Louis Botha

Louis Botha (1862-1919), South African soldier and statesman, born in Greytown. In 1884 he helped found the New Republic in the Vryheid district of what is now KwaZulu-Natal, and in 1897 he entered the South African legislature. Following the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, Botha joined the Boer army, becoming commander in chief in 1900. He helped negotiate the terms that ended the conflict in 1902.

Elected premier of the Transvaal in 1907, Botha attended the constitutional convention (1908-1909) that led to the establishment of the Union (now Republic) of South Africa. He headed the South African government from 1910 until his death. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Botha committed South Africa to the Allied cause, a move that aroused violent opposition. He defeated the ensuing insurrection in February 1915 and launched the successful takeover of German South-West Africa (now Namibia) that March.