COSATU opposes naming of City Street after FW De Klerk

COSATU is opposed to the naming of the Table Bay Boulevard after FW De Klerk, for the following reasons:

The City continues to try and draw parallels between De Klerk and Mandela, insisting that his public exposure around street names, are the same as Mandela's. This City of Cape Town does it because of the fact that the National Party is part of the DA and they hope to elevate the DA's standing.

The reality is that Mandela was a liberator of the people of South Africa and a man who aspired to undo the legacy of Apartheid and end the Apartheid generational disadvantage of Black people. De Klerk on the other hand was an architect of Apartheid and responsible for implementing a system that brutally oppressed the majority.

He was an accident of history, who just happened to be the leader of the National Party and was forced to negotiate with the ANC to ensure that the big businesses did not lose what they stole in a bloody civil war that would only have had one loser. He further attempted to secure the Apartheid generational advantages of White people, in the negotiation, giving Black people the vote, but blocking the fundamental transformation of the SA society.

The fact that he got a Nobel Peace Prize is no great achievement in the context of SA. If a monkey had been standing next to President Mandela he would also have received a Nobel Prize by virtue of Mandela's status. The De Klerk Foundation opposes any attempts at bringing about greater equality in SA and exposes the real agenda of De Klerk.

It is entirely inappropriate for him to be honoured in this way, until a detailed evaluation is done on the contribution that he made to South Africa. What is clear after the honey moon period in SA politics had past, is that people like De Klerk reluctantly agreed to Black people having the vote, but opposes the undoing of the horrible Apartheid legacy in SA.

The City of Cape Town should focus on improving service delivery, rather than wasting time and money elevating De Klerk and the DA.

Statement issued by COSATU Western Cape Provincial Secretary, Tony Ehrenreich, January 15 2015

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter