FW De Klerk: Former President Apologises for Apartheid in Final Video, South Africans Have Mixed Reactions

• The FW de Klerk Foundation released a video message by the former president shortly after his passing yesterday
• In the video, De Klerk apologises for Apartheid and says that he has changed his view since the 1980s
• South Africans had mixed reactions to De Klerk's video, as people questioned the timing of its release

CAPE TOWN - Former South African president, FW De Klerk, passed away yesterday at his home in Cape Town. A while later his foundation released a video of him, in which he apologises for Apartheid and calls for constitutionalism to be brought back.

However, South Africans had mixed reactions to this video, including Professor Sipho Seepe, a political analyst. He argues that De Klerk's apology does not erase the truth of what happened and how many people's lives were severely affected by Apartheid.

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“People died under his watch. After he lost power or stepped aside, he was never champion of reparations for the damage that had already been done, " said Professor Seepe.

De Klerk's video message

In his video, De Klerk states that since the 1980s his stance on Apartheid has dramatically changed. He acknowledged how Apartheid negatively affected POC lives, IOL reports.

Makhosini Mgitywa, a political analyst, agreed with Professor Seepe, in that he too questions why the video was released so soon after De Klerk's death, as it made the whole thing seem calculated.

Mgitywa says that it should have been released sooner, while he was still alive, as this would have had a greater impact. But he does concede that the video serves as a platform for De Klerk's atonement for Apartheid.

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South Africa reacts to De Klerk's video

@InspireMeShoka said:

"Apology not accepted."

@rationallity believes:

"Ended apartheid when whites never expected. released Mandela when others wanted Mandela to renounce violence..he should have asked God forgiveness believed in 1 god unseen..man can't all appreciate..only god forgives .."

@NonhleBeryl remarked:

"De Klerk is so strategic that he wanted that “apology” video to be released AFTER his death. That way he can’t be questioned and most people around the world will just accept that he died “remorseful.” Also note the painting of the Black girl behind him. What a demonic man."

@B_P_khoza shared:

"He died saying apartheid was not a crime against humanity."

FW De Klerk's legacy will 'forever be tied' to Mandela

Earlier Briefly News reported that the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) was among the many organisations across South Africa to react to the news of the passing of apartheid-era former President FW De Klerk on Thursday.

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While ordinary citizens and others with political inclinations took on a nonchalant stance, the NMF drew parallels with the legacy of the late first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, and that left behind by De Klerk, who succumbed to cancer.

Commenting on the impact the 85-year-old had on the country's democratic dispensation, although an unwelcome presence by the estimation of some quarters, NMF CEO Sello Hatang conceded that "no legacy is perfect."

Source: Briefly News