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It’s good to be Prime Minister

Daniel François Malan, fourth Prime Minister of South Africa, is seen here taking breakfast with his family on the verandah at Groote Schuur, the official residence of the PM. (At right, the same view today). Groote Schuur — literally “great barn” — was purchased by Cecil Rhodes and transformed into the paragon of the South African style of architecture by his architect Sir Herbert Baker. Foolishly, the office of Prime Minister was abolished in 1984, when the ridiculous 1984 tricameral constitution was adopted. Groote Schuur continued as the Cape residence of the State President of South Africa under P.W. Botha and F.W. De Klerk but when Nelson Mandela was elected he decided to make the neighbouring Westbrooke his official residence, renaming it Genadendal (“Valley of Grace”) after the oldest Moravian mission in South Africa. Groote Schuur is now a museum open by appointment, and unlived in.

Published at 2:09 pm on Friday 24 April 2009. Categories: Architecture Cape Town South Africa Tags: , .
Comments

Andrew –

Interesting photos. Do you know of anywhere online where one can see photos of the current official residences in South Africa? Thanks.

— Harold 24 Apr 2009 4:23 pm

The profile of D.F. Malan looks uncannily like that of one of his successors, Pieter Willem Botha.

— James 30 Apr 2009 3:26 am
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