The remarks I made during my recent interview with Christiane Amanpour have been widely misunderstood and misinterpreted. I would accordingly like to make my position perfectly clear. The views I expressed related to the reasons why - as a young lawyer and politician way back in the 60's and 70's - I supported separate development. I did so within the context of the times and my wish to retain the historic right of my people to self-determination. I believed then that the problems of South … [Read more...]
Centre for Constitutional Rights Condemns COSATU violence
16 May, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Centre for Constitutional Rights strongly condemns Tuesday's acts of violence allegedly committed by supporters of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) against a peaceful march of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and its supporters in Johannesburg. These violent actions instigated and perpetrated allegedly by supporters of COSATU - as had been the case during various previous protest actions organised by COSATU themselves - was not only an attack on a peaceful demonstration, but … [Read more...]
Previous: FW De Klerk Speech to Durban Rotary Club
FW De Klerk Speech to Durban Rotary Club
11 May, 2012 By Leave a Comment
During our historic negotiations in the early 'nineties, we South Africans reached fundamental and well-considered agreements on the kind of society that we wanted. We agreed that we wanted a non-racial and non-sexist society based on human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms; We agreed that Constitution - and not the majority of the day - would be sovereign. We agreed that we would establish a truly democratic system of government … [Read more...]
Minister Blade Nzimande’s Majority Rule Criticism Criticised
14 April, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The F W de Klerk Foundation has read with interest the latest views of Blade Nzimande relating to the principle that "the People Shall Govern: The principal and supreme foundation of our democracy." Mr Nzimande is very critical of the media, opposition parties, the courts and NGOs 'like the F W de Klerk Foundation' which he believes are trying to subvert the right of the majority to govern. In support of his views in this regard he cites the declaration in the Freedom Charter that "the people … [Read more...]
ANC Head of Communications Goes to Sleep While Reading
10 April, 2012 By 1 Comment
According to an article in New Age on 9 April, Mr Keith Khoza, the ANC's 'Head of Communications', is reported to have said that F W de Klerk was "poisoning the South Africans with his utterances" about former President Mandela. Khoza was apparently referring to remarks that F W de Klerk made about great world leaders - including Mr Mandela - in his recent speech to the River Club. Khoza made the remarkable claim that because Mr Mandela is black, "F W de Klerk couldn't acknowledge him." In … [Read more...]
Afrikaans – An Obstacle to Transformation
4 April, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A recent report of the University of Stellenbosch's (US) faculty of Health Sciences proposes that English should become the language of tuition at the US' Tygerberg Campus, as well as the Tygerberg Hospital. The report repeatedly singles Afrikaans out as an obstacle to transformation and diversity and goes as far as alleging that should change, in other words changing the faculty to English language one, not take place "the University may fail to attract students with progressive mind-sets … [Read more...]
Previous: Politicians and Statesmen I have Known
Politicians and Statesmen I have Known
31 March, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A speech by FW De Klerk presented to the River Club, Johannesburg on 30 March 2012: Steven Mulholland suggested two topics that I might address - one that might entertain you - and the other that would probably depress you. I have decided to choose the former. It relates to my memories of the many leaders that I have met during my political career - and subsequently. Politics is a strange business. It takes a particular type of personality to thrust himself before the electorate and … [Read more...]
F W de Klerk Response to NUMSA’s Irvin Jim
24 March, 2012 By Leave a Comment
We welcome the reaction of Mr Irvin Jim of NUMSA to F W de Klerk's response to the ANC's "Second Transition" - despite its overtly racist tone. Mr Jim was particularly agitated by Mr De Klerk's statement that he had surrendered power, not to another political party, but to a sovereign Constitution. Yet the founding principles in the Constitution confirm the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. Any law or conduct that is inconsistent with the Constitution is invalid, even if it … [Read more...]
