Pieter Willem Botha(1916-2006)
Described in his obituary in The Guardian as "one of the most evil men
of the 20th century", P.W. Botha was Prime Minister of South Africa
from 1978 until 1984 and State President from 1984 until 1989. Under
his rule, South Africa was a pariah in the world, Botha continuing to
defend the white rule system of apartheid in spite of international
pressure and increasingly damaging sanctions imposed on the country.
While he did make some concessions to reform of apartheid, such as
legalizing mixed race sex and marriages in 1985, he proved a consistent
obstacle to the release of
Nelson Mandela, the world's most famous
prisoner. In 1989, Botha was forced out of office and replaced by the
more moderate F.W. de Klerk, who within a
few months had released Mandela and begun negotiations to remove
apartheid and give black people full political representation, which
would ultimately lead to the first multi-racial elections in 1994.
