Kobie Coetsee

Hendrik Jacobus (Kobie) Coetsee (19 April 1931 - 2000) was a South African lawyer, National Party politician and administrator as well as a negotiator during the country's transition to democracy.

He studied law at the University of the Orange Free State and qualified as an attorney. In 1968, Coetsee won the Bloemfontein West seat in the Parliament, vacated by J. J. Fouche, who became State President. P. W. Botha appointed him in 1978 as Deputy Minister for Defence and National Intelligence and, in 1980, to the powerful position of Justice Minister. The portofolio of Prisons was added to his responsibilities.

A series of meetings between him and the imprisoned Nelson Mandela began in 1985. In 1985 he was elected provincial leader of the Orange Free State NP. From 1990 on he participated in the negotiations between the NP-government and the ANC. In 1993 he also took over the defence portofolio from Roelf Meyer until the elections of 1994.

After the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, he was elected president of the Senate (which was renamed as National Council of Provinces then), although the ANC had a comfortable majority in this chamber of parliament as well. He kept that position until 1997.

A Fast Attack Craft of the South African Navy was named after him.