CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
SPEECH: DEALING WITH THE PAST
It is once again a great pleasure for me to address the Cape Town Press Club.
I shall spend a little more time today on the past than on the future ‐ because, at the age of 84, I have much more past than future ‐ and also because the past has become an increasingly contentious issue, not only for the present ‐ but also for the future.
ARTICLE: Heritage Day – 24 September 2020: Uniting from a Distance
This Heritage Day we are slowly emerging from the most immediate aftermath of Covid-19 and its devastating effect on our country, economy and people.
On this day -and in a country belonging to all its’ people – South Africans are encouraged to celebrate their culture, the diversity of their beliefs and traditions.
One of the most important aspects recognised in the Constitution of South Africa, is the importance of our collective heritage and the rich cultural, linguistic and historical landscape painting the canvas of our people’s diversity. The South African Constitution unambiguously speaks to this in its’ preamble: South Africa belongs to all who live in it – united in our diversity – in the wider context of a nation and country recognising the injustices of our past; honouring those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land as well as respecting those who have worked to build and develop our country.
ARTICLE: PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA’S DOUBLETHINK HERITAGE DAY STATEMENT
In his dystopian novel “1984” George Orwell introduced us to the concept of “doublethink” – which he described as –
“…the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them… To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies – all this is indispensably necessary.”
We saw examples of doublethink in President Ramaphosa’s statement on Heritage Day last week.
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
SPEECHES
EVENTS
FW DE KLERK SPEAKS ABOUT ACCOMMODATING DIVERSITY IN MULTICULTURAL SOCIETIES AT THE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
Watch as FW de Klerk masterfully outlines his views on accommodating diversity in multicultural societies and answers challenging questions about South Africa’s history at a speech presented to the Institute of Politics Harvard Kennedy School on 7 February, 2001.
ELITA DE KLERK: THROUGH MY GRIEF, I SEE SA’S TRAUMA
In a recent interview with the Vrye Weekblad, Elita De Klerk reflects on the period following the passing of former President FW de Klerk. She delves into the intricacies of navigating the profound grief of losing her husband while grappling with the pain experienced by others.
NAVIGATING CHALLENGES IN SOUTH AFRICA AND EXPLORING PATHS TO IMPROVEMENT
The FW de Klerk Foundation eagerly anticipates the arrival of our newly appointed Executive Director, Mr. Christo van der Rheede, who will assume his role on January 15, 2024.
CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
- Equality
- Non-racialism
- Gender Rights
- The Constitution
- The Rule of Law
- Multiparty Democracy
- Personal Rights
- Cultural, Religious and Language Rights
- Freedom of Expression and Political Rights
- Social and Economic Rights
- Property Rights
- Education
- Access To The Courts, Information And Fair Adminstration