‘Dr No’: A.P. Treurnicht and the Ultra-Conservative Quest to Maintain Afrikaner Supremacy, 1982–1993

In 1982 Dr A.P. Treurnicht was expelled from the National Party for opposing President P.W. Botha's reforms as a threat to Afrikaner supremacy. He subsequently formed the ultra-conservative Conservative Party. Despite the sweeping political changes taking place in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s he remained adamant that rigid apartheid was the only means to ensure Afrikaner survival. Treurnicht's faith in Verwoerdian policies was not the only reason for his inflexibility. In contrast to his public image as a strong and dynamic leader he was not temperamentally or psychologically equipped to be a party leader as he was overly sensitive to criticism, and craved adulation. His insecurity encouraged indecision and contributed to his inability to adapt to an unravelling apartheid state. In the process he fuelled the bitterness, angst and desperation of ultra-conservatives, creating a climate for right-wing militants to turn to violence. The majority of Afrikaners, however, rejected Treurnicht as an anachronistic figure and a threat to Afrikaner survival, and supported the reforms of Botha and F.W. de Klerk.