Cape Town – History stays history irrespective of what the person says.
This was the view of political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe in reaction to the video in which former apartheid president FW de Klerk apologises for his role during the apartheid regime.
De Klerk died on Thursday morning following his battle with cancer.
Moments after confirming his passing, the FW de Klerk Foundation shared a video of the 85-year-old’s last message to citizens in which he said his views on apartheid had changed significantly since the 1980’s.
De Klerk apologised for the damage which apartheid caused to non-whites.
Video supplied: FW de Klerk Foundation
The apology, he said, was not only in his capacity as the former leader of the National Party, but also as an individual.
The timing of the release of the video came with mixed reactions.
Seepe impressed that his apology does not erase the fact that racial segregation existed. “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.
“To say you are sorry is fine, but it does not sanitise or change the course of history,” Seepe said.
Another analyst Makhosini Mgitywa echoed Seepe’s views. He added the video was an attempt to put a stamp on De Klerk’s legacy. He said the timing of the release of the video was “strange”.
“I find it strange because he does not sound as sincere as he would have if it had been released prior to his passing. If he had said the things he said, maybe during an interview or called a media conference, it would have had a greater impact,” Mgitywa said.
However, Professor Mcebisi Ndletyana says the video is an atonement for the sins committed.
“That is what Christians do for whatever sins they may have committed. When people die, they call those who they have wronged to apologise to them as they are thinking about judgement. It is about concern for the afterlife and preparation for that,” Ndletyana said.
Political Bureau