Ferdinand Hartzenberg (8 January 1936 – 12 March 2021) was a South African politician and the second and last leader of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

in South Africa between 1993 and its merger with the

Freedom Front The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus; af, Vryheidsfront Plus, ''VF Plus'') is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed (as the Freedom Front) in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald. Its current stated policy positions include ...

in 2004. He obtained a DSc (Agriculture) from the University of Pretoria. Originally a maize farmer from Lichtenburg in the former

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, ...

, Hartzenberg was Minister of Education from 1979 to 1982 in the government of PW Botha. He was then one of the more conservative members of the ruling National Party (NP). Together with

Andries Treurnicht Andries Petrus Treurnicht (19 February 1921 – 22 April 1993) was a South African politician, Minister of Education during the Soweto Riots and for a short time leader of the National Party in Transvaal. In 1982 he founded and led the Conse ...

and other NP members dissatisfied with increasing liberalism in the ruling NP, he left the NP in 1982 to found the right-wing Conservative Party (CP). Hartzenberg became deputy leader. Hartzenberg became leader of the CP after Treurnicht's death in April 1993. This made him leader of the official opposition in the white chamber of the South African Parliament, a position he held until the first non-racial elections in April 1994. The Conservative Party refused to take part in the general election of 1994 and thus lost any parliamentary representation. Without any national representation, the CP became marginalised, with the white right wing represented in parliament by

Constand Viljoen General Constand Laubscher Viljoen, (28 October 1933 – 3 April 2020) was a South African military commander and politician. He co-founded the Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner People's Front) and later founded the Freedom Front (now F ...

of the

. At the end of 2003, the CP merged with the larger Freedom Front and the

Afrikaner Eenheidsbeweging The Afrikaner Eenheidsbeweging (Afrikaner Unity Movement) was a small South African political party founded in Pretoria in 1998. It was led by Cassie Aucamp, and based on Afrikaner nationalism. The party participated in the South African general ...

to form a new party known as the

Freedom Front Plus The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus; af, Vryheidsfront Plus, ''VF Plus'') is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed (as the Freedom Front) in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald. Its current stated policy positions include a ...

(FF+) which obtained 4 seats in the general election of 2004. Hartzenberg retired from politics following the merger.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartzenberg, Ferdi 1936 births 2021 deaths People from Lichtenburg Afrikaner people South African people of German descent National Party (South Africa) politicians Conservative Party (South Africa) politicians University of Pretoria alumni Education ministers of South Africa