Architect of Apartheid

“Hendrik F. Verwoerd played a major part in transforming apartheid from an election slogan into practice. Born in the Netherlands, Verwoerd immigrated with his parents to South Africa when he was a child. He became minister of native affairs in 1950 and prime minister from 1958 until assassinated in Parliament in 1966. His successor, B.J. Vorster, shared Verwoerd’s philosophy of white supremacy. In Verwoerd’s vision, South Africa’s population contained four distinct racial groups—white, Black, Coloured, and Asian—each with an inherent culture. Because whites were the “civilized” group, they were entitled to control the state.”