| Cabinet Name: | First Botha Cabinet |
| Cabinet Number: | 6th |
| Jurisdiction: | the Republic of South Africa (since the 1961 Constitution) |
| Flag: | Flag of South Africa (1982–1994).svg |
| Flag Border: | true |
| Incumbent: | 1978–1984 |
| State Head Title: | State President |
| Government Head Title: | Prime Minister |
| Government Head: | Pieter Willem Botha |
| Political Party: | National Party |
| Legislature Status: | Majority |
| Opposition Party: | Progressive Federal Party |
| Opposition Leader: | Frederik van Zyl Slabbert |
| Election: | 1981 election |
| Previous: | Vorster III |
| Successor: | Botha II |
When Pieter Willem Botha first became Prime Minister of South Africa in 1978, he appointed members of the National Party to positions in his first cabinet.
| Portfolio | Minister | Party | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | 1978–1984 | |||
| Vice President (abolished 1984) | Alwyn Schlebusch[1] | NP | 1981–1987 | |
| Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries | NP | 1978–1982 1982–1984 | ||
| Minister of Constitutional Development | NP | 1982–1984 | ||
| Minister of Cooperation and Development | NP | 1978–1984 | ||
| Minister of Defense | NP | 1978–1980 1980–1984 | ||
| Minister of Education and Training | NP | 1979–1982 1982 | ||
| Minister of (National) Education | Gerrit Viljoen | NP | 1980–1984 | |
| Minister of Environment and Energy | NP | 1978–1979 1979–1980 1980 1981–1982 1982–1984 | ||
| Minister of Finance | Owen Horwood | NP | 1978–1984 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Pik Botha[2] | NP | 1978–1984 | |
| Minister of Health | Schalk van der Merwe | NP | 1978 | |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Alwyn Schlebusch Christiaan Heunis Frederik Willem de Klerk | NP | 1978–1980 1980–1982 1982–1984 | |
| Minister of Justice | Jimmy Kruger Alwyn Schlebusch Kobie Coetsee[3] | NP | 1978–1979 1979–1980 1980–1984[4] | |
| Minister of Labour | Fanie Botha | NP | 1979–1983 | |
| Minister of Mining | Fanie Botha Frederik Willem de Klerk Pietie du Plessis Daniel Steyn | NP | 1978–1979 1979–1982 1982–1983 1983–1984 | |
| Minister of Plural Development | NP | 1980–1984 | ||
| Minister of Police and Prisons Minister of Law and Order | NP | 1978–1979 1979–1984 | ||
| Minister of Public Works | Louis Le Grange Andries Treurnicht | NP | 1978–1979 1979–1980 | |
| Minister of Posts and Telegraphs | Henni Smit Frederik Willem de Klerk Lourens Munnik | NP | 1978 1978–1979 1982–1984 | |
| Minister of Sport and Recreation | Piet Koornhof Frederik Willem de Klerk | NP | 1978 1978–1979 | |
| Minister of Statistics | NP | 1979–1982 | ||
| Minister of Tourism | Louis Le Grange Andries Treurnicht | NP | 1978–1979 1979–1980 | |
| Minister of Trade and Industry | NP | 1980–1984 | ||
| Minister of Transport | Lourens Muller Christiaan Heunis Hendrik Schoeman | NP | 1978–1979 1979–1980 1980–1984 | |
| Minister of Water and Forestry | Braam Raubenheimer | NP | 1978–1980 | |
| Minister of Welfare Minister of Health, Welfare and Pensions | Frederik Willem de Klerk Schalk van der Merwe Lourens Munnik Cornelis van der Merwe | NP | 1978 1978–1979 1980–1982 1982–1984 |