1984 | |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | |
| 8th Prime Minister of South Africa | |
| In office 9 October 1978 – 14 September 1984 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Johannes Vorster |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as State President) |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 30 March 1966 – 28 April 1981 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Jacobus Fouché |
| Succeeded by | Magnus Malan |
| Minister of Community Development and Coloured Affairs | |
| In office 8 October 1961 – 30 March 1966 | |
| Prime Minister | Hendrik Verwoerd |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Willem Adriaan Maree |
| Member of the South African House of Assembly from George | |
| In office 1948–1958 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pieter Willem Botha 12 January 1916 Paul Roux, Orange Free State, South Africa |
| Died | 31 October 2006 (aged 90) Wilderness, Western Cape, South Africa |
| Political party | National Party (1946–1990) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Rossouw, Pieter Willem, Elanza, Amelia, Rozanne Botha |
| Alma mater | Grey University College |
| Profession | Politician |
| Signature |  |
| Part of a series on |
| Apartheid |
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Pieter Willem Botha, DMS (locally /ˈbʊərtə/ BOOR-tə,[1] Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈpitər ˈvələm ˈbuəta]; 12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006) was a South African politician. He was the head of government of South Africa from 1978 to 1989, serving as the last prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president of South Africa from 1984 to 1989.
First elected to Parliament in 1948, Botha, an Afrikaner nationalist, was an opponent of black majority rule and international communism. However, his administration did make concessions towards political reform, whereas internal unrest saw widespread human rights abuses at the hands of his government. Botha resigned as leader of the ruling National Party (NP) in February 1989 after suffering a stroke and six months later was also coerced to leave the presidency.
In F. W. de Klerk's 1992 apartheid referendum, Botha campaigned for a No vote and denounced De Klerk's administration as irresponsible for opening the door to black majority rule. In early 1998, when Botha refused to testify at the Mandela government's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), he was supported by the Conservative Party, which had earlier contested his rule as the official opposition. For his refusal, he was fined and given a suspended jail sentence, which was overturned on appeal due to a technicality.[2][3]
- ^ This Day In History | PW Botha succeeds Vorster to become SA's Prime Minister - YouTube. 28 September 2023. Event occurs at 0:15. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ 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.