Pretoria, Oct 12 (Prensa Latina) Former South African Foreign Minister Pik Botha died today at 86 after a long illness, according to his relatives.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences over the death of Botha, whom he recalled for joining the first democratic cabinet in the country and for his support for the transition.
In a message on his death, Ramaphosa recalled that Botha was Minister of Energy during the first two years (1994-1996) of the government headed by Nelson Mandela. He had been who foreign minister for the last 17 years in the apartheid regime.
The announcement of his death was made public by News24 website under the title 'A good man who worked for a bad government'.
Roelof Pik Botha, who was the longest serving foreign minister in this Southern African country, left in 2000 the Democratic Alliance party to join the ranks of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
Some remember his confrontations with President PW Botha (with whom he was not related) and his criteria in 1985 that Mandela should be freed, which occurred five years later due to international pressure. Later he predicted that South Africa would be headed by a black man, which earned him a reprimand from the hard-line leader.
sus/tgj/ir/gdc
In a message on his death, Ramaphosa recalled that Botha was Minister of Energy during the first two years (1994-1996) of the government headed by Nelson Mandela. He had been who foreign minister for the last 17 years in the apartheid regime.
The announcement of his death was made public by News24 website under the title 'A good man who worked for a bad government'.
Roelof Pik Botha, who was the longest serving foreign minister in this Southern African country, left in 2000 the Democratic Alliance party to join the ranks of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
Some remember his confrontations with President PW Botha (with whom he was not related) and his criteria in 1985 that Mandela should be freed, which occurred five years later due to international pressure. Later he predicted that South Africa would be headed by a black man, which earned him a reprimand from the hard-line leader.
sus/tgj/ir/gdc
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