Balthazar Johannes "B. J." Vorster, also known as John Vorster, was a South African apartheid politician who served as the prime minister and fourth state president of South Africa from 1978 to 1979. He strongly adhered to apartheid policies, overseeing the Rivonia Trial, Terrorism Act, Soweto Riots, and Steve Biko crisis. He conducted a pragmatic foreign policy to improve relations between the white minority government and South Africa's neighbors.
Mrs. Catherine Dorothea Taylor, nee' Sharpe was born in Birningham, England in 1914. She is the daughter of a Church of England missionary, who worked in various parts of South Africa, Lesotho and South West Africa. She was educated at the St Michael's School, Bloemfontein and St Mary's Diocesan School for girls, Pretoria. On leaving school she studied philosophy and languages at Bristol University and continued her studies in both France and Germany.
She was married to Dr Lance Taylor in Cape Town in 1939 and, on the outbreak of the war, returned to England with her husband who served as a doctor in the Armed Forces. On de-mobilization in 1946 she and her husband, as South African subjects, were repatriated and settled in the Cape. They have two sons.
From October 1950 to November 1952 Mrs. Taylor held the post of Confidential Secretary to the Editor of the Cape Argus.
Since 1948 Mrs. Taylor has taken a very active part in all aspects of the United Party work and has held numerous and responsible administrative posts in the Party, such as Chairman of the Cape Peninsula and Western Province Women's Council, Chairman of the Wynberg Divisional Committee, member of the Central Head Committee and Secretary of the Official Opposition's Coloured Affairs Group.
Mrs. Taylor became a member of the Cape Provincial IN 1954 and served as United Party Chief Whip for two years, before becoming Chairman of the Party Caucus and Deputy Provincial Leader.
In 1963 she entered Parliament as United Party representative for Wynberg and rose through the ranks of the Party to become Shadow Minister of Education from 1970 until 1973. The year 1974 marked her withdrawal from Parliament and her resignation from the Party.
Charles Robberts Swart DMS (5 December 1894 – 16 July 1982), nicknamed "Blackie",[3] was a South African politician who served as the last governor-general of the Union of South Africa from 1959 to 1961 and the first state president of the Republic of South Africa from 1961 to 1967.
He was an Advocate.
Piet Koornhof, a prominent South African political figure, was born on August 2, 1925, in Leeudoringstad, Transvaal, South Africa. His extensive political career unfolded against the backdrop of the apartheid era. Serving as Minister of Immigration and Minister of Energy and Mining from August 23, 1972, to April 29, 1974, under Prime Minister John Vorster, Koornhof later took on the roles of Minister of Mining and Minister of Sports and Recreation from April 29, 1974, to October 10, 1978, during the premiership of John Vorster. Subsequently, he held the position of Minister of Cooperation and Development from October 9, 1978, to September 1984, under Prime Minister P. W. Botha. Koornhof's political journey culminated in his role as the South African Ambassador to the United States, where he served from May 1, 1987, to March 6, 1991, succeeding Johannes Beukes and being succeeded by Harry Schwarz. He passed away on November 12, 2007, at the age of 82, in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, leaving behind a legacy marked by his diverse ministerial contributions and diplomatic service.
Piet Koornhof, a prominent South African political figure, was born on August 2, 1925, in Leeudoringstad, Transvaal, South Africa. His extensive political career unfolded against the backdrop of the apartheid era. Serving as Minister of Immigration and Minister of Energy and Mining from August 23, 1972, to April 29, 1974, under Prime Minister John Vorster, Koornhof later took on the roles of Minister of Mining and Minister of Sports and Recreation from April 29, 1974, to October 10, 1978, during the premiership of John Vorster. Subsequently, he held the position of Minister of Cooperation and Development from October 9, 1978, to September 1984, under Prime Minister P. W. Botha. Koornhof's political journey culminated in his role as the South African Ambassador to the United States, where he served from May 1, 1987, to March 6, 1991, succeeding Johannes Beukes and being succeeded by Harry Schwarz. He passed away on November 12, 2007, at the age of 82, in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, leaving behind a legacy marked by his diverse ministerial contributions and diplomatic service.
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (1901–1966) was a prominent South African politician who served as Prime Minister from 1958 until his assassination in 1966, during which he implemented apartheid policies that enforced racial segregation and bolstered white minority rule. He justified apartheid as a means of preserving white supremacy, despite widespread domestic and international criticism. Verwoerd's legacy is controversial, representing oppression to many while also being acknowledged as a central figure in shaping South Africa's history during the 20th century.
Frederik Willem de Klerk, born 18 March 1936 in Johannesburg, South Africa, was a lawyer and member of the NNP party from 1972 to 1997.