The FW de Klerk Foundation honours the life and legacy of Clem Sunter, whose pioneering scenario planning helped South Africans confront the defining political and economic choices of the transition to democracy. The Foundation reflects on how his commitment to independent, evidence-based thinking expanded space for rational debate and informed leadership at a critical historical moment. It affirms the enduring lesson of his work: that democratic resilience depends not only on institutions, but on a culture of rigorous, honest and forward-looking thought.