F.W. De Klerk | Full Speech | Oxford Union

F.W. De Klerk's talk at the Oxford Union titled 'The new South Africa after twenty years'

President of South Africa who, together with Nelson Mandela, helped to end apartheid. Nobel Peace Prize winner.

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ABOUT F.W. DE KLERK: Frederik Willem de Klerk (born 18 March 1936), was the seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994. De Klerk was also leader of the National Party (which later became the New National Party) from February 1989 to September 1997.

De Klerk brokered the end of apartheid, South Africa's racial segregation policy, and supported the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy by entering into the negotiations that resulted in all citizens, including the country's black majority, having equal voting and other rights. He won the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize in 1991, the Prince of Asturias Award in 1992 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 along with Nelson Mandela for his role in the ending of apartheid.

He was one of the deputy presidents of South Africa during the presidency of Nelson Mandela until 1996, the last white person to hold the position to date. In 1997 he retired from active politics. As of 2011 he remains active as a lecturer internationally.

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[SakaSalawu]

I'm a Nigerian. But I appreciate and admire this great leader. He made significant personal and political sacrifices in the interest of humanity. What he did undertake in context of South Africa society was akin more to racial suicide.

He was a politician of unparalleled intellectual and moral fortitude. History will surely be kind to him. May his soul rest in peace. FW de Klerk made me appreciate that fact that good men could be found anywhere, and that generalization of behavior and attitude amongst a people can be misleading and dangerous.

[johanpieterse]

FW doesn't get enough credit for what he did. He gave up power to a majority that his people oppressed for a very long time, full well knowing the anger of the black community. If that's not courage I don't know what is.

[menelisisikhahlane]

I thought he was going to invite his neighbors 😂😂😂

[albertarthurparsnips]

I’m nostalgic for the days ( so long ago, now ! ) when interviewers used to continually ask him about how he would compare himself to President Gorbachev. He always used to answer, “ We simply share the same hairstyle . “ 😅

[stogiermink]

Rest in peace. An inspiration for change.

[rushdienfakier]

When will South Africa elect quality leadership that governs based on there peoples interest holistically and not only for there own motives or for there own racial groups benefit. As a South African myself I feel that there is more of a subtle reverse apartheid kind of policy being initiated under the guise of empowerment with a hint of corporate corruption that manipulates its leadership by creating policies that contributes to social divide and I can confidently say that its taking its toll in South Africa. We need a leader, a true, genuine leader that will follow the morally correct path even though all odds are against him/her, and who's vision is not only for the today, but for tomorrow and whatever lies ahead.

[thesmithersy]

RIP FW de Klerk. The man who ended apartheid and never got the full credit he deserved for it.

[EstevaoBDavid]

I am not a South African and I am BLACK african and I am deeply sorry on what is really happenning out there for all the sides and parts but something I will say for what I have been noticing so far... "No matter how bigger is your weapon that can destroy everything, no matter how intellingent you're that can slave any kind of source of people for being poor or else, NEVER understimate ANY source of PEOPLE NEVER bacause one day will be really dificult to overcome the issue that you have caused just because you're not God that knows what the future is going to be like" hope u will fix the issue in the better way

[nokwandasthokomkhize]

This comment section is very telling. Both sides are angry at him for different reasons

[andrewgeldenhuys]

Media never shows this. History in SA is taught that The black majority just won. But they forget that its not just for them but for their children and all the children born in SA.

[lizgichora]

Thank you Mr De Klerk for this lecture on Peace; Justice, and Equality. Achieving shared Principle and Values in a free, democratic South Africam

[LeonDieBoer]

It was the English who instigated apartheid in South Africa, it was the Boere-Afrikaners who ended it... but you will never know that, you will b told the Boere were the perpetrators. It was the English who invented concentration camps in South Africa, killing 34 000 Boer women and Children, not the Germans in the 1940's. Truth is often hidden in plain sight...

[findusfishfingers]

The comments section does not disappoint. Filled with second-guessing racists on both sides that would not have any capability to run a refrigerator, let along wind down a potential civil war. For those of you that bash De Klerk, you have no idea of what he was up against in regards to the internal and economic situation of the country. It was untenable, and the alternative was either complete civil war, which could have devolved into a Zanu-PF like state, or a complete police state that would have resulted in thousands losing their lives and the complete suppression of the majority population. And for those of you who are wishing for the good old days to come back to SA, they were simply untenable. You're fantasists who wish for some kind of latter day NSDAP utopia in the midst of a country with a majority population that made that impossible.

Of course, if you look at the current situation, it's an unmitigated disaster with extreme disparity between rich and poor, endemic corruption massive white flight, a failed infrastructure and a still two-tiered society. But I believe it is hard to lay what SA has become at the feet of either De Klerk or Mandela. They, at the time, did amazing things, made amazing sacrifices and together laid the foundation for the potential of a better society. The problem is what the leaders of the country did after De Klerk and Mandela left the stage, which has been a shameful litany of graft, corruption and a lack of caring for the people on the part of the government and corporations. So unfortunately, while the rest of Africa, to varying degrees is making enormous progress in education, income disparity and modernisation, South Africa declines, despite its advantages, and it will continue to do so until there is a government that again, like De Klerk and Mandela, cares about its people.

[goochiegooch]

A great man who helped end apartheid....

[Humanophage]

I think his wife's fate is a good metaphor for how he treated the people who entrusted him with power. She trusted him and was married to him for almost four decades. He abandoned her for the daughter of a millionaire who was financially helping his party, even as the wife protested. She was loyal to her people and never bowed to Mandela. She was found strangled and knifed by her African guard, and the media initially said it was a suicide rather than a murder.


He is a traitor and a swindler. I am not South African, but I consider him to be one of the most disgusting traitors of the 20th century.

[Flashheartwoof]

He gets his adulation. Meanwhile his country is going to pot. Nice suit. Nice words. Utterly useless.

[badwellasia]

As a South African I can advice the Palestinians stop taking ill advice from outsiders.

[elizabethnadrau]

l like these speeches, I am afraid they are sad but they is a lot of reality in them.Can we learn to correct his mistakes as he is like he was apologising here. . THIS reminds me of a lot of lot of what happened. SouthAfrica let's change and start afresh and stick together like Mandela's Wishes. Mandela didn't want to come out of Prison because he found that the country was still not t free as he wished. The SouthAfricans don't feel here free as they still demand the ( Giving of the Land officially to black people.). This does'nt mean we. won't stay together.Change of Papers and change of Policies maybe., ? Because there is still Apartheid here.There is still Rasism, Discrimination here in this country.( Lot of Colourbar) here.These must be officially stopped.

[kwakuadzatia]

Perhaps compromises had to be made to avoid war but they've had far reaching consequences as we live in the most unequal society in the world today...there needs to be a change in the constitution to the benefit of the majority.

[goodafy]

Under Apartheid, white children had their own well furnished schools where they were taught that they are superior to everyone else, their teachers, politicians, business leaders, parents, military leaders and even their Christian reverends in churches taught them from the Bible that they were superior God's people from Bible passages.
Suddenly the same people changed their tone and say accept others as equals.
Please understand their confusion.
There is a story of one white teenager confronting his parents when they tried to instil subtle racial superiority in him.
Then non-whites are not allowed the two year military service after high school, best non whites can get is being an 'askari'
Gradually they will come to terms that SA has changed. Economic change is coming too.
Imagine growing up being told that Mandela in a hardened TERRORIST that should die in prison, suddenly he is your president and later the most celebrated statesman around the world with noble PEACE prize trophy, I would be confused.