P. K. Le Roux

Biography

Pieter Mattheus Kruger Le Roux was born on 11 November 1904 at Doornhoek, a farm near De Rust in the vicinity of Oudtshoorn in what was then the Cape Colony. His parents were Gert Cornelis Le Roux and his wife Margaretha. He attended Outeniqua High School in George, then the University of Stellenbosch.

First elected to parliament in 1948 as the National Party member for Victoria West, Le Roux became the government's Chief Whip in the South African parliament in 1955. He was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Water Affairs and Agricultural Technical Services in 1958, shortly before the end of J. G. Strijdom's premiership, and retained this role under Strijdom's successor Hendrik Verwoerd until 1966, when B. J. Vorster became Prime Minister following Verwoerd's assassination. Vorster made Le Roux Minister of the Interior, a post he retained until 1968.

Election results

YearConstituencyCandidatePartyVotesPercentageRef 1943 Bredasdorp P. V. G. van der BylUnited Party4,32656.5%P. M. K. Le RouxReunited National Party3,28042.9% 1948 Victoria West P. M. K. Le RouxNational Party4,26049.7%J. M. ConnanUnited Party4,23649.4% 1953 Prieska P. M. K. Le RouxNational Party4,96453.9%J. M. ConnanUnited Party4,18645.4% 1958 Oudtshoorn P. M. K. Le RouxNational Party6,04272.3%J. J. JoubertUnited Party2,28127.3%1961Oudtshoorn P. M. K. Le RouxNational PartyUnopposed–1966Oudtshoorn P. M. K. Le RouxNational PartyUnopposed–1970Oudtshoorn P. M. K. Le RouxNational PartyUnopposed–