(1901–66), South African statesman, prime minister 1958–66; full name Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd. As Minister of Bantu Affairs (1950–8) he developed the segregation policy of apartheid. As premier he banned the ANC and the Pan-Africanist Congress in 1960, following the Sharpeville massacre. He withdrew South Africa from the Commonwealth and declared it a republic in 1961.