Major Pieter Voltelyn Graham van der Byl
MC (21 February 1889 – 21 January 1975) was a South African soldier and statesman. In South African politics, he was a member of the liberal
South African Party
nl, Zuidafrikaanse Partij
, leader1_title = Leader (s)
, leader1_name = Louis Botha,Jan Smuts, Barry Hertzog
, foundation =
, dissolution =
, merger = Het Volk South African PartyAfrikaner BondOrangia Unie
, merged ...
and then the
United Party from 1929 to 1966 and a member of
Jan Smuts
Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...
' cabinet from 1939 to 1948, during which time, he was minister of Native Affairs.
[South African Who's Who, 1912-1958] Major Piet (as he was commonly known) was a
chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
, Honorary Colonel of the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
Regiment,
as well as receiving the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC ...
and the
King George VI Coronation Medal.
Family history and early life
The first van der Byl to arrive in the Cape was Gerrit van der Byl (from
Overschie
Overschie is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands, formerly a separate village with its own municipality.
The village of Overschie was located on the intersection of four rivers called "Schie": the Delftsche Schie, Schiedamsche Schie, Delfs ...
,
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
) in 1668. Over the centuries, the van der Byls became powerful landowners by acquiring estates such as: Vredenberg, Klavervlei, Joostenberg, De Leeuwenhoek,
Welmoed,
Spier, Fairfield (where the family still resides) and
Groote Schuur
Groote Schuur (, Dutch for "big shed") is an estate in Cape Town, South Africa. In 1657, the estate was owned by the Dutch East India Company which used it partly as a granary. Later, the farm and farmhouse was sold into private hands. Groote Sc ...
(the current residence of the president of South Africa and the estate came into the family's possession from Hester Anne Myburgh. It was later sold to
Cecil John Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Brit ...
).
Born on 21 February 1889 in
Caledon,
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...
, van der Byl was the youngest of Adelaide Taylor and Tim van der Byl's four children. His father chose to educate his children locally, instead of sending them abroad, so van der Byl attended
Diocesan College
The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established on ...
, in Cape Town, and then continued the family tradition of studying at
Pembroke College, Cambridge.
[PVG Van der Byl, ''From playgrounds to battlefields'', Cape Town, H Timmins, 1971] He fared feebly at school due to serious illness, however when he went to Cambridge, van der Byl excelled at rowing, partaking several times in the Oxford-Cambridge boat race and in his final year he received a Blue, becoming possibly the first South African to do so for rowing.
Military career
After completing a master's degree in agriculture, van der Byl returned to the Cape with the intention of farming. However, he received a letter in 1911 from General Methuen who needed the aid of someone with local expertise for the forthcoming maneuvers in the Caledon area, after which van der Byl was asked to enlist in an officer's course in the newly formed
Union Defence Force by General
Jan Smuts
Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...
. Many of his colleagues on the staff were former enemies from the
Boer
Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled this are ...
and British armies, some of which were destined to clash again in the
Maritz Rebellion
The Maritz rebellion, also known as the Boer revolt or Five Shilling rebellion,General De Wet publicly unfurled the rebel banner in October, when he entered the town of Reitz at the head of an armed commando. He summoned all the town and dema ...
of 1914.
At the outbreak of World War I, van der Byl served with distinction under Generals
Jan Smuts
Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...
and
Louis Botha
Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...
in the Maritz Rebellion,
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa (german: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. With a total area of ...
campaign and the East-Africa Campaign (where he caught malaria that would severely affect his health for the rest of his life). In East Africa, van der Byl was appointed staff captain to General Smuts. He was often used to negotiate with the German Army (under the command of the formidable General: who, with only 3000 German Officers and several thousand local Askaris, would keep the South African and British forces at bay for the duration of the War). During this time, van der Byl frequently called on an old family acquaintance and famed big game hunter,
F C Selous, and would be one of the last people to see him before his assassination.
Since there was little left for him to do in East Africa, van der Byl managed to secure a transfer to the Western Front, where he joined the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. The war however drew to a close before van der Byl was able to complete his training. For his efforts during the war, van der Byl was made a
chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
by the French Government and he was invited to
Buckingham Palace to receive the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC ...
.
Farming and politics
The conclusion of the war in Europe signalled a return to a more quiet life of living between England and running the family estates in South Africa. Back in South Africa, van der Byl by chance met Field Marshal
Sir Douglas Haig, and the two immediately struck up a close, lifelong friendship.
