The FW De Klerk Foundation has officially retracted the former president’s utterances that apartheid was not a crime against humanity and has apologized for the confusion, anger and hurt that it has caused.

While De Klerk in an interview with the SABC last week apologized for apartheid, he said he did not believe it could be labelled as a crime against humanity.

The former president’s comments and his presence at the State of the Nation (SONA) address on Thursday were subject to a number of objections from the Economic Freedom Fighters labelling him a “murderer” and an apologist for apartheid.

In a statement, De Klerk says he has taken note of the EFF’s attack on him at Sona.

“I agree with the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation that this is not the time to quibble about the degrees of unacceptability of apartheid. It was totally unacceptable.”

The FW de Klerk Foundation says it remains deeply committed to national reconciliation and to the achievement of the foundational values on which the Constitution is based including human dignity, the advancement of human rights and freedoms; non-racialism and non-sexism.

Faizel Patel – 17-02-2020

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)