In the early 20th century, the Afrikaner nationalist movement threatened to destabilize the delicate political power structure in a country then-known as the Union of South Africa (1910-1961). Die Transvaler was established in 1937 as a newspaper that would promote the cause of Afrikaner nationalism within the Afrikaner-dominated National Party. Die Transvaler was notorious for its racism, antisemitism, and opposition to South Africa’s entry into World War II. (Coverage: 1937 - 1993, in Afrikaans)
Die Transvaler was known for supporting some of the most extreme policies under the apartheid regime—including the Bantu Homeland Citizenship Act of 1970, which established segregated “homelands” for Black South Africans and stripped them of their South African citizenship.
The pinnacle of Die Transvaler‘s influence was in the 1960s and early 1970s, under the governments of Afrikaner nationalists Hendrik Verwoerd (former editor of the paper) and B.J. Vorster. In 1983, the newspaper was relocated to Pretoria and rebranded as an afternoon paper. In 1993, Die Transvaler ceased publication—a year before the apartheid system was officially dismantled.