The Nelson Mandela Foundation said on Thursday that FW de Klerk’s legacy was an uneven one.
The apartheid South Africa’s former president passed away on Thursday morning following a struggle with cancer.
“De Klerk’s legacy is a big one. It is also an uneven one, something South Africans are called to reckon with in this moment,” the statement said.
It also said it was sad to hear of his death, sending condolences to his wife Elita and their family.
“De Klerk will forever be linked to [former President] Nelson Mandela in the annals of South African history. As head of state, he oversaw the release of Madiba from prison on 11 February 1990. In 1993, they were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace prize for ushering in a negotiated settlement that led to South Africa holding its first democratic election in 1994,” the statement continued.
There was little chemistry between the two men and there were some serious flare-ups when De Klerk served in Mandela’s Cabinet as deputy president, alongside Thabo Mbeki. De Klerk in 1996 led the National Party out of the government of national unity, to become the official opposition. In 1997 he quit politics.
The statement included comments Mandela made at De Klerk’s 70th birthday celebrations.
“You and I have had our differences, some of them very public. Our basic respect for one another has, however, never diminished. And it was that respect for the other irrespective of all differences that made it possible for us, and our organizations, to work together and to negotiate that historic compromise that the world marvelled at. If we two old, or ageing, men have any lessons for our country and for the world, it is that solutions to conflicts can only be found if adversaries are fundamentally prepared to accept the integrity of one other.”
-EWN
In other news – Actress Nozuko Ntshangase attempted suicide; 3 times
Nozuko Ntshangase has opened up about her suicide attempts. The Diep City actress recently made a YouTube video where she said she tried to take her own life three times.
She said on two occasions, she drank pills and on another paraffin. She did not reveal much about what drove her to it but said on one occasion she’d lost a friend. Learn More
