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‘My remarks were misunderstood,’ says De Klerk

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South Africa’s last apartheid president FW de Klerk has said his comments justifying ethnically homogenous states were misinterpreted, a week after his remarks sparked a public uproar.

De Klerk, who shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela in 1993, told CNN in an interview that apartheid was “morally reprehensible” but defended the notion of black independent states as not “repugnant”.

“The remarks I made during my recent interview with Christiane Amanpour have been widely misunderstood and misinterpreted,” De Klerk said in a statement issued by his foundation late Wednesday.

“I have no residual belief in, or attachment to, separate development. Whatever the intentions may have been, I concluded many years ago that it had failed and that it had resulted in manifest injustice”.

The system of “separate development” created 10 ethnic homelands where blacks had citizen rights.

Plagued with corruption and never economically independent from apartheid South Africa, the ethnic homelands created by Pretoria were not recognised internationally.

“During the 1980s I had come to accept that there was no possibility that separate development could lead to a just and acceptable solution to the problems of South Africa,” he said.

The former homeland areas still lag behind in economic development compared to the rest of the country.

As apartheid South Africa’s last president, De Klerk was instrumental in dismantling white rule and freeing Mandela, who became the country’s first black leader in 1994 elections. – AFP


Mantashe unimpressed with de Klerk

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Gwede Mantashe. Picture: EWN

Stephen Grootes

JOHANNESBURG – African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe on Friday said former President FW de Klerk’s refusal to apologise for the homeland system shows he is nostalgic for South Africa’s apartheid past.

On Thursday night during an interview, De Klerk alluded that the National Party Policy of separate development was not wrong.

He told CNN he had not changed his mind about the homelands.

“What I haven’t apologised for is the original concept of seeking to bring justice to all South Africans through the concept of nation states,” said de Klerk.

Mantashe in response argued that the policy still affects our provinces.

“You will see that everywhere [where] there were Bantustans, [is] a problem we’ll always battle with,” Mantashe responded.

(Edited by Clare Matthes)

Outrage after De Klerk interview!!!

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Social networking site Twitter was abuzz on Friday morning following comments made by former president FW de Klerk during a CNN interview.

 

 

“Can’t sleep after FW De Klerk interview on CNN. Counting to 10

 

 

isn’t helping. Justifying apartheid in 2012? and apparently homelands were great!” Talk Radio 702 host Redi Tlhabi wrote on Thursday night.

 

 

Another tweeter (at)siyamtandaskota said: “This man is insane!!! Now he says blacks weren’t disenfranchised – they voted in the homelands. Is FW De Klerk mad??!!”.

 

 

“FW De Klerk says he ‘was good friends with Madiba’. I don’t want to be friends with him if he’s gonna stick his friends on Robben Island,” (at)f__kyeahbryan tweeted.

 

 

De Klerk was interviewed by the global news network at a summit of Nobel laureates in Chicago on Thursday night, The Times reported.

 

 

He discussed his “historical antagonism” and current friendship with former president Nelson Mandela, the failure of the apartheid system, and the shortcomings of the current government.

 

 

When asked whether he agreed that apartheid was morally repugnant, he said: “In as much as it trampled human rights it was and remains morally indefensible.”

 

 

However, De Klerk then reportedly appeared to defend the homeland system: “But the concept of giving, as the Czechs have it now, and the Slovaks have it, of saying that ethnic unity with one culture with one language (everyone) can be happy and can fulfil their democratic aspirations in an own state, that is not repugnant.”

 

 

He denied that blacks in the homelands were disenfranchised.

 

 

“They were not disenfranchised, they voted. They were not put in homelands, the homelands were historically there.

 

 

“If only the developed world would put so much money into Africa, which is struggling with poverty, as we poured into those homelands. How many universities were built? How many schools?

 

 

“At that stage the goal was separate but equal, but separate but equal failed.” He said he later became “a convert” against the system.

 

 

When he asked about the state of South Africa’s democracy De Klerk reportedly said: “I’m convinced it’s a solid democracy and it will remain so, but it’s not a healthy democracy.”

 

 

He said the ANC alliance needed to split because it was unhealthy for one party to so dominate the political landscape, The Times reported. – Sapa