Marthinus van Schalkwyk is a South African politician, formerly both Premier of the Western Cape Province and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Africa. He was the leader of the New National Party from its inception on 8 September 1997 until its dissolution on 9 April 2005. He was appointed minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the South African cabinet as a reward for aligning his party with the ruling African National Congress, despite his party's poor performance in the 2004 General Election. This is a list of Premiers of Western Cape Province: See also South Africa Politics of South Africa List of Premiers of South African provinces Category: Lists of South African provincial premiers ... The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. ... The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest opposition party in a Westminster System of parliamentary government. ... The Parliament of South Africa, has undergone many transformations, as a result of the countrys tumultuous history. ... The New National Party (NNP) was a South African conservative political party formed when the National Party pulled out of the Government of National Unity with the African National Congress and decided to change its name in the process. ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The African National Congress (ANC) is a centre-left political party, and has been South Africas governing party (in a coalition) since the establishment of majority rule in May 1994. ... Legislative elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 April 2004. ...

Informally, he is referred to by his detractors as kortbroek (lit. "short pants"), a name he earned because of his boyish appearance and lack of political experience when compared to his predecessor, F.W. de Klerk. A significant part of the white Afrikaner population views him as a weak politician who destroyed the old National Party in order to rescue his own political skin by marrying the NNP with its old opposition, the ruling ANC. F.W. de Klerk State President of South Africa 1989–1994 Vice President of South Africa 1994–1996 Frederik Willem de Klerk (born March 18, 1936) was the last State President of South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994. ... Afrikaners are white South Africans of predominantly Calvinist Dutch, German, French Huguenot, Flemish and Friesian and Walloon descent who speak Afrikaans. ... National Party or Nationalist Party can refer to several political parties, including: Australia - National Party of Australia, Nationalist Party of Australia Bangladesh - Bangladesh National Party, National Party, National Party (Manju), National Party (Naziur) Bohemia - National Party Britain - British National Party, Cornish Nationalist Party, Constitutional Movement Canada - National Party of Canada...

In August 2004 it was announced that Van Schalkwyk would become a member of the African National Congress, and that the NNP would be disbanded in 2005 or 2006 at the latest. This decision was finalized on 9 April 2005, when the party's federal committee overwhelmingly endorsed its regional committees' recommendation to disband the party as soon as municipal election results are finalized. Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Speaking after the decision to dissolve the party, van Schalkwyk said, "What we do today is part of our contribution to finally ending the division of the South African soul." He went on to apologize for the way the National Party (the forerunner to the NNP) had "brought suffering through a system grounded in injustice." The National Party (Afrikaans: Nasionale Party) (with its members sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats) was the governing party of South Africa from 1948 until 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. ...

"What we do today is liberating," he went on. "It empowers us to throw off the yoke of history and to accept a new and important burden - the shared responsibility for building a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it."

On 29 April 2004, following the overwhelming victory of the African National Congress in the national parliamentary elections, Van Schalkwyk was appointed by President Thabo Mbeki as Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism for South Africa - a position he has held since that time.

Initially greeted with dismay and scepticism by many environmental activist groupings, his tenure has been marked by a number of decisions and initiatives that have been increasingly welcomed by environmental and tourism sectors alike - amongst these the decision to uphold appeals against the development of the N2 National Toll Road through the unspoilt Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape province, the promulgation and initial implementation of a new Air Quality Act, the creation of a new Environmental Protection Fleet to prevent illegal fishing, a complete ban on the use and production of asbestos, the adoption of a Black Economic Empowerment Scorecard and Charter for Tourism, and a significant focus by the South African government on addressing global climate change.

External links

• Announcement of Van Schalkwyk's cross-over to the ANC