Foundation Defends De Klerk’s Comments

The FW de Klerk Foundation says that former president FW de Klerk's comments about the homeland system during a CNN interview were taken unfairly out of context.

In a press statement, the foundation states that, "The interview dealt with De Klerk’s views as a young man. He tried, as frankly as he could, to explain what motivated him at the time.”

It further says that since the mid 80s, De Klerk has accepted that the policies that he supported as a young man were wrong and that there was not any possibility of justly settling South Africa’s complex problems on the basis of territorial partition.

In the same vein, Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko, has described De Klerk's comments as ‘unfortunate and disappointing'. Mazibuko is of the view that the comments also undermine the work the former president did in pursuing reconciliation for the country.

To read the article titled, “De Klerk taken unfairly out of context – foundation,” click here.