South Africans called him the "Great Crocodile" and he famously said: " When I am angry, I can be a Thunderbird." Botha was born into a Afrikaner farmer family in the Orange Free State. He first worked for the National Party at age 19 as a party organiser.
'Adapt or die'
P W Botha was Defence Minister from 1966 to 1979, and worked to increase the military budget by 20 times, thereby circumventing the international arms embargo against South Africa. However, on becoming Prime Minister he said: " We must adapt or die", and, from 1981, embarked on a number of constitutional reforms from 1981.
Botha's reformist instinct was generally attributed to a desire to preserve the pre-eminence of whites by giving limited concessions to other races. Constitutional reforms were combined with bloody crackdowns on violent opposition, and increased military repression by the South African police force and the State Security Council (SSC).
Separate homelands
Human rights groups have estimated that up to 30,000 people were held without trial during states of emergency imposed by Botha at various times between 1986 and 1989.
Botha advocated the creation of a confederation of South Africa with homelands with separate citizenship but a common South African nationality. The constitutional reforms were approved by the House of Assembly in September 1983, and by about 66% of voters in an all-white referendum in November.
Property rights
Reforms continued in 1985/6, and some apartheid laws were relaxed. For example, the Immorality Act and the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act which banned sexual relations and marriages between different races, were repealed in April 1985. In April 1986 restrictions on the movement of blacks were relaxed. On 1 July 1986 the 'pass laws' were repealed. Legislation granted blacks the right to own property in black urban areas.
In June 1988 legislation was passed which provided for the establishment of a multi-racial consultative body - which would include black members.
P W Botha resigned in January 1989 due to ill-health, and was succeeded as party leader by F W de Klerk, who had been Minister for Education.
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