Van der Merwe first got involved in politics as a child by helping put up posters for the National Party at the
1948 South African general election. He gained a reputation as a political maverick, reportedly once driving up to a tollgate and shooting it in protest of their imposition. He then moved constituency and was elected as a Conservative in Overvaal. He also addressed
Nelson Mandela directly, calling on him to renounce
African National Congress violence and recognise the rights of Afrikaner self-determination. Mandela would respond in
Afrikaans that he was looking forward to discussing it with van der Merwe. However, in 1992 van der Merwe was expelled from the Conservative Party for "ignoring party discipline" in calling for negotiations with the
African National Congress for a smaller
Volkstaat. He spent the next 18 months as an independent politician, ironically saying he represented the "Desert Party" and intended to retire at the next election. In 1993, he joined the
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on the grounds he shared their federalist viewpoints. He was persuaded to stand at the
1994 South African general election and was re-elected and became the IFP's
Chief Whip, a position he held until retirement. In 2006, he was ejected from the chamber for waving a cake at a government minister while demanding a meeting with
President Thabo Mbeki, saying "Here is your cake, come and eat it! I have been waiting for a year." The cake was left in the chamber where it was consumed by members from the
Democratic Alliance. He served in the National Assembly until retiring before the
2014 South African general election, where he had been the longest serving MP. == Personal life and death ==