John Vorster

B. J. Vorster
Vorster in 1960
4th State President of South Africa
In office 10 October 1978 – 4 June 1979
Prime Minister	Pieter Willem Botha
Preceded by	Nicolaas Diederichs Marais Viljoen (acting)
Succeeded by	Marais Viljoen
7th Prime Minister of South Africa
In office 13 September 1966 – 2 October 1978
President	Charles R. Swart Jozua Naudé (acting) Jacobus Fouché Jan de Klerk (acting) Nicolaas Diederichs Marais Viljoen (acting)
Preceded by	Hendrik Verwoerd Eben Dönges (acting)
Succeeded by	Pieter Willem Botha
Minister of Police
In office 1 April 1966 – 9 August 1968
Prime Minister	Hendrik Verwoerd Himself
Preceded by	Office established Himself as Minister of Justice
Succeeded by	Lourens Muller
Minister of Justice
In office 8 October 1961 – 14 September 1966
Prime Minister	Hendrik Verwoerd
Preceded by	Frans Erasmus
Succeeded by	Petrus Cornelius Pelser
Personal details
Born	Balthazar Johannes Vorster (1915-12-13)13 December 1915 Jamestown, Cape Province, Union of South Africa
Died	10 September 1983(1983-09-10) (aged 67) Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa
Political party	National Party
Spouse	Tini Vorster ​ (m. 1941)​
Children	Elizabeth (Elsa) Vorster Willem Carel Vorster Pieter Andries Vorster
Alma mater	University of Stellenbosch

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People Vernon Berrangé P. W. Botha Steve Biko Mangosuthu Buthelezi F. W. de Klerk Ruth First Bram Fischer Arthur Goldreich Chris Hani Bantu Holomisa Joel Joffe Ahmed Kathrada Albert Luthuli Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Mac Maharaj D. F. Malan Nelson Mandela Govan Mbeki Thabo Mbeki Raymond Mhlaba Benjamin Moloise Albertina Sisulu Walter Sisulu J. G. Strijdom Joe Slovo Robert Sobukwe Helen Suzman Adelaide Tambo Oliver Tambo Eugène Terre'Blanche Desmond Tutu H. F. Verwoerd B. J. Vorster Jacob Zuma
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Balthazar Johannes "B. J." Vorster (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈbaltɑːzar juəˈhanəs ˈfɔrstər]; also known as John Vorster; 13 December 1915 – 10 September 1983) was a South African apartheid politician who served as the prime minister of South Africa from 1966 to 1978 and the fourth state president of South Africa from 1978 to 1979. Known as B. J. Vorster during much of his career, he came to prefer the anglicized name John in the 1970s.^[1]

Vorster strongly adhered to his country's policy of apartheid, overseeing (as Minister of Justice) the Rivonia Trial, in which Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage, (as Prime Minister) the Terrorism Act, the complete abolition of non-white political representation, the Soweto Riots and the Steve Biko crisis. He conducted a more pragmatic foreign policy than his predecessors, in an effort to improve relations between the white minority government and South Africa's neighbours, particularly after the break-up of the Portuguese colonial empire. Shortly after the 1978 Internal Settlement in Rhodesia, in which he was instrumental, he was implicated in the Muldergate Scandal. He resigned the premiership in favour of the ceremonial state presidency, from which he was forced out as well eight months later.