In 1922, he married Joyce Clare (née Fleming), a Scottish woman and daughter of the physician and magistrate Lieut.-Col. Samuel Fleming and his wife Elizabeth Knox Clare (née Ball). He had known Joyce since the end of the war. After a meeting with General Smuts that year, Smuts persuaded van der Byl to continue to serve under him in an official capacity in the Ministry of Defence. In 1923, van der Byl's first son,
P K van der Byl, was born and in 1925 his wife had a second son, William. In 1928, van der Byl decided to begin a career in politics. Campaigning for the
South African Party
nl, Zuidafrikaanse Partij
, leader1_title = Leader (s)
, leader1_name = Louis Botha,Jan Smuts, Barry Hertzog
, foundation =
, dissolution =
, merger = Het Volk South African PartyAfrikaner BondOrangia Unie
, merged ...
, van der Byl was elected candidate for Bredasdorp in 1929.
Minister
When Smuts became
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
in 1939, van der Byl attained a post in the
cabinet and was
minister-without-portfolio. Van der Byl was a flamboyant and an entertaining character, known for witty sense of humour and always being extremely elegantly dressed (he was voted best dressed parliamentarian several times). During the War years, amongst other duties, van der Byl was attending minister to the exiled
Greek royal family
The Greek royal family (Greek: Ελληνική Βασιλική Οικογένεια) is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a branch of the House of Glücksburg, that reigned in Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. It ...
. He became closely befriended with them and they often visited his home, Fairfield. One of
King Paul's daughters,
Irene, was born in Cape Town and his other daughter,
Sophia, would later marry
Juan Carlos of Spain
Juan Carlos I (;,
* ca, Joan Carles I,
* gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...
and become
Queen of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
.
In 1943, van der Byl became Minister of Native Affairs (a name which he particularly disliked). This was a monumental task as there was a growing sentiment against the African population amongst the lower class white population, who feared that they would lose their jobs to cheaper African labour, and the opposing view of Smuts and his supporters, who believed in gradual liberation of the African and non-white population. Although Smuts had used segregation in the past as a method of stemming rapid urbanisation and for other political reasons, his government's view on "issues of native affairs" was clear: they believed that Africans had the right to be permanent citizens and that segregation was not the way forward: this was highlighted in a speech which he gave in 1942 "segregation had failed to solve the Native problem of Africa and that the concept of trusteeship offered the only prospect of happy relations between European and African". Van der Byl was in accord with Smuts' beliefs, which were in complete contrast with the National Party's ideas.
In 1948, van der Byl was requested to crown the new Zulu King,
Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon
Cyprian Bhekuzulu Nyangayezizwe kaSolomon (4 August 1924 – 17 September 1968) was the king of the Zulu nation from 1948 until his death at Nongoma in 1968. He succeeded his father, king Solomon kaDinuzulu, after a lengthy succession dispute wh ...
(father of the current King,
Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu
King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu (27 July 1948 – 12 March 2021) was the reigning King of the Zulu nation from 1968 to his death in 2021.
He became King on the death on of his father, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu, in 1968 aged 20 years. ...
), to which van der Byl chose the hymn ''
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (, ) is a Christian hymn originally composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Xhosa clergyman at a Methodist mission school near Johannesburg.
The song became a pan-African liberation song and versions of it were later ad ...
'' to be played at the coronation, which forms part of South Africa's
current National Anthem.
In opposition
As a result of Smuts' and van der Byl's views, not only did the
South African Party
nl, Zuidafrikaanse Partij
, leader1_title = Leader (s)
, leader1_name = Louis Botha,Jan Smuts, Barry Hertzog
, foundation =
, dissolution =
, merger = Het Volk South African PartyAfrikaner BondOrangia Unie
, merged ...
government lose the June
1948 general election to the National Party (who would start and continue
Apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
in South Africa for the next 46 years), but they lost their own seats in their respective constituencies. However, van der Byl managed to win the seat for Green Point (a suburb of Cape Town) in October of that year. Van der Byl kept his seat in Green Point until his retirement in 1966.
During his later years in opposition, van der Byl was a very popular and respected figure by both opposition and government. In parliament, a National Party politician asked the speaker of the house if they could refer to van der Byl as "Oom Piet" (which is an Afrikaans term of respect, meaning "uncle Piet"), this was duly granted and van der Byl was henceforth known as "Oom Piet" in parliament and in the media.
During his years in opposition, van der Byl's views on National Party government policy never changed, he vehemently continued to openly criticise the
Apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
regime for its extreme suppression of the non-white population and its transformation of South Africa into a republic. He especially sympathised with the Coloured community of the Cape, who had been highly respected by the South African government before 1948. Certain members of the community had been given the right to vote since the days of the Cape Colony. The
National Party stripped them of this, and many other rights which outraged van der Byl.
