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ARTICLE: THE DISMANTLING OF APARTHEID

2020-06-01

Apartheid illustration

 

There has recently been some debate regarding when, how and by whom apartheid was dismantled.   The “why” of the dismantling of apartheid is more complex: growing international pressure and domestic resistance undoubtedly played a central role.  However, other factors included the evolving attitudes of white South Africans; growing acceptance of the injustice of apartheid among white leadership groups; and the irresistible need to adjust policy to accommodate the de facto realities of an increasingly integrated economy and society.

 

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ARTICLE: DEFENDING THE 1996 CONSTITUTION

2020-05-05

DEFENDING THE 1996 CONSTITUTIONIn six articles that recently appeared in Politicsweb, Prof Koos Malan provided an expert analysis of many of the problems facing the constitution.

He is clearly not a fan of the 1996 constitution. He questions the wisdom of those who have put their faith in the prospect that it would “usher in and guarantee peace, reconciliation and the protection of rights for all.”

He goes on to question the premises on which so many South Africans have based their faith in the constitution – that it is ‘supreme’, that it contains adequate checks and balances – and that it will be administered by a fearless and impartial judiciary.

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STATEMENT: RESIGNATION OF DR MORKEL AS CEO OF THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION

2020-03-04

he FW de Klerk Foundation wishes to announce that Dr Dayne Morkel has informed us of his decision to resign as CEO of the Foundation, with effect from 31 March. Dr Morkel will be accepting an appointment as CEO of the Foundation for Peace in Divided Societies in the United States, an organisation with which the FW de Klerk Foundation has had close ties for 20 years.

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STATEMENT BY FW DE KLERK

2020-02-17

parliament sml

I have taken note of the vehement reaction to our response to the EFF’s attack on me at the State of the Nation address on Thursday night.

I agree with the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation that this is not the time to quibble about the degrees of unacceptability of apartheid.  It was totally unacceptable.

The FW de Klerk Foundation has accordingly decided to withdraw its statement of 14 February unconditionally and apologises for the confusion, anger and hurt that it has caused. 

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STATEMENT: THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE FROM PRISON OF NELSON MANDELA

2020-02-11

The release of Nelson Mandela from prison 30 years ago was the first momentous consequence of the announcements made by President FW de Klerk in Parliament nine days earlier.  As Mr De Klerk observed in his autobiography: as he watched Nelson Mandela walking through the gates of Victor Verster Prison, he was struck by an inescapable truth: “…an irreversible process had begun and nobody could predict precisely how it would end.”  

Now 30 years later we can answer part of that question:  

  • the constitutional democracy that FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela took the lead in negotiating during the following six years is still intact; 
  • South African has rejoined the international community;
  • it has rid itself of the albatross of minority racial domination;
  • all South Africans enjoy nominal equality;
  • the new multi-racial middle class has flourished.
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STATEMENT: 2020 FW DE KLERK GOODWILL AWARD

2020-02-04

mbeki goodwill

The  Board of Trustees of the FW de Klerk Foundation awarded the 2020 FW de Klerk Goodwill Award to Mr Moeletsi Mbeki. 

The FW de Klerk Goodwill Award was established in 2010 to give recognition to individuals and organisations that have made extraordinary contributions to the promotion of goodwill between South Africans. Past winners include Pieter-Dirk Uys (2012), Studietrust (2013), Patrice Motsepe (2014), Afrika Tikkun (2015), Adv Thuli Madonsela and the Office of the Public Protector (2016), the coach and athlete team of Mrs Anna (Ans) Botha and Mr Wayde van Niekerk (2017), and Gift of the Givers (2018).

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ARTICLE: THE ROAD TO 2 FEBRUARY 1990

2020-02-02

The road to 2 February 1990 can be traced back to the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.  

In 1909 Britain decided to establish a union of its principal colonies in southern Africa along the lines of the successful federations that it had set up in Australia and Canada.  The difference was that in the other dominions the white populations greatly outnumbered the indigenous peoples – while in South Africa they comprised less than 25% of the total population. 

Nevertheless, in keeping with the colonial approach of the times, Britain gave white South Africans a monopoly of power in the newly established Union. It was an arrangement that, in a rapidly changing world, would eventually prove to be untenable.

For the next 40 years South Africa developed along the lines of the other Commonwealth dominions.  Until the mid-fifties, in a continent that was still dominated by European powers, white minority rule in South Africa seemed unexceptional.  In a world in which racial discrimination was still shockingly the rule, South Africa’s segregation policies elicited little criticism. 

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ARTICLE: THE NEW NATIONAL SPORT AND RECREATION AMENDMENT BILL

2020-01-16

IACD2019 logo

All those who are concerned about the future of sport and recreation in South Africa should give very serious attention to the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill [B-2020] that has been presented for public comment before 28 February.   The Bill has serious implications – not only for sport and recreation – but also for the principle that citizens and organisations in free societies should be able to go about their lawful activities and business without undue interference or prescription by the state.   

The Bill – which will amend the National Sport and Recreation Act, No. 110 of 1998 – would diminish the role of sports federations, clubs and individuals and give the Minister (Mr Nathi Mthethwa) wide-ranging powers to dictate policy to virtually everyone involved in the sport and recreation sector.  In terms of 1998 Act, his power was limited to determining general policy – only after consultation with the Sports Confederation.  The Bill would give the Minister the untrammelled power, “from time to time to determine and publish policy objectives to be achieved by Sports and Recreation South Africa, the Sports Confederation and sports or recreation bodies”.

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STATEMENT: ANC 8 JANUARY STATEMENT: SOME POSITIVES, SOME CONCERNS…

2020-01-13

The FW de Klerk Foundation has taken note of the annual 8 January statement of the National Executive Committee of the ANC, commemorating the 108th birthday of the organisation. 

We welcome the fact that it appears that the governing party, while celebrating its birthday, shows signs of introspection about its “own missteps over the last decade”. These include the challenges it is facing, amongst them the ailing economy, disunity and factional fighting in the organisation, and a lack of capacity in the civil service and SOEs to serve the people of South Africa. 

We also welcome the resolve of the governing party to strengthen efforts to fight State capture, corruption and unethical behaviour in its own ranks and in broader society; as well as the promise to “restore our public institutions to a higher standard of accountability and service”. We welcome the fact that the governing party is committed to “ensure that all the necessary support is provided to our law-enforcement agencies so that they can investigate thoroughly and prosecute effectively without fear or favour”.

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