New Director of the Centre for Constitutional Rights
24 March, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The F W de Klerk Foundation is delighted to announce that it has appointed Advocate Johan Kruger to succeed Adv Nikki de Havilland as the Director of the Centre for Constitutional Rights with effect from 1 April 2012. Adv Kruger matriculated from the Potchefstroom Gymnasium in 1994 and studied law at North-West University between 1995 and 2002. He was awarded his LL.B degree in 2000 and his LL.M (Public Law) Cum Laude in 2002. His LL.M studies included Constitutional Law. He was admitted as … [Read more...]
Previous: 2012 Human Rights Report Card
2012 Human Rights Report Card
21 March, 2012 By 3 Comments
The Centre for Constitutional Rights takes pleasure in presenting its fourth annual Human Rights Report Card indicating where, in our opinion, South Africa has been making progress with regard to human rights and where it has been regressing. We have once again awarded the following grades for human rights in this year's report card: A = Excellent; B = Good; C = Average; D = Poor; and E = Very Poor. At the same time, the +, = and - signs are used to indicate whether things are getting … [Read more...]
Previous: 20 Years After the 1992 Referendum
20 Years After the 1992 Referendum
18 March, 2012 By Leave a Comment
At the end of 1991 the National Party lost a key bye-election in Virginia to the Conservative Party. The Conservatives crowed that we had also lost our mandate to continue with the constitutional negotiations and demanded a whites-only election. Their claims were greatly amplified on 19 February 1992 when the National Party lost another key bye-election - in Potchefstroom. Its majority of 2 000 in the 1989 election was wiped out and replaced by a CP majority of 2 140 votes. The CP's claim that … [Read more...]
ANC Planning to end SA’s Historical Constitutional Consensus
7 March, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Eighteen years ago, in November 1993, we South Africans reached agreement on the kind of country we wanted to become. After three years of difficult negotiations we agreed that we wanted a society in which the Constitution - and not the majority of the day - would be sovereign. We agreed that that Constitution should make full provision for the protection of all our fundamental rights; that we would have free and independent courts; and that we would establish a truly democratic system of … [Read more...]
The elimination of Afrikaans as an official language
6 March, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The government is clearly determined to proceed with its present course with regard to the South African Languages Bill that will, for all practical purposes, eliminate Afrikaans as an official language. The Bill, in its present form, requires government to use three official languages - two of which must be indigenous black languages and the other, one of the “previously advantaged” languages, English or Afrikaans. Because English is the generally accepted lingua franca, Afrikaans will … [Read more...]
Is the ANC is hell bent on revoking Constitutional fundamental rights and freedoms?
5 March, 2012 By Leave a Comment
South Africans are understandably perplexed by Minister Jeff Radebe's presentation earlier this week of the discussion paper on the proposed review of the Constitutional Court's judgments. After months of ominous rumbling the ANC volcano produced only an obfuscating - but apparently innocuous - puff of smoke. The rumblings had, indeed, caused constitutionalists serious concern. On 8 July, 2011 President Zuma warned that "the powers conferred on the courts cannot be superior to the … [Read more...]
FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes Minister of Justice’s assurances
29 February, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The F W de Klerk Foundation welcomes the assurances given by the Minister of Justice, Mr Jeff Radebe, that "the Constitution is an embodiment of the values that the ANC stood and fought for" and that "the ANC-led government will defend these values at all cost, including the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law which are the bedrock of our constitutional democracy". We also welcome the Minister’s reaffirmation that the judicial power of the Constitutional Court in striking down … [Read more...]
Department of Correctional Services Employees Challenging Employment Equity Plan
22 February, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On Thursday 23 February a group of employees from the Department of Correctional Services in the Western Cape will be going to the CCMA to challenge the department's employment equity plan which has placed a prohibition on the appointment and promotion of coloured and white South Africans in the province. Almost 18 years after the establishment of our non-racial democracy, the lives of an increasing number of South Africans are once again being disrupted by racial discrimination. In terms of … [Read more...]
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