Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom (also spelled Strydom in accordance with Afrikaans spelling; 14 July 1893 – 24 August 1958
), also known as Hans Strijdom and nicknamed the Lion of the North or the Lion of Waterberg,
was the fifth
prime minister of South Africa
The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984.
History of the office
The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...
from 30 November 1954 to his death on 24 August 1958.
He was an uncompromising
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: ...
nationalist
and a member of the largest, ''
baasskap'' (
white supremacist) faction of the
National Party (NP),
who further accentuated the NP's
apartheid policies and break with the
Union of South Africa in favour of a republic during his rule.
Early life
He was born on the family farm Klipfontein near
Willowmore in the
Cape Colony and trained as a lawyer at
Victoria College (which later became the
University of Stellenbosch) and the
University of Pretoria.
His father Petrus Strijdom was a very well-known farmer and innovator in the Baviaanskloof where Strijdom was born. He owned three farms in the kloof of which the main farm was Sandvlakte on which the local school, church and shop was sited. He owned businesses and shops right down to the Gamtoos valley (birthplace of the well-known Khoi woman
Saartjie Baartman). He also sold baboon fur and manufactured shoes and soap amongst other products.
Strijdom served in the German South West Africa campaign during
World War I, as a member of the
South African Medical Corps and, later, of Helgaardt's Scouts, where he reached the rank of corporal.
[Von Zeil, G. 'A South African Prime Minister's Medal' in ''Journal of the Military Medal Society of South Africa'' No 42 (August 2003).]
Strijdom later settled in
Nylstroom,
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
. He identified strongly with this area and its people and became a local community leader amongst the
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 1929, Strijdom was elected to the
House of Assembly as MP for
Waterberg, representing the
National Party (NP) headed by General
J.B.M. Hertzog
General James Barry Munnik Hertzog (3 April 1866 – 21 November 1942), better known as Barry Hertzog or J. B. M. Hertzog, was a South African politician and soldier. He was a Boer general during the Second Boer War who served ...
. Strijdom was also leader of the NP in Transvaal, by far the most important province of South Africa, and as such had a strong power base.
After the National Party of
J.B.M. Hertzog
General James Barry Munnik Hertzog (3 April 1866 – 21 November 1942), better known as Barry Hertzog or J. B. M. Hertzog, was a South African politician and soldier. He was a Boer general during the Second Boer War who served ...
[
] merged with the
South African Party of General
Jan Smuts and formed the
United Party (UP) during the World Economic Crisis in 1932,
Strijdom was part of the break-away faction of the National Party,
named the ''Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party'' (
Purified National Party).
[
] Later, after the United Party was formed, the GNP became known as the (Reunited) National Party
under the leadership of
D. F. Malan
Daniël François Malan (; 22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a South African politician who served as the fourth prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. The National Party implemented the system of apartheid, which enforc ...
. Malan, Strijdom and their followers distrusted Smuts and opposed his pro-British policy.
[
] Most of the National Party's MPs stayed with Hertzog, and as Strijdom was loyal to Malan, he was the only MP from
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
to support Malan's ideals.
Strijdom favoured the establishment of a republic,
allegedly with himself as the first
President of South Africa
The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of South Africa and is the commander-in-chief of the South African Nationa ...
, but due to political controversy this step was not achieved until 1961, after his death, and then only with Governor-General
Charles Swart assuming the position of symbolic State President over a Westminster system, as opposed to the executive presidency of the
Boer Republics.
Apartheid era
After the surprising
victory of the National Party in 1948, won on a programme of implementing apartheid involving strict
ethnic segregation
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Internati ...
and
White minority rule, Malan became
Prime Minister of South Africa
The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984.
History of the office
The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...
and Strijdom became Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. Although it was not one of the classic portfolios, it was apparently Strijdom's choice since he had a keen interest in agriculture and was a part-time farmer. Strijdom was not so pleased with the portfolio, although he was fond of farming. Malan gave him the portfolio because his young wife disliked Strijdom. Malan tried his best to ensure the more moderate
Nicolaas Havenga succeeded him as Prime Minister, rather than Strijdom.
Prime Minister
On 30 November 1954, Strijdom was elected leader of the
National Party and thus the
Prime Minister of South Africa
The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984.
History of the office
The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...
after the resignation of Malan and against the latter's will; Malan had preferred the more moderate Havenga, Minister of Finance, as his successor. However, Strijdom was popular among NP party members and people trusted him to push things smoothly forward towards a republic, something Malan was considered to be only lukewarm about as it would enrage the United Kingdom and jeopardise South Africa's international standing. During Strijdom's term as Prime Minister, he began moves to sever ties with the
British monarchy,
[South African Republicanism](_blank)
Reuters, '' Toledo Blade'', 30 January 1958 and deepened the Afrikaner ascendency in South Africa, while strengthening the policy of
apartheid, including through the
Group Areas Development Act.
