Ramaphosa says denying criminality of apartheid is 'treasonous'
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday told parliament that in his view it was treasonous to deny that apartheid was a crime against humanity, thereby publicly repudiating former president FW de Klerk.
Ramaphosa opened his reply to the debate on his State of the nation address by saying it was clear that apartheid was a crime against humanity even before the United Nations declared it such in 1973.
"They knew as they looked at this country that this was a country where a grave crime was being committed against the majority of the people against South Africa," the president said.
Ramaphosa added that there was not a single South African alive who was not touched by apartheid.
"I would go as far as to say to deny this is treasonous."
He was reacting to the bitter polemic that erupted after De Klerk compared apartheid to genocide and said he did not think it fell into the same category.
"Genocide is a crime," De Klerk said.
His apparent equivocation on the issue sparked a political storm, with the Economic Freedom Fighters disrupting the opening of parliament last week to demand that he be asked to leave the public gallery.
De Klerk on Monday issued an apology, and said he accepted that apartheid was indeed a crime against humanity.
He served as the country's last white president and then as deputy president in the democratic government formed by Nelson Mandela after South Africa's first all race elections in 1994.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Supplier & Distributor of the Widest Range of Accurate & Easy-to-Use Alcohol Breathalysers
VISIT SHOWROOM
From batteries for boats and jet skis, to batteries for cars and quad bikes, SABAT Batteries has positioned itself as the lifestyle battery of...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
