Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966), also commonly referred to as H. F. Verwoerd and Dr. Verwoerd, was a Dutch-born South African politician, sociologist and journalist. As leader of South Africa's National Party he served as the last prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1958 until 1961. In 1961 he proclaimed the founding of the Republic of South Africa, and continued as its prime minister from 1961 until his assassination in 1966 by Dimitri Tsafendas. Although apartheid existed before Verwoerd took office, his efforts to place it on a firmer legal and theoretical footing, in particular his opposition to even the limited form of integration known as baasskap (boss-ship), have led him to be dubbed the Architect of Apartheid.
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It was not the Republic of South Africa that was told, 'We are not going to support you in this respect.' Those words were addressed to the monarchy of South Africa, and yet we have the same monarch as this person from Britain who addressed these words to us. It was a warning given to all of us, English-speaking and Afrikaans-speaking, republican and anti-republican. It was clear to all of us that as far as these matters are concerned, we shall have to stand on our own feet.
We must have the courage of men and be strong. But the will to resistance of a volk/people is linked to the kind of leadership which he chooses for himself. If he has the will to resistance, he searches for strong leadership and not weak leadership. If you want to be victorious, you have to be prepared to follow leaders who are not prepared to cave in.
After half a century of co-operation – difficult, at times very difficult – a stage has been reached when both groups [i.e. Afrikaans and English-speaking whites] as never before are faced with a challenge to bury the past, to let it become the combined history of a unified volk/people. Today we are faced with threats for the future of our civilization, for our prosperity, for the contribution of the white man of Africa to the struggle of the white man of Europe and America to retain his hegemony in the world. Also to make Christianity victorious, sacrifices must be made, and nowhere is Christianity more threatened than in Africa. Sacrifices of sentiment is expected of everybody. There must not only be a union of provinces in South Africa. There must also be a union of hearts.
The tendency in Africa for nations to become independent and, at the same time, the need to do justice to all, does not only mean being just to the black man of Africa but also being just to the white man of Africa. They are the people, not only in the Union but throughout major portions of Africa, who brought civilisation here, who made possible the present development of black nationalism by bringing the natives education, by showing them the Western way of life, by bringing to Africa industry and development, by inspiring them with the ideals which Western civilisation has developed for itself.
Genl. Smuts and his followers, without any hesitation, laid all their much-celebrated quest for reconciliation and the creation of one nation of Afrikaans and English speakers on the altar of the British Empire. It is clear that their aim was not to create a truly South African people/volk, but a branch of the English people living in South Africa. And in it Afrikanerdom had to be dissolved. This war crisis was necessary to make that transparent to everyone.
Translated from Afrikaans: Nou gaan ons vorentoe. Ons staan op ons eie twee bene. Laat ons die toekoms tegemoet gaan vol hoop, vol vertroue en vol ywer … Wat in Londen gebeur het is nie 'n nederlaag nie maar 'n oorwinning. Daar is verwag dat die ander lede van die Statebond 'n peil van volwasenheid sou ereik het wat hulle in staat sou stel om binne die Statebond met Suid-Afrika saam te werk, veral in die stryd teen Kommunisme, terwyl hulle nog buite die Statebond hul verskille kan hê. Sommige van die Statebondslande was egter te jonk, te nuut en te klein. … Daar het iets groots gebeur. 'n Vreedsame Suid-Afrika het tot stand gekom met gevare en moontlike nadele van hom afgewend. Suid-Afrika gaan sterker uit hierdie uur as ooit tevore. Suid-Afrika het getriomfeer … ons het ons vrygemaak van die juk van die Afro-Asiatiese lande wat die Statebond inneem, want ons is nie gewillig dat hulle aan ons dikteer nie. Die huidige Statebond is een waarin ons nie meer tuis voel nie.
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Translated from Afrikaans: Aan die vooraand van die Republiek vra teenstanders nou dat ons, die regering, sy kleurbeleid moet wysig sodat hulle meer geld kan maak. ... Sekere mense dink ons het hulle nodig en hou 'n pistool voor ons kop en vra prysgewing van sekere dele van ons kleurbeleid. Ons is nie te koop nie. Ons kleurbeleid is nie te koop nie.