With regard to racial policies, he believed strongly in the perpetuation of
White minority and thus Afrikaner rule through the removal of
Cape Coloured voters
from the common voters roll
and put on a separate Coloured voters roll electing separate (White) representatives, which Malan initiated but could not push through, and
was only accomplished in 1960, under Strijdom's successor. Strijdom was an open proponent
of crude ''
baaskap
''Baasskap'' () (also spelled ''baaskap''), literally "boss-ship" or "boss-hood", is an Afrikaans term that was used during apartheid to describe the social, political and economic domination of South Africa by its minority white population gene ...
'' (
white supremacy or white domination).
The extended
Treason Trial of 156 activists (including
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
) involved in the
Freedom Charter
The Freedom Charter was the statement of core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies: the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats ...
, happened during Strijdom's term in office. He also managed to further extend the NP's parliamentary seats during the general election in 1958. Strijdom's government also severed diplomatic relations with the
Soviet Union. The
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
gave a geopolitical victory, as severance of the passage through the war-ridden strait of Suez made Western oil transports dependent upon the
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
and thus the goodwill of the
South African Navy
The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force.
The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prot ...
, making the question of the regime's survival more precarious.
During his last year in office, Strijdom's weak health (possibly a case of
cancer) led to long terms of absence. He died on 24 August 1958 in
Cape Town and succeeded by
Hendrik Verwoerd as head of the NP, securing the radical faction's prevalence towards a complete
break with Britain and
abolition of the Union in 1961. Strijdom is interred in Pretoria in the Heroes' Acre.
Personal life
Strijdom was nicknamed "The Lion of the North", because of his aggression and forthrightness.
Strijdom married the actress
Margaretha van Hulsteyn in 1924, but they divorced within a year.
[and About: Memoirs of a South African Newspaperman''](_blank)
Michael Green, New Africa Books, 2004, pages 30-31 His second wife was
Susan de Klerk
Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian ''c:Lotus flower (hieroglyph), sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "ros ...
, aunt of future President
F W de Klerk. She bore Strijdom two children: Johannes and Estelle. His widow Susan died in 1999 and daughter Estelle (Crowson), in 2009.
Legacy
There are still various monuments dedicated to Strijdom in South Africa. One monument in central
Pretoria, which featured his
bust, collapsed in 2001 injuring two people.
In 2012, the city of
Pretoria renamed 27 streets, which included renaming a street named after Strijdom to a new name in honor of
Solomon Mahlangu. His house in
Modimolle (formerly Nylstroom) is now a museum,
which holds parts of the collapsed bust.
In
Johannesburg, there is a suburb and a street named after Strijdom, although the spelling "Strydom" is also used, though a couple have already been renamed, one being
Malibongwe Drive. In
Weltevredenpark, a suburb of
Roodepoort, there is a street named JG Strydom Road.
Randburg also has a business district called
Strijdompark named after him.
The
Hillbrow Tower in
Johannesburg was officially named the J.G. Strijdom Tower until 1995, when, shortly after the end of
apartheid, it was renamed the Telkom Hillbrow Tower.
In
Windhoek, then in
South West Africa, the main airport was named J.G. Strijdom Airport following its opening in 1965. Following the country's independence as
Namibia in 1990, it was renamed
Hosea Kutako International Airport.
in Action: Visuality in the Making of an African Nation''
Giorgio Miescher, Lorena Rizzo, Jeremy Silvester
Basler Afrika Bibliographien, 2009, page 133 And next to Hoedspruit there is a tunnel named after him called J.G Strijdom Tunnel next to the village called Leboeng.
References
External links
*
Photograph of J.G. Strijdom with D.F. Malan and P.O. Sauer taken in 1948 (From LIBSpace, the digital repository of Stellenbosch University)
Signed 1951 photograph of D.F Malan, J. G. Strijdom and C. R. Swart
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strijdom, Johannes Gerhardus
1893 births
1958 deaths
People from the Eastern Cape
Afrikaner people
South African people of Dutch descent
Members of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK)
National Party (South Africa) politicians
Purified National Party politicians
Herenigde Nasionale Party politicians
Prime Ministers of South Africa
Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa)
Afrikaner nationalists
Apartheid government
Apartheid in South Africa
South African anti-communists
South African military personnel of World War I
University of Pretoria alumni
Foreign ministers of South Africa