Roelof Frederik "Pik" Botha, DMS MP (27 April 1932 – 12 October 2018) was a South African politician who served as the country's foreign minister in the last years of the apartheid era, the longest-serving in South African history. [1]

Nicknamed 'Die Groot Krokodil' (Afrikaans for 'The Big Crocodile') due to his tough political stance, [2] [3] he was the head of government of South Africa from 1978 to 1989, serving as the last prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president of South Africa from 1984 to 1989.

Feb 17, 2011 · In February 1986, Pik Botha told reports that South Africa could be ruled by a Black President in the future, provided agreement was reached on protecting minority rights.

Oct 12, 2018 · A key figure during South Africa's transition from the apartheid era, Pik Botha, has died at the age of 86. Mr Botha served as his country's foreign minister for 17 years until the end of...

Jan 3, 2021 · Pik Botha born Roelof Frederik Botha, was a South African Diplomat and politician who served as South Africa’s foreign minister for 17 years until the end of the apartheid era in 1994. Botha attended Paul Kruger Primary School and …

Oct 12, 2018 · Pik Botha, South Africa’s longtime foreign minister, whose defense of apartheid was tempered by flashes of recognition of the system’s injustice, and who went on to serve in Nelson...

Oct 12, 2018 · Roelof "Pik" Botha, who has died at the age of 86, was the world's longest-serving foreign minister, a charismatic career diplomat-turned-politician whose negotiating skills were in high demand as international opposition to apartheid gathered pace, particularly in the 1980s.

Oct 20, 2018 · In the half-century in which he represented South Africa, first as a diplomat and then for almost 20 years as its longest-serving foreign minister, he deflected or delayed sanctions aimed at...

Oct 12, 2018 · JOHANNESBURG — Roelof “Pik” Botha, the last foreign minister of South Africa’s apartheid era and a contradictory figure who staunchly defended white minority rule but recognized that change was...

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Roelof “Pik” Botha, the last foreign minister of South Africa’s apartheid era and a contradictory figure who staunchly defended white minority rule but recognized that change was inevitable, died on Friday at age 86.