Union Buildings

Union Buildings

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Pik Botha, the man


Pierre Dietrichsen
Meintjeskop Koerier Volume II, 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 SW A-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 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. Hermatm 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 Petrussteyn" and  something about "ure se ry in die middemag", 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 punchline is this: Pik Botha expects quality and when he gets it he recognises it I was complimented on my knowledge and my judgement  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 Iater 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 formally 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 Botaa-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 01hOO 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 09hOO the next morning in Cape Town. 

A number of other Cabinet Ministers and officials aged a lot in those days: "Omtrent op hierdie stadium is ek aangese te sluit  om by die Ministerie met mnr Hans van Dalsen se aftrede. Hierdie artikeltjie is oor Pik Botha maar ek dink dit is heeltemal in orde om te noem dat Hans van Dalsen een van die Ambassadeurs en persone is vir wie ek net die hoogste agting het ' n Werklike goeie rolmodel as mens en diplomaat! Hy het as Direkteur-generaal die  Minister uitstekend aangevul. Net soos mev Helena Botha 'n rol vervul het wat nie onderskat moet word nie.

"Na 'n tyd by die Minister het dit tyd geword om weer te probeer vir 'n pos. Even Rieken bet tot hulp gekom en nadat die Minister oorreed is dat 'n plaasvervanger vir my in die naam van Hennie de Klerk net nommerpas was, was ek op pad Tokio toe. Oor die sakie onthou ek 'n paar gesprekke, onder andere by 'rt'klein afskeidspanytjie vir my. Dit het so verloop: "Pierre, moet julle nou gaan?" PD: "Ek dink so Minister, ek is al amper vier jaar terug op Hoofkantoor." 

"Mev Pat D: "Ons geld is gedaan .Minister, ons is vrek arm." Minister: "Ja nee, dan is dit erg. Les, Ons mense moo meet geld kry op Hoofkantoor. Praat met Even, ons moet 'n plan maak, regtig. Ons kan nie so aangaan nie." Dit was nog 'n ding van Pik Botha wat 'n mens bybly; sy menslikheid wat hy soms op die onverwagte oomblik getoon het, selfs in 'n tyd van spanning en drama. 

"Oaar is natuurlik ander staaltjies soos tasse wat wegraak op Frankfurt lughawe net voor Rubicon, nagmerries met die buitelandse reis van die Eerste Minister na sewe lande in 1984, potjiekos kompetisies wat ons verloor bet, SAUK probleme en ander sonde met die bure wat ek aan ander kollegas en vriende sal oorlaat, Meer onlangse sake soos OIlS onderhandelinge met China terwyl Codesa aan die gang was, reise na die Ooste saam met die huidige DG en so aan sal ek maar eers laat oud word. Ek het reeds soos die spreekwoord se, 'n mond vol te se gehad. Groemis aan 'n Minister, 'n baas, 'n kollega en 'n vriend."


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