Desmond & Leah Tutu Foundation Says FW De Klerk Was An Apartheid Denialist, Too Late For An Apology

• The Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation has come out to speak out about the legacy of FW de Klerk following his recent passing
• The foundation says De Klerk had multiple opportunities to apologise for apartheid but chose not to
• South Africans are not impressed with the foundation's statement and have highlighted that de Klerk could have been held accountable at the TRC

JOHANNESBURG - There have been a number of civil society groups that have used the death of FW de Klerk to reflect on his legacy as the last president of the Apartheid regime, as well as, the president that decided to transition South Africa into a democracy.

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation has reacted to De Klerk's apology video and the foundation feels that the late former president had ample time to issue this apology to the citizens of South Africa.

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FW de Klerk: Former president apologises for Apartheid in final video, South Africans have mixed reactions

In recent years, De Klerk's reputation as a peacemaker had been on a downward spiral for refusing to acknowledge the impact of apartheid on South Africans, according to a report by EWN.

De Klerk, according to the foundation, squandered opportunities to rectify apartheid's injustices and reconcile with South Africans.

In a statement issued by the foundation, the organisation stated that de Klerk failed to adequately recognise the full impact of apartheid, adding that South Africa is now a broken society because of the oppressive rule, according to TimesLIVE.

The foundation highlighted that De Klerk has refused to acknowledge that apartheid was a crime against humanity despite the fact that it had been declared as such since 1973 by the United Nations.

The foundation also stated that De Klerk's life can be summed up into three phases: the first being the president of an apartheid regime, the second being the president that helped the country transition into a democracy and the last phase being an apartheid denialist.

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Mzansi reacts to Tutu foundation's statement:

Social media users were not very receptive to the Tutu foundation's statement with some highlighting that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not bring De Klerk to book.

Here are some comments:

@Vuyiswa44120 said:

"But nothing was done to ensure that he account 4 his involvement. Mam Winnie Mandela on the other hand was dragged to the TRC & begged by its controversial Desmond Tutu to “confess”."

@AdvdaliB said:

"De Klerk didn't "fail to acknowledge..damage by apartheid.."! he failed to *admit* that he committed crimes against humanity!"

@sandz1202 said:

"So what? It's over now. He is DEAD. Gosh!!!!!"

@Cliff_Schwarz said:

"He was a denialist and only death woke him up."

@JapanSepuwe said:

"Tutu only comes out know....tsek"

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

Briefly News previously 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, according to SABC News.

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