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Mandela 'remembers' Apartheid leader 11/2/2006 9:16:25 AM
"PW Botha, aged 90, died yesterday. Nelson Mandela led South Africa in remembering the defiant face of apartheid who doggedly clung to white rule and refused to free Mandela from jail."
~~~
Having lived in South Africa for most of my life, I find this story quite incredible. PW Botha was a strong advocate of the Apartheid system and left office (was in fact voted out by his own cabinet) still holding firm to his racist beliefs. It was FW De Klerk, his replacement and joint winner of the Nobel Peace prize together with Mandela, that actually paved the way to the country's first democratic elections in 1992 where black people were able to vote for the first time. He was instrumental in removing 'Die Groot Krokodil' (PW Botha's nickname, meaning 'The Great Crocodile') from office and started to institute changes immediately. All of these changes were publicly criticized by the former prime minister, Botha.
I have to admire Mandela for this benevolent act. After all this is the man that kept him incacerated for twenty seven years. How many of us would be so forgiving?
Then again, I just reread the headline. What does 'remembering' mean? He could have burnt an effigy of the former prime minister in front of the Union Buildings and that would be a form of rememberance, not so?
Ok, I agree, that was in poor taste but no more so than Kerry's recent joke. ;)
