Except for one, I have never missed any of the anniversaries of 2 February 1990 when Mr De Klerk made that major speech which put us where we are today.

I think it might help for people to understand why, when Mr De Klerk approached me, we came to that conclusion about the release of Mr Mandela. Many people do not know that Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme, the founder of the ANC who was my uncle, was married to King Dinuzulu’s eldest daughter, my grandfather’s daughter. And I did errands for my uncle when I was doing Matric. In fact, when I was rusticated from Fort Hare for being involved in demonstrations against the then Governor General G Brand Van Zyl in 1950, Dr Seme wrote to one of our leaders of the ANC, Prof Mathews, trying to intercede for me to be allowed to write my exams. I was of course involved in those demonstrations as a cadre of the ANC Youth League.

On behalf of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung I would like to warmly welcome you to this event today. At the very beginning I need to point out

I am very honoured to follow two former Presidents and also Prince Buthelezi, all of them leaders of different political persuasions, all of whom I admire. And I am very pleased to count all three as personal friends. 

A quarter of a century has passed since 2 February 1990 when I rose in Parliament to make the announcements that would change South Africa forever. 

My speech was not the result of some Damascus Road conversion. Neither was it made because of domestic or international pressure. It was motivated by our realisation that if we wanted there to be a future for South Africa and for all our children, we would have to find real and lasting solutions to the problems that had for so long divided us.

Thank you for the honour to address this seminal event: ‘the 25 Years since 2 February 1990, a Quarter Century of Building and Defending Non-Racial Constitutional Democracy’.