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On this day 25 years ago, the speech that changed South Africa forever

FW De Klerk ended apartheid – and freed Nelson Mandela.

FW DE KLERK HAS named 2 February 1990 as the day he ended apartheid.

The former South African president had been working on the speech for weeks – as we’re sure heads of state before him did. The opening address of parliament was generally used for big announcements and songs and dances were made of them.

Nobody quite expected what De Klerk actually delivered.

Not only did he set up a pathway for Nelson Mandela’s freedom (something that was widely predicted), he also set out the framework to end apartheid.

“The prohibition of the African National Congress, the Pan Africanist Congress, the South African Communist Party and a number of subsidiary organisations is being rescinded,” he announced, to audible gasps from the audience.

It is time for us to break out of the cycle of violence and break through to peace and reconciliation. The silent majority is yearning for this. The youth deserve it.

He asked all parties to “walk through the open door and take your place at the negotiating table”.

In the 30-minute address, he had promised South Africa a full democracy.

Listen to the speech – and the murmur of surprise here.

SABC / YouTube

On the issue of Mandela’s 27-year imprisonment, De Klerk said:

“In this connection Mr Nelson Mandela could play an important part. The Government has noted that he has declared himself to be willing to make a constructive contribution to the peaceful political process in South Africa.

I wish to put it plainly that the Government has taken a firm decision to release Mr Mandela unconditionally. I am serious about bringing this matter to finality without delay. The Government will take a decision soon on the date of his release. Unfortunately, a further short passage of time is unavoidable.

“Normally there is a certain passage of time between the decision to release and the actual release because of logistical and administrative requirements. In the case of Mr Mandela there are factors in the way of his immediate release, of which his personal circumstances and safety are not the least.

He has not been an ordinary prisoner for quite some rime. Because of that, his case requires particular circumspection.

Just over a week later, De Klerk announced the release of Nelson Mandela at a press conference.

PA-8688763 AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

On 11 February, Mandela walked free hand in hand with his wife Winnie.

Politics - Nelson Mandela Release - South Africa AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Four years later, and after the country’s first free and open elections since the ending of apartheid, Mandela became the country’s first black President.

That speech on 2 February set that train in motion. Archbishop Desmond Tutu said on the day that De Klerk deserved “considerable credit”, adding that we “may be seeing history in the making”.

According to a profile piece about De Klerk written five years ago, apartheid ended in those 30 minutes.

Speaking to journalist Ivan Fallon, De Klerk revealed he began writing the speech over the Christmas break – and that he had always intended to play down Mandela’s freedom to make sure the importance of the major policy shifts wasn’t lost in the media scrum.

“But I wanted them to focus on the fundamental decisions we had taken and to judge them on their merits, and not have the whole package overshadowed.”

Despite working on the measures announced on 2 February for about a year, very few people were aware of his plans until two days before the speech. He swore his whole cabinet to secrecy and only told his own wife that morning.

He wanted maximum impact – and he’d get that with the surprise package.

According to Fallon’s piece, he awoke with a “sense of destiny – I knew South Africa would never be the same again but I also believed I was doing the right thing at the right time.”

And what would have happened if that speech had not been made? In a thoughtful interview with the Guardian, De Klerk said:

“To those people I say it is a false comparison to look at what was good in the old South Africa against what is bad today.

If we had not changed in the manner we did, South Africa would be completely isolated.

“The majority of people in the world would be intent on overthrowing the government. Our economy would be non-existent – we would not be exporting a single case of wine and South African planes would not be allowed to land anywhere. Internally, we would have the equivalent of civil war.”

Read his speech in full here>

Pienaar: ‘Sport is a very powerful tool, it has the power to change the world’

18 years ago, Mandela wore a Springbok jersey to present the Rugby World Cup

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35 Comments
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    Mute gareth kavanagh
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:21 PM

    My thoughts and prayers are with all effect by this.

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    Mute John O'Sullivan
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:11 PM

    What a load of crap – I’m originally from the town and was actually there on Saturday and heard the horn sounding.

    Years ago the only way to summon the fire brigade was to go to the town hall, break the glass and activate a siren that sounded all over the town – that drove all the dogs mad as well and no one complained about that.

    Mr. Fitzgerald and his council colleagues would be better exorcised trying to keep businesses open in the town which are being strangled by idiotic parking regulations and mercenary traffic wardens

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    Mute Richard O'Callaghan
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:21 PM

    Well said. You are probably too young to remember the hooter from the Tannery – bloody thing used to wake the whole town every morning. On hols as a kid down in Carrick it used to scare the life out of me.

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    Mute John O'Sullivan
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:35 PM

    I remember it well – morning, lunchtime and then again in the evenings. It was a steam hooter run off the boilers in the tannery

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    Mute Collie Bartley
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:26 PM

    In fairness to the others, it is just bobby running on this , and again earlier in the year on another station related nonsense.

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    Mute Pubcrawler Pubcrawler
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 11:58 AM

    quiet right too. It is just politician jumping on a bandwagon to get noticed

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    Mute Paul Doyle
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 11:57 AM

    Blow my whistle baby, whistle baby let me no

    68
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    Mute everlast mccarthy
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:04 PM

    Any chance of restricting annoying Councillor’s unnecessarily sounding off?

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    Mute Alan Quinn
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:07 PM

    It must be the slowest moving object on the planet. This must be the only country in the world that a public bus is faster than the train, Galway to Dublin in 4 hours but sometimes your treated to a bus ride from Athlone when it breaks down.

