De Klerk courageous but not without fault - Madonsela
Former public protector Thuli Madonsela says while late former president FW de Klerk was not without fault, he made some courageous decisions which changed the course of South African history.
Madonsela was reacting the death of South Africa’s last apartheid president.
The 85-year-old succumbed to illness at his Fresnaye home in Cape Town on Thursday.
He was diagnosed with Mesothelioma - a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs earlier this year.
De Klerk’s death, and his role in ending apartheid and the transition to democracy, has been the subject of fierce debate since the news of his death broke.
While some South Africans have lauded him for his decision to release Nelson Mandela and unban political parties, others point to the fact that he refused to label apartheid as a crime against humanity.
Madonsela believes his contribution during the country’s transition to democracy cannot be ignored.
“He ran his race the best way he could. Without his courageous move to release Mandela and other political prisoners, unban parties and set the stage for constitutional negotiations, there is a chance we could still be engaged in warfare,” she said.
Madonsela admitted that De Klerk was not without fault.
“De Klerk was not without fault. His recent pronouncements about apartheid were hurtful and troubling. However, his final message in the video released on the day of his passing, is a gift we can use to reckon honestly with the legacy of apartheid and the damage. He acknowledges, it did. This gives us a basic for a reset aimed at collectively acknowledging and appreciating the damage apartheid did and deliberately fixing it.
“That for me, should be our focal point going forward.”
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