In the elections of
1970 and
1974, Botha was elected to the
House of Assembly as
MP for
Wonderboom in the
Transvaal. In 1975, he was appointed South Africa's Ambassador to the United States, in addition to his UN post.
In 1977, he re-entered Parliament as MP for
Westdene, and was appointed
minister for foreign affairs by Prime Minister
B. J. Vorster. He continued to represent
Westdene for the remainder of his political career. Botha entered the contest to be the leader of the National Party in 1978. He was allegedly considered Vorster's favourite and received superior public support among whites (
We want Pik!) but withdrew after criticism concerning his young age, lack of experience (having spent 16 months as foreign minister) and alleged liberal beliefs as opposed to the ultra-conservative NP machinery (in which he lacked a significant position), instead throwing his support behind
P. W. Botha, who was ultimately elected. In 1985, Botha helped to draft a speech that would have announced common decision-making on all levels in a single constitutional unit and a formula for bringing about the release of
Nelson Mandela, but this draft was rejected by P. W. Botha. The next year, he stated publicly (during a press conference in Parliament, asked by German journalist Thomas Knemeyer) that it would be possible for South Africa to be ruled by a black president provided that there were guarantees for
minority rights, but was quickly forced to acknowledge that this position did not reflect government policy. Botha recalled in 2011 that he had been "severely reprimanded and almost fired" over his remarks. In early 1986 he was also an instrumental figure in the South African government's negotiations with the
Commonwealth Eminent Persons' Group (EPG). Although the Group's mission was aborted after the South African Military launched cross-border raids on ANC bases on 19 May, in the preceding months Pik Botha had engaged in extensive talks with the Group about a possible path to negotiations, including calls for a suspension of violence and the unbanning of the ANC. Throughout 1988 Botha was instrumental in lengthy peace talks between South Africa,
Cuba, and the
People's Republic of Angola aimed at ending the
South African Border War. On 13 December 1988, Botha and Defence Minister
Magnus Malan ratified the
Brazzaville Protocol, which led to the effective cessation of hostilities in that conflict.
Namibian independence On 22 December 1988, Botha signed the
Tripartite Accord involving
Angola,
Cuba and South Africa at
United Nations headquarters in New York City which led to the implementation of
Security Council Resolution 435, and to South Africa's granting of independence to
Namibia.
National unity Botha subsequently served as Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs in South Africa's first post-apartheid government from 1994 to 1996 under President
Nelson Mandela. Botha had first met Mandela in May 1990 at the historic
Groote Schuur Minute, and was highly impressed by Mandela's knowledge of
Afrikaner history. While testifying at the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Botha was one of the few officials to repent for his involvement in the apartheid government. He said he'd realized that apartheid was morally wrong in the 1970s, but didn't do enough to "turn the tide" against the regime and prevent atrocities from being committed, which he blamed on South African security forces. In an interview on affirmative action, Botha publicly declared that he had never been a member of the ANC, and would not join under its current policies. On 12 December 2013, Botha appeared on the BBC's
Question Time, hosted in
Johannesburg, discussing the life and legacy of
Nelson Mandela. ==Personal life==