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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 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 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: Brain to Casti ...
nationalist and a member of the largest, ''
baasskap ''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 supremacist) faction of the National Party (NP), who further accentuated the NP's
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 wa ...
policies and break with the
Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tra ...
 in favour of a republic during his rule.


Early life

He was born on the family farm Klipfontein near
Willowmore Willowmore is a town in Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is situated 140 km north-east of Knysna and 117 km south-west of Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Oba ...
in the Cape Colony and trained as a lawyer at Victoria College (which later became the
University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest ext ...
) and the
University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 ...
. 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 Sarah Baartman (; 1789– 29 December 1815), also spelt Sara, sometimes in the diminutive form Saartje (), or Saartjie, and Bartman, Bartmann, was a Khoikhoi woman who was exhibited as a freak show attraction in 19th-century Europe under the n ...
). 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 Modimolle, also known as Nylstroom, is a town located near the southern edge of the Waterberg Massif in Limpopo province, South Africa. It is a medium-sized town that focuses primarily on agriculture and farming (citrus, grapes and cattle) as well ...
,
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 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: Brain to Casti ...
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 nl, Zuidafrikaanse Partij , leader1_title = Leader (s) , leader1_name = Louis Botha,Jan Smuts, Barry Hertzog , foundation = , dissolution = , merger = Het Volk South African Party Afrikaner BondOrangia Unie , merged ...
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 enforce ...
. 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, 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 race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...
and
White minority rule In political science, minoritarianism (or minorityism) is a neologism for a political structure or process in which a minority segment of a population has a certain degree of primacy in that entity's decision making. Minoritarianism may be cont ...
, Malan became Prime Minister of South Africa 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 Nicolaas Christiaan Havenga (1 May 1882 – 14 March 1957) was a South African politician who served as Finance Minister in the governments of J. B. M. Hertzog and Daniel François Malan. Relationship with Hertzog Havenga's family suffered ...
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 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 The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...
,South African Republicanism
Reuters, ''
Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issue o ...
'', 30 January 1958
and deepened the Afrikaner ascendency in South Africa, while strengthening the policy of
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 wa ...
, 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 Cape Coloureds () are a South African ethnic group consisted primarily of persons of mixed race and Khoisan descent. Although Coloureds form a minority group within South Africa, they are the predominant population group in the Western C ...
 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'' ( white supremacy or white domination). The extended
Treason Trial The Treason Trial was a trial in Johannesburg in which 156 people, including Nelson Mandela, were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa in 1956. The main trial lasted until 1961, when all of the defendants were found not gu ...
of 156 activists (including Nelson Mandela) 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 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 prote ...
, 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 Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of '' Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...
 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''
Michael Green, New Africa Books, 2004, pages 30-31
His second wife was Susan de Klerk, 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 Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu (10 July 1956 – 6 April 1979) was a South African freedom fighter, struggle activist and operative of the African National Congress (ANC) militant wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). He was convicted of murder and hanged in ...
. His house in
Modimolle Modimolle, also known as Nylstroom, is a town located near the southern edge of the Waterberg Massif in Limpopo province, South Africa. It is a medium-sized town that focuses primarily on agriculture and farming (citrus, grapes and cattle) as wel ...
(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 Weltevredenpark is a suburb of Roodepoort, South Africa adjacent to Johannesburg. It is situated roughly between Beyers Naudé Drive Beyers Naudé Drive is a large arterial route in Johannesburg, South Africa. It starts at the University of J ...
, a suburb of
Roodepoort Roodepoort is a town in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly an independent municipality, Roodepoort became part of the Johannesburg municipality in the late 1990s, along with Randburg and Sandton. Johannesburg's most famous botanical ...
, there is a street named JG Strydom Road.
Randburg Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort, ...
also has a business district called Strijdompark named after him. The
Hillbrow Tower The Hillbrow Tower (formerly JG Strijdom Tower) is a tall tower located in the suburb of Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. At , it has been the tallest structure and tower in Africa for 50 years, and it was also the tallest structure in t ...
in Johannesburg was officially named the J.G. Strijdom Tower until 1995, when, shortly after the end of
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 wa ...
, 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 Hosea Kutako International Airport (also known as HKIA) is the main international airport of Namibia, serving the capital city Windhoek. Located well east of the city, , it is Namibia's largest airport with international connections. From it ...
.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