Tielman Roos

Tielman Johannes de Villiers Roos (1879 - 1935) was a lawyer afrikaner, Politician of the South African Union, republican, member of the national Parti and minister justice of 1924 with 1929.

Tielman Roos was born with the Cape in South Africa the May 8th 1879.

Graduate in right, he is lawyer with old 23 years initially in the Cape then with Pretoria.

After the War of Boers, it joined the party " Het Volk" directed by the general Boer Louis Botha.

It is with the end of the year 1912 that it is pointed out politically for the first time when it protests against the reference of the government of James B. Hertzog while taking part in a gathering where it speaks at the side of the general Christiaan de Wet, at the foot of the statue of Paul Kruger located in Prince' S Park in Pretoria.

In 1914, Hertzog constituted the National Party (NP) and took of it the direction in the free State of Orange to protest against the British Colonialisme and to promote the aspirations of the people afrikaner. Roos was charged to create and direct NP in the province of the Transvaal. Roos was elected president of the National Party of Transvaal and in 1915 and was elected at the Parliament for the district of Lichtenburg in the west of Transvaal.

It rédiga then a proclamation asking the re-establishment of the two republics boers of Transvaal and Orange whereas Hertzog pled for the rupture of the bonds with the the United Kingdom.

Basically republican, Roos suggested in 1919 that NP is renamed " National party Républicain" to clarify its political options but neither Hertzog nor Daniel François Malan, the leader of the party in the the Cape Province, approved its idea.

In 1920, Roos accompanies the delegation afrikaner baptized " Freedom Deputation" with Paris during the negotiations according to war.

The elections in 1920 and 1921 were not very conclusive for the National Party, too isolated on the political scene.

Roos then undertook to open NP towards other opposition parties. He in particular undertook to reinforce the bonds of NP with the Workers party of South Africa (Ploughing Party - LP), which had outdistanced Parti South-African Jan Smuts after the working riots of the Witwatersrand of 1922 and the repression of the government.

In 1923, the efforts of Roos led to a pact between NP and the LP to form a government of union in the event of victory to the general elections what occurred in 1924.

Roos became Ministre for justice then.

Potential dolphin of Hertzog, it is in competition with Daniel Malan. Roos, too independent and atypical, was constant only by the nationalists of Transvaal when it was a question of dividing the two men politically and very quickly, Malan took the advantage for the leadership of the party.

In 1928, the conflict led to the resignation of Roos after Malan showed Communisme the Workers party.

In 1929, the health of Roos started to decline. It went in Germany to consult eminent doctors and missed the general elections of 1929.

Returned to South Africa, it was named like judges at the Court of Appeal.

In 1932, it leaves the Court of Appeal to return in policy. It is alord become adverse with the government of Hertzog of which it denounces the economic policy and calls with the abandonment of the gold standard (what will be made in December 1932). It suggested the formation of a gouvernemnt of national union under its aegis to fight against the economic crisis which devastated the country and ruined the farmers afrikaners.

In January 1933, Jan Smuts took up the idea of government of national union. Hertzog agreed to discuss the possibility of it what ends up leading to the formation of a coalition between the National Party and the South-African Party.

Roos was not to invite to join the government. It then launched the Party of the Center (Central Party) but without success and it did not manage to be made elect with the elections of 1933 (only two elected officials).

In 1935, Roos, patient, advised with his faithful to join new the plain Parti formed by Hertzog and Smuts.

Tielman Roos died the March 28th 1935.

In 1928, the town of Sannieshof in its district of the west of Transvaal took the name of Roosville in its honor. The taken again city its name of origin in 1952.

Its house in Pretoria today became a House of pleasant host of the district of Brooklyn (Rozenhof Guest House).

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