The African National Congress (ANC) has called on decisive action to be taken against former deputy president FW De Klerk along with the De Klerk Foundation.
This comes after FW De Klerk disputed that the racially oppressive system of apartheid was a crime against humanity during an SABC interview to mark the unbanning of apartheid in 1990, saying he did not “fully” agree that Apartheid was a crime against humanity.
The party’s spokesperson Pule Mabe says De Klerk and his foundation must issue an apology and also retract a statement it made on apartheid.
WATCH: ANC spokesperson says De Klerk must work on nation-building
The De Klerk Foundation said the United Nation’s classification of apartheid as a crime against humanity formed part of an agenda by the Soviet Union and the African National Congress along with its allies to stigmatize white South Africans.
The statement also sought to justify and reason as to why apartheid was not a crime against humanity.
Read the statement:
‘De Klerk not aware of UN declaration’
Despite the United Nation’s General Assembly declaring apartheid a crime in 1966, former President Thabo Mbeki says De Klerk told him that he was not aware that the UN had made this declaration.
“I had a brief discussion with De Klerk because we were sitting more or less next to each other in parliament, and what transpired is that he actually didn’t know that there is a convention declaring apartheid a crime against humanity.
“He said to me that he had been asked a question and he had said apartheid was reprehensible, he apologised for the bad things that had happened,” adds former President Mbeki.
EFF ‘militant protests’
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has threatened to heighten what it calls “militant protests” against FW De Klerk if the ANC and government continue to include him in public events.
EFF spokesperson Delisile Ngwenya says they will also write to the Nobel Peace Committee to withdraw the Peace Prize awarded to De Klerk.
“Parliament and government must immediately stop all invitations to De Klerk. And if they fail to do so, the EFF will increase its militant protests against De Klerk, including through physically removing him from official events.”
[Listen]Advocate Dali Mpofu on the campaign to withdraw De Klerk’s Nobel Peace Award:
During the State of the Nation Address last week the EFF raised numerous points of order against De Klerk’s presence in parliament.
Mabe says the EFF was correct to object to De Klerk’s presence in parliament.
5 QUOTES ON DE KLERK’S UTTERANCES ON APARTHEID by SABC Digital News
