Parliament: De Klerk was ‘most realistic’ of apartheid leaders
The presiding officers of Parliament have described FW de Klerk as the most realistic of all the apartheid-era leaders.
Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Amos Masondo, say De Klerk had the "courage and decisiveness to cross the Rubicon and reached where others couldn’t, thereby paving the way for much-needed democratic reforms”.
Condolences have been pouring in for the country’s last apartheid era president following his death on Thursday.
He died at the age of 85 after a long battle with cancer.
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The presiding officers tempered their praise for De Klerk by saying he espoused some polarising views around the legacy of apartheid.
‘While it is sad that he subsequently missed the opportunity to cement this legacy by failing to fully recognise and appreciate the devastation the system of apartheid caused to millions of South Africans, history will remember his foresight in realising that apartheid had become untenable and its fall was inevitable, and his contribution in laying the foundation for the new South Africa."
