Former Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd is born

Former Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd is born Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd, former South African prime minister and chief architect of apartheid was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Willem Johannes Verwoerd and his wife, Anje Strik. Driven by a strong sympathy for the Boer cause in Anglo-Boer War 2, the family immigrated to South Africa in 1903. Verwoerd was elected by the caucus of the National Party as its new leader and prime minister on 2 September 1958, following the death of Adv. J.G. Strijdom. On 3 September, in his first speech in parliament as prime minister, he gave indications of the intensification of the apartheid policy. Sources: Books: Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 11, p. 217. Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.