EFF Vows Protest Action if FW De Klerk is Given A State Funeral, Mzansi Is Not Entirely on Board
- The Economic Freedom Fighters are standing firm in their opposition against the lat FW de Klerk receiving a state funeral
- The political organisation says it is prepared to head to the streets should the South African government decide to grant de Klerk the honour of a state funeral
- Fellow South Africans are not on the same page about granting the last apartheid-era president a state-sanctioned funeral
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JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters says should the South African government decide to give the recently deceased former apartheid-era president, FW De Klerk a state funeral then the party will take to the streets in protest.
De Klerk passed away at the age of 85 after suffering from cancer at his home in Cape Town on Thursday morning, 11 November.
Source: Getty Images
De Klerk's passing has sparked numerous conversations and debates about his legacy as the last apartheid South Africa president. The Red Berets have been very vocal about their stance on de Klerk and what he represents, reports SABC News.
On Thursday night, the EFF published an official statement in which the party stated that it is against the idea of a state funeral for de Klerk since he has failed to account for the many lives lost during his reign as president.
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“To honour de Klerk with a state funeral would be to spit in the face of gallant liberation heroes who suffered in his hands and had their children murdered in his quest to stifle the freedom of black people," read the statement.
The party stated that de Klerk's death was sad because the former apartheid-era president takes secrets of the deaths of many with him to his grave. The EFF says de Klerk lost his right to be honoured when the apartheid regime fell in 1994, reports The Citizen.
The full statement:
South Africans have mixed reactions about the EFF's stance
The EFF's statement had a lot of South Africans talking on social media. Some people seemed to be on board with the EFF about not allowing a state funeral while others that de Klerk would most likely have a state funeral because he was the deputy president from 1994 to 1996.
Here are some reactions:
@Yugeshni said:
"How will our country heal and flourish if politicians are still fanning the air of hatred instead of peace "
@tsitso09 said:
"De Klerk has been receiving benefits accorded to all former Presidents since Mandela took over. Campaigning against a State Funeral for him can only be done by the EFF and makes no sense. If the EFF was to govern this country, it is clear there would be chaos."
@VNATIONvusinat1 said:
"That's the party that I voted for and I have always had to believe in u that you gonna represents my views without any fear or favour."
@Ntorealthabizo1 said:
"Now CIC make sure our money doesn't go to waste by giving this man a state funeral!...even if we need to take to da street to make sure that doesn't happen then give us da signal."
FW De Klerk Death: Bantu Holomisa, Carl Niehaus, John Steenhuisen react
Briefly News previously reported that former South African president, FW De Klerk, has passed away in his home earlier today, aged 85. His fellow politicians have expressed their reactions to the announcement of his death.
The news of De Klerk's death has not only spread locally but internationally too, with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Micheál Martin, sending his condolences:
"Saddened to hear of the death of FW de Klerk, a man whose decisions at a key moment advanced South Africa’s journey from apartheid to democracy. His vision, along with Nelson Mandela, moulded a new South Africa."
DA leader John Steenhuisen tweeted the DA's official statement on De Klerk's passing and acknowledged how he assisted in the transition from apartheid to democracy.
Source: Briefly News
