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STATEMENT: 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AWARDING OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE TO FW DE KLERK AND TO NELSON MANDELA



1993 fwdeklerk-and-nelsonmandela-receiving-the-nobel-peace-prizeToday is the 20th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to FW de Klerk and to Nelson Mandela. Significantly, it is also the day of the principal commemoration in Johannesburg of Mr Mandela’s life. In addition, it is also International Human Rights Day.



Perhaps the greatest significance of the 20th anniversary of the 1993 Peace Prize is the progress that South Africa has made since then.

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ARTICLE: CHURCH AND STATE

state-church No doubt to the alarm of his minders and keepers, President Zuma deviated from the prepared text of his speech yesterday to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Giyani, Limpopo. His speech should have been suitably innocuous – with a nod to the older generation on International Grandparents Day, exhortations to the youth and the expression of justifiable pride in the fact that the number of children infected with HIV within the East and Southern African region has more than halved in the past 10 years. There was only one reference to “apartheid colonialism” – and for the rest, the tone of the speech was suitably presidential.

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STATEMENT: FW DE KLERK TALKS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA’S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

future In a speech on 13 September 2013 at the Nedbank SA Charity Golf Day at Foxhills resort in England, FW de Klerk shared his views on South Africa’s past, present and future.

He said that he could recall no time since 1994 when so many South Africans had been so despondent. He added that “we should remember 1994 – not only because it was the birth of our new society – but because it provides an important reminder that we South Africans have the ability to solve even the most intractable problems”.

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STATEMENT: TRIBUTE – FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE PIUS LANGA

Pius Langa I have learned with great sadness of the death of former Chief Justice Pius Langa and would like to convey my sincere condolences to his family and friends. As one of the first Judges appointed to our Constitutional Court after 1994 -‐ and later in the key role of Chief Justice from 2005 until his retirement in 2009 -­ Justice Langa played a crucial role in laying the foundations for our young constitutional democracy and continued to promote the integrity and independence of the judiciary as a cornerstone of our democracy.

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STATEMENT: MANDELA DAY – 67 MINUTES

mandela day In keeping with this year’s theme of: “Take action; inspire change; make every day a Mandela Day”, staff of the FW de Klerk Foundation will be donating 67 minutes of their time to a community project in Cloetesville, Stellenbosch.

The ATKV AbbAsorg project cares for more than 35 disadvantaged and vulnerable children -­ aged between three and six years -­ from the local community. The project provides the children with nutritious meals and promotes school-­readiness by means of an educational pre-­school programme.

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STATEMENT: FW DE KLERK TO RETURN TO CAPE TOWN

cape-townMr FW de Klerk and his wife Elita have decided to suspend their current working visit and holiday in Europe because of Mr Mandela’s medical condition. They will arrive back in Cape Town tomorrow. Their thoughts are with the Mandela family during this difficult time and they join in their prayers for an improvement in Mr Mandela’s health. 

 

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STATEMENT: THE RIGHT TO CRITICISE A SITTING HEAD OF STATE

people-jackson-mthembuIn a rambling statement earlier today, ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu took issue with critics of President Zuma. Mr Mthembu was angry about allegations that there are elements within the ANC who fear the President; that President Zuma is beholden to those who supported him when he was accused of corruption; and charges that critics “cannot even wait for the Public Protector and other respected institutions created by our constitution to investigate and make public their findings regarding the Nkandla allegations”.

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STATEMENT: THE OPEN-ENDED NATURE OF BROAD-BASED BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

people-rob-davies-When he briefed the media yesterday before the debate on the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Bill in Parliament, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, said that the country was nowhere near the point where a sunset clause for BBBEE measures could be considered. He said that according to a -007 survey by the University of Pretoria, most companies were still at the lowest level of BBBEE.

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The FW de Klerk Foundation Annual Conference

The FW de Klerk Foundation Annual Conference – hosted in conjunction with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung – took place on 31 January 2025. The theme of this year’s conference is: “South Africa’s Position in the World Today”.
 

 Esteemed speakers include Ambassador Andreas Peschke (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany); Magda Wierzycka (CEO of Sygnia); Dr Harlan Cloete (Local Governance and Public Leadership – Research Fellow) and Johan “Rassie” Erasmus (Springbok Coach).