Andries Treurnicht
Encyclopedia
Andries Petrus Treurnicht (February 19, 1921, Piketberg
, Cape Province
– April 22, 1993, Cape Town
) was a South Africa
n politician, Minister of Education during the Soweto Riots
and for a short time leader of the National Party in Transvaal
. In 1982 he founded and led of the Conservative Party
of South Africa
whose successes among the white electorate made him Leader of the Opposition
in 1987, a position he retained until his death.
He was born in Piketberg
(Cape Province
) and began his working life as a journalist, being editor of Die Kerkbode and Hoofstad. He was a keen sportsman, excelling on the rugby field, playing provincial rugby against the All Blacks
in 1949. After obtaining his MA
in Theology
at the University of Stellenbosch, he completed a Doctorate in Political Philosophy at the University of Cape Town
. He subsequently entered the Dutch Reformed Church
(NG Kerk), serving various congregations as minister for 14 years. He was elected Deputy Chairman of the Cape Synod and later of the General Synod. He married Engela Dreyer on January 18, 1949.
MP
for Waterberg
. Newly appointed as Deputy Minister of Education in 1976, his instruction to implement the policy that black students should be taught half in English, half in Afrikaans triggered the Soweto Riots
. In 1978, he was chosen, over the heads of 12 ministers, as Leader of the National Party in the Transvaal
, and, in 1979, he became Minister of State for Administration and of Statistics.
to oppose P.W. Botha and the National Party's limited reforms to apartheid. The CP's English language programme booklets from 1987-89 stated that the party was established "to continue the policy of self-determination after the [NP] government had exchanged self-determination" (something the CP described as an "infallible policy"), for power-sharing.
In 1987, the Conservative Party became the official opposition in the House of Assembly
, winning 550,000 votes, displacing the liberal Progressive Federal Party
. Donald Simpson, writing in the South African newspaper, The Star
, went as far as to predict that the National Party would lose the next election and that the Conservative Party would become the new government of South Africa.
In June 1989, accompanied by Clive Derby-Lewis
, Carl Werth, and several other Conservative Party officials, Treurnicht made an official visit to London and some other European capitals. The far-right Western Goals Institute
organized his London visit, and the Conservative Monday Club
held a dinner in his honour, at which at least one British Conservative Party
MP, Tim Janman
, was present.
Already nicknamed "Doctor No", in 1992, he led the opposition campaign during the referendum called by F.W. de Klerk to gain white approval for negotiations to end apartheid. This campaign marked the peak of Conservative support in South Africa, gaining just under one million votes, but the "No" vote was defeated 2 to 1 by white voters.
Treurnicht was the author of no fewer than 16 books, many in the cultural field.
He died on 22 April 1993, in Cape Town
, during a heart operation. His death came shortly after the Conservative Party suffered a major blow with the arrest of senior member Clive Derby-Lewis
for the murder of Chris Hani
. His former deputy minister, Ferdinand Hartzenberg
, became the last leader of the Conservative Party.
Piketberg
Piketberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The original spelling of the name was "Piquetberg".The town is in the foothills of the Piketberg mountains, a range of low mountains formed from Table Mountain Sandstone....
, Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
– April 22, 1993, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
) was a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n politician, Minister of Education during the Soweto Riots
Soweto riots
The Soweto Uprising, also known as June 16, was a series of high school student-led protests in South Africa that began on the morning of June 16, 1976. Students from numerous Sowetan schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto, in response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of...
and for a short time leader of the National Party in Transvaal
Transvaal
The Transvaal is the name of an area of northern South Africa. The land originally comprised most of the independent Boer South African Republic, which had existed since 1856, despite two previous attempts by the British of varying success to establish supremacy...
. In 1982 he founded and led of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (South Africa)
The Conservative Party of South Africa was a conservative party formed in 1982 as a breakaway from the ruling National Party...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
whose successes among the white electorate made him Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
in 1987, a position he retained until his death.
He was born in Piketberg
Piketberg
Piketberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The original spelling of the name was "Piquetberg".The town is in the foothills of the Piketberg mountains, a range of low mountains formed from Table Mountain Sandstone....
(Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
) and began his working life as a journalist, being editor of Die Kerkbode and Hoofstad. He was a keen sportsman, excelling on the rugby field, playing provincial rugby against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in 1949. After obtaining his MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the University of Stellenbosch, he completed a Doctorate in Political Philosophy at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
. He subsequently entered the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
(NG Kerk), serving various congregations as minister for 14 years. He was elected Deputy Chairman of the Cape Synod and later of the General Synod. He married Engela Dreyer on January 18, 1949.
National Party career
In 1971, he became the National PartyNational Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Waterberg
Waterberg
Waterberg can refer to two articles about an area in Namibia:* Waterberg Biosphere* Waterberg National Park...
. Newly appointed as Deputy Minister of Education in 1976, his instruction to implement the policy that black students should be taught half in English, half in Afrikaans triggered the Soweto Riots
Soweto riots
The Soweto Uprising, also known as June 16, was a series of high school student-led protests in South Africa that began on the morning of June 16, 1976. Students from numerous Sowetan schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto, in response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of...
. In 1978, he was chosen, over the heads of 12 ministers, as Leader of the National Party in the Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, and, in 1979, he became Minister of State for Administration and of Statistics.
Conservative Party career
On March 20, 1982, he and 22 other MPs quit the National Party to form the Conservative PartyConservative Party (South Africa)
The Conservative Party of South Africa was a conservative party formed in 1982 as a breakaway from the ruling National Party...
to oppose P.W. Botha and the National Party's limited reforms to apartheid. The CP's English language programme booklets from 1987-89 stated that the party was established "to continue the policy of self-determination after the [NP] government had exchanged self-determination" (something the CP described as an "infallible policy"), for power-sharing.
In 1987, the Conservative Party became the official opposition in the House of Assembly
House of Assembly of South Africa
The House of Assembly was the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa from 1910 to 1984, and latterly the white representative house of the Tricameral Parliament from 1984 to 1994, when it was replaced by the current National Assembly...
, winning 550,000 votes, displacing the liberal Progressive Federal Party
Progressive Federal Party
The Progressive Federal Party was a South African political party formed in 1977. It advocated power-sharing in South Africa through a federal constitution, in place of apartheid...
. Donald Simpson, writing in the South African newspaper, The Star
The Star (South Africa)
The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
, went as far as to predict that the National Party would lose the next election and that the Conservative Party would become the new government of South Africa.
In June 1989, accompanied by Clive Derby-Lewis
Clive Derby-Lewis
Clive John Derby-Lewis is a South African ex-politician, who was involved first in the National Party and then, while serving as a Member of Parliament, in the Conservative Party. He is serving a life sentence for his role in the assassination of South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani...
, Carl Werth, and several other Conservative Party officials, Treurnicht made an official visit to London and some other European capitals. The far-right Western Goals Institute
Western Goals Institute
The Western Goals Institute was a conservative pressure group in Britain, re-formed in 1989 from Western Goals UK, which originated in 1985 as an offshoot of the U.S. Western Goals Foundation...
organized his London visit, and the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
held a dinner in his honour, at which at least one British Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP, Tim Janman
Tim Janman
Timothy Simon Janman is a former Conservative Party politician in England. He was Member of Parliament for Thurrock in Essex from 1987 to 1992, when he lost to the Labour Party candidate.-Early years:...
, was present.
Already nicknamed "Doctor No", in 1992, he led the opposition campaign during the referendum called by F.W. de Klerk to gain white approval for negotiations to end apartheid. This campaign marked the peak of Conservative support in South Africa, gaining just under one million votes, but the "No" vote was defeated 2 to 1 by white voters.
Treurnicht was the author of no fewer than 16 books, many in the cultural field.
He died on 22 April 1993, in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, during a heart operation. His death came shortly after the Conservative Party suffered a major blow with the arrest of senior member Clive Derby-Lewis
Clive Derby-Lewis
Clive John Derby-Lewis is a South African ex-politician, who was involved first in the National Party and then, while serving as a Member of Parliament, in the Conservative Party. He is serving a life sentence for his role in the assassination of South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani...
for the murder of Chris Hani
Chris Hani
Chris Hani, born Martin Thembisile Hani was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress . He was a fierce opponent of the apartheid government...
. His former deputy minister, Ferdinand Hartzenberg
Ferdinand Hartzenberg
Ferdinand Hartzenberg is a South African politician and was the second and last leader of the Conservative Party in South Africa between 1993 and its merger with the Freedom Front in 2004....
, became the last leader of the Conservative Party.