As the heat continues surrounding apartheid’s last president FW De Klerk’s statements about the system, former president Thabo Mbeki has said that De Klerk was not aware of United Nation’s declaration that apartheid was a crime against humanity. 

According to IOL, Mbeki said he had interacted with De Klerk, who had said he “actually did not know” about the UN declaration. 

Mbeki, who served as the second democratically elected president of South Africa, shared the details to the media in Durban on Sunday after addressing a political school of the ANC. 

The publication also reported that the Mbeki had said he would be sharing the UN document with De Klerk to enlighten him on the matter. 

De Klerk has come under fire following his statement that he believed apartheid was not a crime against humanity, during interviews commemorating 30 years since he unbanned liberation movements in the country, which saw the release of among others, late former president Nelson Mandela.

After EFF leader Julius Malema demanded that De Klerk be removed from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, and labelling him an “unrepentant apologist of apartheid”, the former president’s foundation released a statement labelling the notion that apartheid was a crime against humanity “soviet agitprop” – propaganda meant to agitate.

The statement saw further backlash from the likes of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, ANC and other organisations who have called on the foundation to retract it. 

There is also a planned protest for Wednesday in Cape Town against De Klerk and his foundation, News24 reported. 

Convener of the #DeKlerkMustFall protest Songezo Mazizi told News24 that they were expecting a number of citizens and activists who were concerned about the foundation’s recent statement about apartheid to take part and would be handing down a memorandum calling for the foundation to apologise.

Compiled by Sesona Ngqakamba