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    Mute William English
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:11 PM

    Train services between Galway and Dublin range from 2hrs and 35 mins to 2 hours 50 mins, quiet a bit off 4 hours…

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    Mute Alan Quinn
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:36 PM

    I know what its supposed to be William but my last 4 journeys were at least 3.45 – 4 hrs

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    Mute William English
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 2:13 PM

    I find that hard to believe, you must have had serious terrible luck in that case. Using that line very regularly, my last ten trips on which only one was delayed by more than five mins and that was due to a medical stop where a passenger had a suspected heart attack and the train had to remain at the next station until an ambulance arrived.

    And there is no bus which will get you from Galway to Dublin in less than 2 and a half hours.

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    Mute John Handelaar
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 3:52 PM

    Cork Kent to Heuston by road: 2h23m (Source: Google maps). Which assumes nobody ever exceeds the limit in a car.

    Average time by scheduled rail: 30 mins more.

    We have a third-world railway.

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    Mute Michael Skellig
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 5:52 PM

    No John, we don’t have a third world railway. We have a small country with good motorways between main cities.

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    Mute Alan Quinn
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    Jan 4th 2013, 1:02 AM

    Luck has nothing to do with it. The bus is 2.30 btings u into the city centre/ O’Connell street and costs half the price. We are one of very few western world nations using diesel trains still. And I’ve had to get a bus from athlone on 2 previous ocassions for sheep on the track or something. 3hrs min at least is the shortest journey.

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    Mute Richard O'Callaghan
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:15 PM

    Train drivers receive instructions to sound their horns at certain spots, especially in places where the may be line works going on. Train doesn’t go through Carrick that often anyway.

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    Mute Donncha Lane
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:35 PM

    As a friend of mine says: ‘SAVE YOUR HORN FOR YOUR WIFE LOVE!’…….:)

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    Mute Gus Whearity
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:00 PM

    I love it when the train gently takes of then slowly moves up the track gathering pace all the time. It’s getting faster now with the tunnel in sight. The train bursts with excitement as it enters the warm tunnel …… Be right back ;-)

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    Mute Creamy Hamstrings
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:03 PM

    Bursts with excitement as soon as it goes in?! I feel sorry for your missus

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    Mute Gus Whearity
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:12 PM

    Missus ????

    69
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    Mute sean
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 12:56 PM

    Interesting how Bobbys office is right next to the station lol, but have to agree, it is fairly disturbing at 7am. My only concern is that we only get 3 trains each way per day and one of those is already under threat. The train beats the bus hands down on comfort, speed and costs so let’s not jeopardise this.

    I think what would solve the issue amicably is the installation of an automatic barrier. No need then to blow a horn (this really is the only reason to blow a horn) and less time spent waiting for the barrier to be opened for traffic (sometimes 10 mins).

    On a side note though, working in Waterford, I’d actually like a train to arrive at 8.30 in time for me to start work! Not at 10.35 which may be ok for the occasional shopper. The last train is at 4.40 from Waterford which also makes no sense at all. Irish rail should start using some common sense and run a working schedule. Revenues would increase exponentially on the route as there are many people travelling from Clonmel and Carrick who work in Waterford. I though Irish rail wanted to make money, but I guess as a semi-state organisation that’s probably asking too much!

    38
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    Mute Collie Bartley
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:02 PM

    Did u verify the 100, or even ask to see if a hundred complained. this is such nonsense story – it really is

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    Mute vanessa
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:44 PM

    It’s great to see Bobby dealing with the real issues in Carrick-on-Suir! The rate of unemolyment in the town is huge with little sign of any new businesses or investment coming into the town but that’s obviously not a priority for this public representative!

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    Mute Collie Bartley
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:03 PM

    This is also a councillor who complained that so0me one could die if the railgate was down when a ambulance was passing – again a once in a life time occurance,

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    Mute Joseph O'Brien
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:06 PM

    Carrick-on-suir has a high proportion of small rail crossings between fields, farms and other land. That is likely the reason for sounding the horn so often, to reduce the risk of accidents. As it is there are only three return services passing through it everyday. These will probably be the same people crying about their reduced rail service in a couple of weeks when then new Irish Rail timetable comes into effect.

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    Mute MariaPiaSavoyKelly
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 1:39 PM

    I can barely believe that I’m reading this…

    17
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    Mute _doesnotcompute
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 2:17 PM

    Believe it. Irish parish pump politics at it’s worst.

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    Mute Emr Daly
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 2:25 PM

    This story really made national news?? Yes the train is needed for Carrick, and yes the horn is there for a bloody reason… if someone was hit along the track and the train horn had not been used.. would that councillor be as quick to discuss the use of a horn then??

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    Mute tommy phelan
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 7:49 PM

    I grew up next to that station at a time when beet, mail and liner trains ran through the night. They weren’t silent rail cars back then, but noisy locos that you would hear passing thorough kilsheelan let alone carrick. No one complained back then. I’d say one person said it to bobby and he jumped on his political high horse, just like the rest of them.

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    Mute Michael Skellig
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 5:53 PM

    I’m sure the train driver is hooting the horn out of safety considerations. People will complain about anything these days. Years ago, people like that were ignored and called moanbags.

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    Mute Dr.fury
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 11:30 PM

    I heard the drivers were told honk if you think Carrick on suir is full of councillors and people with too much time on there hands to actually do something useful for the town

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    Mute rail commuter
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    Jan 9th 2013, 7:27 PM

    Has the learned councillor raised his concerns with the railway safety commission ? He appears to want Irish Rail to abandon long established safe working practices. Carrick must be a really quiet place if the councillor’s top issue is the sounding of a train’s hooter half a dozen times a day.

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    Mute Ciaran De Bhal
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    Jan 3rd 2013, 6:08 PM

    Maybe Irish Rail could replace all their horns with really loud bells and buy themselves some time and keep everyone happy in the short-term. Simple

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