Pieter Willem Botha was the prime minister and then president of South Africa from 1978 to 1989. He is commonly referred to as "Die Groot Krokodil" for his strong advocacy of the apartheid system. Botha's political career began when he joined the National Party, and acted as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs. Following Voster's resignation, Botha became Prime Minister, hoping to implement a federal system in South Africa, whereby more autonomy could be provided to homelands and power could remain in the hands of the White centralized government. During this time, Botha was set on curbing what he perceived as the communist threat on the African continent and so pursued a policy to strengthen the military capabilities of South Africa. This included providing military support for the anti-communist group, UNITA during the Angolan Civil War as well as the secret nuclear collaboration with Israel, resulting in the creation of six nuclear bombs.

In his role as president of South Africa, Botha proposed a new constitution, in which two houses of Parliament would be created for "Coloureds" and Indians, allowing them to vote for parliamentary representatives. The Tricameral Parliament, as this became known, was met with criticism, as was Botha's "Crossing the Rubicon" speech. It was expected that new reforms would be announced, but he only confirmed his obstinacy in refusing to grant concessions to the Black majority, which included the release of Nelson Mandela. Botha's defiance of the international community in his speech intensified the international condemnation of apartheid as economic sanctions were called for, isolating South Africa even further. The internal opposition to his leadership resulted in a number of strikes and protests around the country. Botha responded by implementing a nationwide state of emergency in 1986, resulting in 8000 murders, mostly of a political nature. 

Botha's political career came to an end in 1989, as he suffered a stroke. He resigned from the National Party and was succeeded by F.W. de Klerk, who has been praised for the steps he took to dismantle the system of apartheid. Botha was called upon to testify at the hearing of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996, but refused to do so. He also refused to apologise for apartheid and stated in an interview marking his 90th birthday that he had no regrets in the way he governed the country.

In October 2006, Botha died of a heart attack and was buried on 8 November 2006. The then president, Thabo Mbeki, led a government delegation to the funeral service, stating that his attendance was in the interest of pursuing national reconciliation and nation building. He called for a balanced appraisal of Botha's life, crediting Botha with the eventual unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC), as it was during his term of office that secret talks with the ANC were held.

Related:

1. SAHO P.W. Botha Biography

References:

1. Mbeki to attend Botha funeral. New York Times, 8 November 2006. [online] Available at: query.nytimes.com [Accessed 3 November 2009]
2. Pieter Willem Botha [online] Available at: en.wikipedia.org [Accessed 3 November 2009]
3. President Mbeki to attend the funeral service of the late former Prime Minister and State President P.W. Botha. [online] Available at: info.gov.za [Accessed 3 November 2009]
4. The life and times of P.W. Botha [online] Available at: iol.co.za [Accessed 3 November 2009]