By Pierre Dietrichsen
(Written after President Mandela moved Pik Botha to the Ministry of Minerals and Energy Affairs in 1994)
Many of my colleagues have had a longer direct association with Minister Pik Botha than I have and I write these lines realising that I would possibly contribute very little not already said by someone else. Nevertheless, with time marching on and the Minister now at a neighbouring Ministry, a bit of nostalgia might be in order.
The first time I heard the name Pik Botha was, almost inevitably, in the context of my reading of the World Court Cases on Namibia. Little did I realise that I would one day work "at his side". Then came the general elections and the famous smile was all over the lamp posts and trees of Pretoria and after that it was Pik Botha, MP. Shortly after that I joined the Department and got to know several colleagues who had worked with him on the SWA case, as they called it. They spoke in admiration of his stamina and ability to read and reread papers long after midnight without tiring.
My first personal experience came in New York. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hilgard Muller was leading the delegation of SA to the General Assembly with Pik Botha, Dirk Mudge and other politicos such as Lennox Sebe, if my memory serves me well, as members apart from Departmental and Mission staff. It was 1973 and already the credentials question was hotly discussed.
I remember how strongly Mr Botha argued for firm action, both in the Assembly and in the lobbies. By the way, this was an important Session for China and Germany too, apart from the fact that Henry Kissinger made a speech in his deep voice which was not easy to forget! Pik Botha was clearly at home in that theatre of operations and I think his long friendships and associations with people like Kissinger started there. But I could also see that colleagues such as Carl von Hirschberg, who was Permanent Representative, Jim Steward, Hermann Hanekom, Derek Auret and Dawie Gericke had a healthy respect for the MP with the quick smile but the uncompromising desire for good results and high standards. I was a "temporary" member and could almost choose when to be absent, if you know what I mean!
When Pik Botha became our Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1977, I was at Head Office. Shortly after that I was posted to Paris where the Minister soon visited for talks. Late one evening, after meetings and a cocktail, Ambassador Louis Pienaar and Jeremy Shearar had already left when the Minister decided his team should go out for dinner to be able to face up to the hectic programme of the next day! I was the only Embassy staff member around and so it came to pass that a mere First Secretary had to entertain the Minister. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Brand Fourie, decided that he had had enough to eat and sat out.
After some hurried telephone calls to find a restaurant prepared to accommodate some ten people for dinner on the wrong side of 11 p.m., we left from the Rafael Hotel in the 16th arrondissement for the Gauloise in the 15th. Luckily my instinct had given me the foresight to keep the cars waiting until the last moment! It was a relatively short drive but still took some ten minutes. The Restaurant was not a very inspiring sight close to midnight (few Parisian restaurants are, some would say) and this, together with the inconvenience of the trip through Paris traffic, caused the Minister to severely question my sanity. Before entering, I was sure I heard the words "Kafee op Petrus Steyn" and something about "ure se ry in die middernag", but, I must add, my objective was to get in there to tell my acquaintance, the "maitre" that the dinner was "big stuff".
I think he read it on my face because he was extra charming, but, to no avail, all in French! Man, did I interpret and invent! By the time the snails were three minutes late, the party was ready to abandon the outing. It took some convincing to stay and 'voila!', the snails arrived. Our visitors had expected a dozen on a plate but this man did things in style; a plate full each with the most delicious sauce caused a silence at the table that had me wondering! By the time the fillet arrived the best Bordeaux had done its magic, the Restaurant was a different place. The punch line is this: Pik Botha expects quality and when he gets it he recognises it. I was complimented on my knowledge and my judgment. I personally thought my tenacity was way up in the A's. Some more visits followed over the next four years and I really matured in the job!
On my return to Head Office in 1982, I joined the staff of Mr Hans van Dalsen, the Director-General. We were closely involved in negotiations with Angola about the withdrawal of the Cuban troops and the meetings with Mozambique to reach agreements on matters of mutual concern. The first number of meetings took place at Komatipoort at the Motel near the border post. The airstrip near the town at times became a true international airport! Delegations on both sides were normally substantial and colleagues and I had our hands full with logistics. I wrote minutes until late at night many times. What impressed me then was the fact that Pik Botha never looked at my notes; yet he remembered every word and nuance used by the other delegation weeks and months later and used them effectively. This contributed to the confidence built up over months between the sides.
In this context, I personally experienced the Minister's stamina. After a long day of talks, the Minister requested us to arrange dinner at the Castle for the two delegations. This is where the Nkomati agreement was finally taking shape. Late at night when he sensed that agreement was near, the Minister suggested that the politicians continue political negotiations while the "experts" take leave to a backroom to come up with a fine-tuned text. Adv. Jan Heunis, Les Manley, I and others then toiled away while the Ministers talked about future relations.
Soon after that we witnessed a classic Pik Botha move; when the text was agreed on it was time to arrange the signing ceremony. Pretoria and other venues were suggested but the Minister thought only one place was symbolically suitable: Komatipoort Somebody mentioned three weeks as a suitable delay but the Minister thought a week was enough to arrange it, so just about the whole Africa branch, Protocol and several others got to work with the help of other departments to create a Pik Botha-inspired temporary village on the banks of the Nkomati to sign the accord some ten days later with full military pomp and a five-course lunch for hundreds in tents and train coaches.
The Minister's drive and original thinking certainly inspired his colleagues and got officials to adopt a "can-do" attitude. I think a few were exhausted in the process but Pik Botha thrived! It was March 1984 and I spent my birthday at Komatipoort.
Several commentators of note have written on meetings with Angolan delegations on Ilha do Sal and I shall not venture into detail. What was impressive was the ability of the Minister to arrive with SAA flights to Europe around 01h00 and after very little sleep, keep the nose to the grindstone all day just to leave again at the same ungodly hour at night in time to report to Cabinet at 09h00 the next morning in Cape Town. A number of other Cabinet Ministers and officials aged a lot in those days.
(Translated from the Afrikaans beyond this point.)
Around this time I was instructed to join the Ministry at the time of Mr Hans van Dalsen’s retirement. This brief article is about Pik Botha, but I think it is quite in order to mention that Hans van Dalsen was one of the Ambassadors and people for which I had only the highest respect. A true role-model as person and diplomat. As the Director-General he complemented the Minister excellently. Just as Mrs Helena Botha fulfilled a role that should not be underestimated.
After a period with the Minister it was time to try for another posting. Evert Riekert came to my aid and after the Minister was convinced that a replacement by the name of Hennie de Klerk was ideal, I was on my way to Tokyo. I remember a few conversations about this matter, among others at a small farewell for me. This is how it went: “Pierre, must you go now?” PD: “I think so Minister. I have been at Head Office for nearly four years.” Mrs Pat D: “Our money is all gone, Minister. We are penniless.” Minister: “Then this is serious. Les, our people at Head Office must get more money. Speak to Evert. We must make a plan, really! We can’t continue like this.” This is something about Pik Botha that sticks in one’s memory: the humanity which he displayed at unexpected moments, even in times of tension and drama.
There are of course other anecdotes about suitcases that got lost at Frankfurt just before Rubicon, nightmares during the visit of the Prime Minister to seven countries in 1984, potjiekos competitions that we lost, problems at the SABC and other troubles with the neighbours which I will leave to other colleagues and friends. More recent affairs such as our negotiations with China while CODESA was in progress, journeys to the East with the current Director-General and so forth I will allow to mature with age. I have already shot off my mouth, as the saying goes.
Greetings to a Minister, a boss, a colleague and a friend.
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