 In 1986, he became Deputy Minister of Law and Order and in 1988, of Constitutional Development (until 1991).With the declaration of the first State of Emergency in 1985, the National Joint Management Centre (NJMC), chaired by the Deputy Minister of Law and Order, took over as the nerve centre for co-ordination of all welfare and security policies.In 1991, State President F. W. De Klerk appointed him Minister of Defence as successor to Magnus Malan.