Balthazar Vorster Prime Minister of South Africa. Date of Birth: 13.12.1915 Country: South Africa

Biography of Balthazar Johannes Vorster

Balthazar Johannes Vorster, a South African politician and statesman, was born on December 13, 1915, in Jamestown, Cape Province. He attended Stellenbosch University and later practiced law in Port Elizabeth.

During World War II, Vorster was interned for his involvement in the Ossewabrandwag, a semi-militant underground organization that opposed South Africa's entry into the war on the side of Great Britain.

Vorster was elected to parliament in 1953 as a member of the National Party. In 1961, he became the Minister of Justice, Police, and Prisons in Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd's cabinet. In this position, Vorster played a significant role in implementing apartheid policies.

After Verwoerd's assassination attempt in 1966, Vorster was elected as the leader of the National Party and the Prime Minister of South Africa. He continued to enforce apartheid policies, including the banning of political parties and the nominal independence of the homelands with black African populations.

In response to mass demonstrations against apartheid, Vorster's government conducted mass arrests and outlawed almost all remaining anti-apartheid groups in 1977. The government also attempted to establish friendly regimes in neighboring countries, leading to military intervention in Angola and an effort to create a regime in South-West Africa that excluded African leaders.

Vorster retired from politics in 1978 but later served as the State President of South Africa. However, he stepped down in 1979 following accusations of providing false testimony about government funding of apartheid-supporting forces within and outside the country.

Balthazar Johannes Vorster passed away on September 10, 1983, in Tygerberg, near Cape Town.