Botha announces third naval base

PW Botha. October 1983 Mike Hutchings Reuters

Date: 2 Sep 1969
Updated: 2 Sep 2026

P.W. Botha, the then Minister of Defence, announced the establishment of a third South African Naval Base to be located at Saldana Bay, about 128 kilometres north of Cape Town. In 1958 Botha became Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs (also known as Deputy Minister of the Interior). This happened when Dr. HF Verwoed assumed the position of Prime Minister under the ruling National Party (NP). Later, in August 1961, Verwoed endorsed Botha for the cabinet position of Minister of Community Development and Coloured Affairs.

Search events by date

What happened on your birthday?

How we know this

01Kalley, J.A.; Schoeman, E. & Andor, L.E. (eds) (1999). Southern African Political History: a chronology of key political events from independence to mid-1997, Westport: Greenwood
02Evans, B.A., ‘Biography of P.W. Botha, Apartheid Era President’, from About African History, [online], Available at africanhistory.about.com [Accessed: 26 August 2014]
03O’ Malley, P., ‘1969’, from the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, [online], Available at: www.nelsonmandela.org [Accessed: 26 August 2014]

Last updated · 2 Sep 2026

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, August 14). Botha announces third naval base. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0090571

South African History Online (2012) 'Botha announces third naval base', South African History Online, 14 August. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0090571 (Accessed: 5 October 2026).

South African History Online, Botha announces third naval base [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0090571, (accessed 5 October 2026).

"Botha announces third naval base." South African History Online, 14 Aug. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0090571. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "Botha announces third naval base." South African History Online. August 14, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0090571.