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P. W. Botha (Pieter Willem Botha, commonly referenced as F. W. or P. W.; born 1916, died 2006) was a South African politician who led the National Party government as Prime Minister from 1978 to 1984 and then as the country's first executive State President from 1984 until his resignation in 1989. He is often confused with F. W. de Klerk, his successor who oversaw the negotiated end of apartheid, and with Roelof "Pik" Botha, the long-serving foreign minister; the three were distinct figures within the same governing party.
Botha rose through the National Party machinery in the Cape, serving as Minister of Defence from 1966 to 1980, where he expanded the South African Defence Force and shaped the doctrine of "Total Strategy" against what Pretoria called the "Total Onslaught" of communism and African liberation movements. As Prime Minister he pushed the 1983 constitutional reform, which created a Tricameral Parliament with separate chambers for Whites, Coloureds, and Indians while continuing to exclude the Black majority — a move that triggered the formation of the United Democratic Front and widespread unrest.
His presidency was defined by:
After a stroke in January 1989, Botha was pushed out by his cabinet and replaced by F. W. de Klerk. He later refused to testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was convicted of contempt in 1998, though the conviction was overturned on a technicality.
No. P. W. Botha (full name Pieter Willem Botha) led South Africa from 1978 to 1989; F. W. de Klerk succeeded him and negotiated the transition away from apartheid, sharing the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela.
The nickname — 'The Big Crocodile' in Afrikaans — referred to his combative political style and the wagging-finger manner he often used when warning critics at home and abroad.
He refused to testify despite being subpoenaed about decisions of the State Security Council. He was convicted of contempt by a magistrate's court in 1998, but the conviction was set aside on appeal in 1999.