FW De Klerk’s stance on apartheid sparks condemnation

There seems to be no end to the “controversy” sparked by former president FW De Klerk’s  appearance in parliament during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s SONA speech on Thursday.

De Klerk’s presence at the SONA was rejected by the Economic Freedom Fighter’s (EFF) which claims “he has blood on his hands, pointing out to the despicable crimes that occurred during his reign.

The EFF’s pronouncements were swiftly “dismissed” the next day by an email from the De Klerk foundation which reiterated his stance that apartheid did not constitute a crime against humanity, the words which have become the crux of the debate.

Read the  full below.

In the  clip below, De Klerk disputes the notion that apartheid is/was a crime against  humanity. The SABC News clip was retweeted by EFF  as it’s reason to oppose De Klerk’s presence at the SONA.

[MUST WATCH]: This is why the EFF in Parliament demanded that De Klerk be removed from the house. #SONA2020 pic.twitter.com/vt71kw5jqq

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) February 13, 2020

Amidst the current debate which also spilled out on social media, the United Nations (UN) confirmed to SABC News that apartheid was a well-established crime against humanity as it meets two key elements of being both widespread and systematic.

Watch the clip below:

Popular voices on South Africa and world issues quickly weighed in on the debate.

The argument that not enough blacks were killed by the Apartheid government for Apartheid to qualify as a crime against humanity should make us question the humanity of those who make such arguments. pic.twitter.com/9tqBf0Lf0h

— Tembeka Ngcukaitobi (@TembekaNgcukai1) February 15, 2020

Zindzi Mandela, the daughter of former president Nelson Mandela and struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela Mandela, reflected on the aggression inflicted on her mother and  others during Apartheid:

As a loyal and dedicated member of @MYANC I am heartbroken?this happened to my Mother and many others under De Klerk’s watch. According to his interview, he justified this, therefore saying that that my Mother and others deserved this aggression. What do we stand for? pic.twitter.com/wN0dPorOQ2

— Zindzi Mandela (@ZindziMandela) February 13, 2020

As long as F.W. De Klerk continues to minimise apartheid and deny that it was a crime against humanity, the conversation about his role then and his position now, remains alive and relevant. That’s the answer to folks who are asking why is this relevant now.

— Nomboniso Gasa (@nombonisogasa) February 14, 2020

The African National congress has not released a statement on the issue since the SONA disruption.  However, in no uncertain terms  President Ramaphosa did not credit De Klerk for the release of Mandela in prison. Below is his  quote while delivering Mandela’s 30th anniversary of prison release speech.