Pik Botha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pik 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, Johannesburg
In office 22 April 1970 – 1974
Constituency	Wonderboom, Pretoria
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	Roelof Frederik Botha (1932-04-27)27 April 1932 Rustenburg, South Africa
Died	12 October 2018(2018-10-12) (aged 86) Pretoria, South Africa
Political party	National (until 1997)
Spouses	Helena Susanna Bosman ​ ​ (m. 1953; died 1996)​ Ina Joubert ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Pretoria
Occupation	Diplomat and politician
Profession	Law

Roelof Frederik "Pik" Botha (born April 27, 1932 – died October 12, 2018) was a famous South African politician. He served as the country's foreign minister for many years. This was during the time of Apartheid, a system of racial separation. He was the longest-serving foreign minister in South African history.

Pik Botha was seen as a more open-minded person within his political party. He tried to make the government seem friendly to the outside world. After the first election where all races could vote in 1994, he stayed in government. He worked under President Nelson Mandela as the Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs from 1994 to 1996.

His nickname 'Pik' came from the Afrikaans word pikkewyn, which means 'penguin'. People thought he looked a bit like a penguin when he stood, especially in a suit.

It's important to know that he was not related to Prime Minister P. W. Botha. He served as foreign minister under P. W. Botha for 17 years.

Early Life and Education

Pik Botha was born in Rustenburg, a town in the Transvaal region of South Africa. His parents were Roelof Frederik Botha and Maria Elizabeth Dreyer.

When he was four, he became very sick with meningitis in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo, Mozambique). He got better after treatment in a small hospital. His mother promised that if he survived, he would become a church minister.

Botha went to Paul Kruger Primary School, where his father was the principal. He was a very good student in high school. He led the debating club and was an officer in the school cadets. He also wrote stories and poems in Afrikaans. His writing helped him earn money when he first started working as a diplomat. Later, when he studied law at the University of Pretoria, he learned that he didn't have to keep his mother's promise to become a church minister.

Diplomat and Lawyer Career

Pik Botha started working for the South African foreign service in 1953. This meant he worked for his country in other nations. He served in countries like Sweden and West Germany.

From 1963 to 1966, he was part of a team that represented South Africa. This was at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. They worked on a case about South Africa's control over South-West Africa (which is now Namibia).

In 1966, Botha became a legal adviser for the Department of Foreign Affairs. From 1967 to 1977, he was part of South Africa's team at the United Nations. In 1974, he became South Africa's main representative to the United Nations. He met with the Secretary-General, Kurt Waldheim. However, in November 1974, South Africa was suspended from the United Nations General Assembly. This meant the country was mostly kept out of official UN activities for many years.

Political Journey

Pik Botha became a Member of Parliament (MP) in South Africa. He was elected to the House of Assembly of South Africa in 1970 and 1974 for the Wonderboom area. In 1975, he became South Africa's Ambassador to the United States. He also kept his job at the UN.

In 1977, he was elected to Parliament again for the Westdene area. Prime Minister John Vorster then made him the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He continued to represent Westdene for the rest of his political career.

In 1978, Botha wanted to become the leader of the National Party. Many white South Africans supported him. But he decided not to run because some thought he was too young and didn't have enough experience. They also thought his ideas were too modern compared to the party's traditional views. He then supported P. W. Botha, who became the new leader.

In 1985, Pik Botha helped write a speech that would have announced big changes. It suggested allowing all races to make decisions together. It also included a plan to release Nelson Mandela from prison. But P. W. Botha rejected this plan.

The next year, Pik Botha said publicly that a black president could rule South Africa. He added that there would need to be rules to protect the rights of minority groups. He was quickly told that this was not the government's official view. Botha later said he was "severely reprimanded" and almost fired for his comments.

In 1986, he also played a key role in talks with the Commonwealth Eminent Persons' Group (EPG). This group wanted to find a way for peace talks to begin. Pik Botha discussed stopping violence and allowing the ANC (African National Congress) to operate legally.

Throughout 1988, Botha was important in peace talks between South Africa, Cuba, and Angola. These talks aimed to end the South African Border War. On December 13, 1988, Botha and Defence Minister Magnus Malan signed an agreement. This agreement helped stop the fighting in that conflict.

Independence for Namibia

On December 22, 1988, Pik Botha signed an agreement called the Tripartite Accord. This agreement involved Angola, Cuba, and South Africa. It was signed at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. This agreement led to South Africa granting independence to Namibia.

On December 21, 1988, Pik Botha and 22 other South African officials were supposed to fly on Pan Am Flight 103. They were going to New York for the Namibian independence ceremony. But Botha and six delegates took an earlier flight. This meant they avoided the terrible bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Working for National Unity

Pik Botha served as the Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs from 1994 to 1996. This was in South Africa's first government after apartheid ended. He served under President Nelson Mandela. Botha had first met Mandela in May 1990. He was very impressed by how much Mandela knew about Afrikaner history.

Botha was the deputy leader of the National Party in the Transvaal from 1987 to 1996. He left politics in 1996. This happened when F. W. de Klerk decided to remove the National Party from the government of national unity.

In 2000, Botha said he supported President Thabo Mbeki. In 2013, Botha spoke against the government's affirmative action policies. He said that the 1994 government would not have agreed to the constitution if these policies were in place then. He also said he had never joined the ANC and would not join under its current policies.

On December 12, 2013, Botha appeared on a TV show called Question Time in Johannesburg. He discussed the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.

Personal Life

Pik Botha married Helena Bosman in 1953. They had two daughters, Anna Hertzog and Lien Botha, who is an artist. They also had two sons, Piet Botha (a rock musician) and Roelof Botha (an economist). One of his eight grandchildren, also named Roelof Botha, became the chief financial officer of PayPal. Helena passed away in 1996 after being ill for some time.

Two years later, in 1998, Botha married Ina Joubert. She was a former journalist for the SABC.

Pik Botha died peacefully at his home in Pretoria on October 12, 2018. He was 86 years old.

Images for kids

• 

  A friendly robot.