[PVG van der Byl, ''From top hat to veldskoon'', Cape Town, H Timmins, 1972]
Although van der Byl opposed segregation and the oppression of the Black population, van der Byl did not believe in majority rule. He believed that the tragedies that occurred in African nations after independence, such as the
Congo Massacres and the widespread rapid degeneration of most states, was a result of the African population not being prepared for independence and the colonial powers relinquishing power too quickly.
Van der Byl was a supporter of
Rhodesia, where he feared that independence would lead to disaster. He was also critical of the British Government's decision to place sanctions on South Africa and Rhodesia, as he believed that the Rhodesians and South Africans had loyally come to the aid of Britain during the World Wars, both militarily and financially.
Despite his popularity, he made enemies with key National Party figures such as Vorster, Strijdom and
Verwoerd (a National Party extremist and the "Architect of Apartheid"), due to his outspoken attacks on their policies, which he saw as politically and socially catastrophic to the future of South Africa. The hatred towards van der Byl from certain South African politicians would later be evident as they would refuse to deal with his son
P. K. van der Byl, when P. K. became a minister in
Rhodesia. However, in van der Byl's case, the dislike with the National Party extremists was mutual, and he later bought the bench on which
Verwoerd was murdered.
In 1966, after creating an uproar in the parliament for harshly voicing his opinion on a government policy, he was asked to leave the parliament for the session by the speaker. Van der Byl (aged 77) considered that it was enough after 37 years of politics and retired.
Retirement
It was the end of an era for South African politics, as van der Byl had been one of the few politicians to be born in the colonial era and to see the transition of aftermath of the Boer War to the full-blown implementation of Apartheid.
In his retirement, van der Byl became a director of South African insurance giant,
Old Mutual
Old Mutual Limited is a pan-African investment, savings, insurance, and banking group. It is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, the Namibian Stock Exchange and the Botswana Stock Exchange. It was founded ...
, and he wrote a three-volume autobiography: ''Playgrounds to Battlefields''; ''Top hat to Veldtskoon'' and ''The Shadows Lengthen''.
Van der Byl was offered several times a
baronetcy
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
by
King George VI, but Smuts refused as he insisted that South Africans did not require titles.
Private life
Van der Byl and wife were prominent in English society. They were closely befriended with members of the military establishment and the Royal Family. He would often be presented in court and he accompanied the Royal Family on their official tour of South Africa in 1947. During the 1947 tour, he arranged
Princess Elizabeth's 21st birthday party in the
Mount Nelson Hotel.
[PVG van der Byl, ''The shadows lengthen'', Cape Town, H timmins, 1975]
Van der Byl was an avid sportsman (hunting, shooting, fishing and riding) and he would often spend his holidays shooting with his sons in Rhodesia and other parts of Africa. He was known to be a superb rifle shot.
He and his wife had two sons:
P. K. van der Byl (who became a minister in
Rhodesia) and William van der Byl (who became a director of AECI in South Africa).
References
* South African Who's Who, 1912–1958
* Who's Who of Southern Africa, 1959–1975
* J. van der Bijl, ''Vander Bijl-geslagsregister'',
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 ...
, 1958
* W.K.Hancock, ''Smuts: the fields of force'',
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
, 1968
* P. Meiring, ''10 politieke leiers'',
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 ...
, 1973
* Obituaries :
** ''
The Argus'', 21 January 1975
** ''
Die Burger
''Die Burger'' (English: The Citizen) is a daily Afrikaans-language newspaper, published by Naspers. By 2008, it had a circulation of 91,665 in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. Along with ''Beeld'' and ''Volksblad'', it is ...
'', 22 January 1975
** ''
Cape Times
The ''Cape Times'' is an English-language morning newspaper owned by Independent News & Media SA and published in Cape Town, South Africa.
the newspaper had a daily readership of 261 000 and a circulation of 34 523. By the fourth quarter of ...
'', 22 January 1975
* B. Friedman, ''Smuts: a reappraisal'',
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
, 1975
* Pieter Voltelyn Graham Van der Byl, ''Standard encyclopaedia of Southern Africa'',
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 ...
, 1976
* B.M.Schoeman, ''Parlementêre verkiesings in Suid-Afrika, 1910-1976'',
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
, 1977
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van der Byl, Pieter
1889 births
1975 deaths
People from Theewaterskloof Local Municipality
Afrikaner people
South African people of Dutch descent
South African Party (Union of South Africa) politicians
United Party (South Africa) politicians
Government ministers of South Africa
Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa)
South African military personnel of World War I
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Military Cross
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Air Force personnel of World War I
White South African anti-apartheid activists