Moments in South African History

Former South African president FW de Klerk who died at the age of 85 in Cape Town, was one of only four South Africans to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.  De Klerk shared the award with his presidential successor, Nelson Mandela, in 1993 for ending apartheid and helping to create a new South Africa.  Following the historic 1994 election, De Klerk became Mandela's deputy.  But their rocky relationship saw him quit their Government of National Unity.  During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission period, De Klerk apologised for the pain and suffering that apartheid had caused, but didn't go far enough for everyone. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, John Perlman, Danny Booysen and the SABC Media Libraries. © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

South Africa's last white president, FW de Klerk, who has died at the age of 85 in Cape Town, will be remembered for effectively ending apartheid and paving the way for constitutional negotiations.  On the second of February 1990, De Klerk shocked everyone by unbanning anti-apartheid organisations, such as the ANC, and by announcing the release of the world's then-most famous prisoner, Nelson Mandela. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, John Perlman, Danny Booysen and the SABC Media Libraries. © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

The National Party in the form of its leader, FW de Klerk, appeared before the Truth Commission in Cape Town in August 1996 and May 1997. De Klerk accepted responsibility for the wrongs in South Africa while he was president from 1989 to 1994. He admitted to authorising certain operations against the liberation movements. But those operations, said De Klerk, never included official permission to torture and murder activists. He also conceded that many repressive measures had contributed to human rights abuses during the apartheid era. But the lasting image of De Klerk at the Truth Commission soured almost everyone’s respect for the man who so boldly unbanned South Africa in 1990 and publicly apologised for his country’s suffering. Credits: Darren Taylor, Antjie Samuel, Kenneth Makatees, Angie Kapelianis, Sally Burdett and Danny Booysen. Transcript: http://www.sabctruth.co.za/sabctruth/slicesright.htm#call  From the series South Africa's Human Spirit. Available wherever you find your podcasts. © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC. Additional music: B - Somber Ballads by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Former President Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s first democratically elected Head of State. His five-year presidency from 1994 to 1999 was regarded as one of reconciliation by both black and white South Africans. The people’s president was revered the world over for his fight against apartheid and commitment towards liberating all South Africans. Through his principled stance on various issues, South Africa’s profile was enhanced internationally as a leading emerging democracy. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, Danny Booysen, Denzil Taylor and the SABC Media Library Transcript: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/obituary-nelson-mandela-1918-2013/ © SABC 2020. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

Former president Nelson Mandela wasn't a brilliant orator like Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King or Barack Obama. But Mandela was one of the most quoted and influential people in the world. And he often got standing ovations without even saying a word. Such was the appreciation of his sacrifices, lack of retribution and commitment to democracy. When Mandela did speak, though, he measured his words, spoke confidently, and often disarmed everyone with his unique brand of humour. Angie Kapelianis highlights some of Nelson Mandela's classic sound bites in almost half a century from 1961 to 2009. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, Danny Booysen,  the SABC Media Library and ITN. © SABC 2020. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s first-ever partial event hearing took place at the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto in mid-July 1996. The focus was the twentieth anniversary of the June 16 Soweto uprising – the day thousands of black children revolted against the apartheid system of Bantu Education and Afrikaans as the medium of instruction. All hell broke out when the police unleashed their dogs, tear gas and bullets on students armed with stones, knives and fire. The official cost a week later: more than a thousand injuries, 900 arrests and 140 corpses – the first being that of teenager Hector Peterson. He became the innocent symbol in the turning point of the liberation struggle for democracy. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, Manana Makhanya and Danny Booysen. Transcript: http://www.sabctruth.co.za/sabctruth/slicesright.htm#you From the series South Africa's Human Spirit. Available wherever you find your podcasts.  © SABC 2020. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

After a long process to choose a design and construct a building, the new South African Constitutional Court building, the flagship structure of Constitution Hill, was officially opened on 21 March 2004. Judge Albie Sachs gives us a tour of the historic site. Credits: Angie Kapelianis © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

Most people would frown at a casino consortium agreeing to build a museum for its licence. But that’s exactly what Gold Reef City has done with the help of a team of experts. It got its licence and it’s quietly built an impressive apartheid museum on its doorstep in Johannesburg. The museum opened in 2001. Credits:  Angie Kapelianis © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

They became known as the Cradock Four: Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli. On the 27th of June 1985, these four men left the small Eastern Cape town of Cradock for a meeting of the United Democratic Front in Port Elizabeth. A few days later, their mutilated and charred bodies were found in the bush outside the city. Convicted Vlakplaas commander Colonel Eugene de Kock recalled that Goniwe's death was "the beginning of the end of apartheid". "Who killed Matthew Goniwe?" was a constant refrain for 13 years until February 1998, when a group of former security policemen finally stepped forward and said: "We killed the Cradock Four." Credits: Zola Ntutu, Darren Taylor, Thapelo Mokushane, Angie Kapelianis, Sally Burdett and Danny Booysen. Transcript: http://www.sabctruth.co.za/sabctruth/worldsright.htm#cant From the series South Africa's Human Spirit. Available wherever you find your podcasts. © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC.

The media painted him as the arch-villain of the apartheid era and labelled him "Prime Evil". The Truth Commission singled him out as the man who broke the code of silence and forced security policemen to seek amnesty. He was Eugene de Kock, former commander of the Vlakplaas death squad, convicted murderer serving two life sentences and 212 years in jail for apartheid crimes, and amnesty applicant who helped convict former president PW Botha for contempt of the Truth Commission. Eugene de Kock waged war against liberation movements in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Angola in the seventies and eighties. When he returned home to fight the ANC, he said: "My war is only just starting." At Vlakplaas, the colonel led his men from the front. At various amnesty hearings, the prisoner still refused to abandon them. But for his former masters, the politicians and the generals, Eugene de Kock had only bitter venom. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, Darren Taylor, Sally Burdett and Danny Booysen. From the series South Africa's Human Spirit. Available wherever you find your podcasts. Transcript: http://www.sabctruth.co.za/sabctruth/worldsright.htm#thousand © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC. Additional music by Whitesand - Do You Feel What I Feel? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM7qA8n9S88&list=RDkQSoW1VnkH4&index=47