Pik Botha
Roelof Frederik "Pik" Botha, DMS (27 April 1932 – 12 October 2018) was a South African politician. He served as the country's foreign minister in the last years of the apartheid era.
Roelof Frederik Botha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs | |
| In office 27 April 1994 – May 1996 | |
| President | Nelson Mandela |
| Preceded by | George Bartlett |
| Succeeded by | Penuel Maduna |
| Deputy Leader of the National Party in Transvaal | |
| In office 1987–1996 | |
| Leader | F. W. de Klerk |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 27 April 1977 – 10 May 1994 | |
| President | F. W. de Klerk (1989-94) P. W. Botha (1984-89) |
| Prime Minister | P. W. Botha (1978–84) B.J. Vorster (1966–78) |
| Preceded by | Hilgard Muller |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Nzo |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 1977–1994 | |
| Constituency | Westdene |
| In office 22 April 1970 – 1974 | |
| Constituency | Wonderboom |
| South African Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 30 July 1975 – 11 May 1977 | |
| Prime Minister | B.J. Vorster |
| Preceded by | Johan Samuel Frederick Botha |
| Succeeded by | Donald Bell Sole |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 April 1932 Rustenburg, Transvaal, South Africa |
| Died | 12 October 2018 (aged 86) Pretoria, South Africa |
| Political party | National |
| Spouse(s) | Helena Susanna Bosman Ina Joubert m. 27 April 1998 |
| Children | 2 sons, 2 daughters |
| Alma mater | University of Pretoria |
| Occupation | Diplomat and politician |
| Profession | Law |
Botha was nicknamed 'Pik' (short for pikkewyn, Afrikaans for 'penguin') because of a perceived likeness to a penguin in his stance, accentuated when he wore a suit.[1]
In 2000, Botha declared his support for Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.[2]
Botha died on 12 October 2018 at his home in Pretoria at the age of 86.[3]
References
- ↑ A smart penguin, Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The Spectator, 7 April 1984, page 9
- ↑ BBC Question Time in South Africa: Who's Who, The Daily Telegraph, 12 December 2013
- ↑ "Former foreign affairs minister Pik Botha dies". Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
Other websites
- South African History Online Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
- South African Who's Who Archived 2008-10-03 at the Wayback Machine