D. F. Malan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniël François Malan
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| 4th Prime Minister of South Africa | |
| In office 4 June 1948 – 30 November 1954 |
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| Monarch | George VI Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Gideon Brand van Zyl Ernest George Jansen |
| Preceded by | Jan Smuts |
| Succeeded by | Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom |
| Minister of the Interior, Education and Public Health | |
| In office 30 June 1924 – 20 May 1933 |
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| Prime Minister | J. B. M. Hertzog |
| Preceded by | Sir Patrick Duncan |
| Succeeded by | Jan Hofmeyr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 May 1874 Riebeek-West, Cape Colony |
| Died | 7 February 1959 (aged 84) Stellenbosch, Cape Province, Union of South Africa |
| Political party | National (1914–1935) (1948–59) Purified National (1935–1939) Herenigde Nasionale (1940–1948) |
| Spouses |
Martha van Tonder
(m. 1926; died 1930)Maria Louw
(m. 1937) |
| Children | 2 sons 1 daughter (adopted) |
| Alma mater | University of Stellenbosch University of Utrecht |
| Profession | Clergyman, politician |
Daniël François Malan (born May 22, 1874 – died February 7, 1959) was an important South African politician. He was the fourth Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. During his time as Prime Minister, his political party, the National Party, started a system called apartheid. This system created strict laws that separated people based on their race.
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Early Life of Daniël Malan
Daniël François Malan was born in Riebeek-West in the Cape Colony. His family's name, Malan, came from a French Huguenot refugee named Jacques Malan. Jacques arrived in the Cape before 1689 from France. The Malan name is one of many Afrikaans names that still look French.
Education and Studies
Malan first earned a B.A. degree in Music and Science. He studied at Victoria College, Stellenbosch. After that, he went to the Stellenbosch seminary to become a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church.
While studying theology, he also earned an M.A. degree in Philosophy. This was also from Victoria College, which later became the University of Stellenbosch. In 1900, Malan left South Africa to study for a special degree called a Doctorate in Divinity. He earned this degree in 1905 from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Daniël Malan's Career
After finishing his studies, Malan returned to South Africa.
Dutch Reformed Church Minister
He became a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. For six months, he worked as an assistant minister in Heidelberg, Transvaal. Malan strongly supported the Afrikaans language. At the time, Afrikaans was a new language trying to become more widely used, alongside Dutch and English.
He helped create the Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging (ATKV). This group, formed in 1930, worked to promote the Afrikaans language and culture. Malan served as a minister in Montagu from 1906 to 1912. Later, he was in Graaff-Reinet until 1915. He also traveled for the church, visiting Afrikaners living in places like the Belgian Congo and Northern Rhodesia.
Political Career
Malan became involved in politics soon after the National Party was formed in 1914. Back then, political parties often had their own newspapers. In 1915, National Party supporters in the Cape decided to start their own newspaper, De Burger, later known as Die Burger.
They convinced Malan to become the editor of this new newspaper. He used this role to enter politics. He was worried about the political standing of Afrikaners after the 1914 Rebellion. So, he left his job as a minister to become the editor.
Joining Parliament
The Cape branch of the National Party was started in 1915, and Malan was chosen as its leader for the province. In 1918, he was elected to Parliament for the first time. He became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Calvinia. He held this seat until 1938, when he became the MP for Piketberg.
When the National Party first came to power in 1924, under Prime Minister J. B. M. Hertzog, Malan was given an important job. He became the Minister of the Interior, Education, and Public Health. He held this position until 1933. In 1925, he played a key role in changing the constitution to use Afrikaans instead of Dutch. He also helped create a new national flag for South Africa.
Leading the Opposition
After the 1933 election, two main parties, Hertzog's National Party and Jan Smuts's South African Party, joined together to form the United Party. Malan strongly disagreed with this merger. In 1934, he and 19 other MPs left to form the Purified National Party. Malan led this new party for 14 years as the main opposition.
Malan did not want South Africa to join World War II. Many Afrikaners also did not want to join the war. This disagreement caused a split in the ruling United Party in 1939. The members who left joined Malan's National Party. This made Malan's political position much stronger. As a result, he defeated Smuts and the United Party in the 1948 general election.
Prime Minister and Apartheid
Daniël Malan became Prime Minister in 1948. During his six and a half years in office, the basic ideas of apartheid were put into place. Apartheid was a system of laws that enforced strict separation of people based on their race. This system also limited the rights and opportunities of non-white South Africans.
In 1953, Malan was given special powers to deal with groups that were against apartheid. Malan resigned in 1954 when he was 80 years old. He hoped that Nicolaas Havenga would become the next prime minister. However, J. G. Strijdom was chosen instead.
Later Life and Death
Daniël Malan passed away on February 7, 1959, at his home in Stellenbosch. His book, Afrikaner Volkseenheid en my ervaringe op die pad daarheen (which means "Afrikaner nationalism and my experiences on the road to it"), was published in the same year. A collection of his writings and documents can be found at the University of Stellenbosch's J.S. Gericke Library. He is listed as 81st on the SABC3's Great South Africans list.
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Malan para niños
