Henning Johannes Klopper (1895–1985) was a South African politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly, and the first chairman of the

Afrikaner Broederbond The Afrikaner Broederbond (AB) or simply the Broederbond was an exclusively Afrikaner Calvinist and male secret society in South Africa dedicated to the advancement of the Afrikaner people. It was founded by H. J. Klopper, H. W. van der Merwe, ...

. He is known for promoting Afrikaans and fighting White Afrikaner poverty in South Africa.

Roots

Klopper was born on 17 January 1895 in

Heilbron Heilbron is a small farming town in the Free State (South African province), Free State province of South Africa which services the cattle, dairy, sorghum, sunflower and maize industries. Raw stock beneficiation occurs in leisure foods, dairy ...

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

. He was the son of Hendrik Belthasar Louis Klopper and Christina Catharina Johanna van Aswegen. After his schooling in

Parys Parys (pronounced ) is a town situated on the banks of the Vaal River in the Free State province of South Africa. The name of the town is the Afrikaans translation of Paris. The name was given by a German surveyor named Schilbach who had partic ...

, at age 16 he joined the South African Railways and Harbours. He married Maria Alberta Cecilia Naudé. He died on 20 November 1985.

Afrikaner Broederbond

On 5 June 1918, Klopper and three others namely: Jozua Francois Naudé, father of

Beyers Naudé Christiaan Frederick Beyers Naudé (10 May 1915 – 7 September 2004) was a South African Afrikaner Calvinist Dominee, theologian and the leading Afrikaner anti-apartheid activist. He was known simply as Beyers Naudé, or more colloquially, ...

, (born 20 March 1873), Daniel Hendrik Celliers du Plessis, (born 12 Mar 1898) and Hendrik Willem van der Merwe, (born 1891) formed an organization called the

(translated it means "Afrikaner Brotherhood"). They were concerned about white Afrikaner poverty. This organization's aims were to protect the white Afrikaner interests and return it to its rightful place in South Africa. He was the first chairman. When the

Conservative party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

was formed in 1983, Klopper joined them and was then forced to leave the organization.

Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging

The ''Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging'',

ATKV The Afrikaans Language and Culture Association (Afrikaans: Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging), ATKV, is a society that aims to promote the Afrikaans language and culture. The association was founded in 1930 in Cape Town. Since its inception ...

, "Afrikaans Language and Cultural Union" is an organization created out of White Afrikaner workers from the South African Railways and Harbours. It was founded on 19 August 1930 in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. It was founded to stop the erosion of White Afrikaner culture, language and religion. Klopper was chairman of this organization. It helped with the relief that could be given to White Afrikaner poverty.

Leader of the symbolic 1938 Ossewa trek

Kloppers, as chairman of the ATKV was a chief organiser of the 1938 Ossewa trek, a centenary remembrance of The Great Trek. The Great Trek was a migration of

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

s in ox-wagons from the Cape Province to the northern hinterland to escape British rule.

Speaker of parliament of South Africa

He became a member of parliament in 1943 by winning the ward in

Vredefort Vredefort is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa with cattle, peanuts, sorghum, sunflowers and maize being farmed. It is home to 3,000 residents. The town was established in 1876 on a farm called Visgat, on the Vred ...

, as member of the National Party. He became

speaker of parliament The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

in 1961. He stayed speaker until 1974. He served under two prime ministers, namely

Hendrik Verwoerd Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of ''Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...

and

John Vorster Balthazar Johannes "B. J." Vorster (; also known as John Vorster; 13 December 1915 – 10 September 1983) was a South African apartheid politician who served as the prime minister of South Africa from 1966 to 1978 and the fourth state presid ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klopper, Henning 1895 births 1985 deaths People from Heilbron Speakers of the House of Assembly (South Africa) Afrikaner nationalists National Party (South Africa) politicians