It seems clear today the road we must travel to arrive at liberation is not long. We are confident that victory is in sight, and my own liberation from prison is taken as a signal that the people will soon liberate themselves from the prison that is apartheid.
Certainly, times have changed. I remember the arrogant bearing of the captains of apartheid when they took power 42 years ago. Convinced they were the elect of God, they went about perpetrating a crime against humanity with unequalled determination, brutality and confidence.
They moved towards their goal like a juggernaut, crushing everything in their way--ever ready with clever words to present their criminal venture as the epitome of civilized behavior. In the end, of course, they became slaves to the goddess of violence and war. Even as they massacred, they found words to justify their actions and punished even the dead as transgressors of their laws.
Nobody knows how many are dead who should be alive. Nobody knows how many children died in the last 40 years simply because apartheid denied them food and good health. None can tell how many bodies lie strewn across southern Africa, the victims of a merciless campaign of repression within South Africa and aggression and destabilization in the rest of the region.
Today those who imposed on us openly admit their grand design has failed. They now say the system of white minority rule must end; apartheid can no longer be sustained. Those who were in prison have been released. Those who were driven into exile shall return to the country of their birth. Those who were condemned to slavery shall be masters of their destiny. The tragedy is that those who were killed by apartheid cannot be resurrected.
Today we speak with hope about ending the apartheid system. It is a tribute to the millions of people who refused to succumb to tyranny, who refused to fear death, who refused to be enslaved. It is thanks to their courage and heroism that apartheid can no longer be sustained. It is also thanks to the courage and heroism of the peoples of southern Africa as a whole, who not only fought for their own emancipation, but also refused to accept the perpetuation of apartheid.
History will surely record that there were few issues that united humanity as much as did the opposition of nations to the crime of apartheid. The actions the international community took to express its revulsion are part of the equation of the struggle that has brought us to this moment of hope.
Where are we today? Conditions suggest it will be possible for our people, through political representatives, to transform South Africa into a united, democratic and nonracial country. But for this to happen, a climate conducive to negotiations must be created.
On the initiative of the African National Congress, we met with President F.W. de Klerk and his colleagues to address the issue of removing the obstacles that stand in the way of negotiations.
We have said in the past, and believe it to be true, that President De Klerk and his colleagues are men and women of integrity. We accept on good faith that they will abide by what has been agreed. But until it is done, we cannot afford to lower our guard in the belief that the promise has become reality.
Indeed we should make the point that not everybody in our country has as yet accepted that a negotiated resolution of our problems is the best way forward. There are many among our white compatriots who are determined to resist change, arms in hand. The continuing violence of the police against unarmed people is the tip of the iceberg and illustrates the dangers we still face from those who are committed to the perpetuation of white domination.
If the obstacles to negotiations are removed, it will be possible to bring all the representative political forces together to agree on the measures that will lead to the elaboration and adoption of a democratic constitution. The ANC is determined to ensure the broadest possible unity of all those in South Africa who opposed apartheid and favor a genuine democratic transformation. We believe these forces should act in the interests of a speedy advance towards nonracial democracy.
Central to that democratic perspective is, of course, the principle of one person, one vote on a common, nonracial voters' roll. We believe this is fundamental to any democratic system.
Our policy is that all South African citizens have a right to their language, culture and religion. We are also committed to the view that the new democratic constitution must include an entrenched bill of rights, which must be justifiable and monitored by an independent judiciary. We are convinced that measures such as these and others, including the institution of a democratic system of regional and local government, are sufficient to guarantee democratic rights to all our people without discrimination based on race, color, sex or creed.
It is equally obvious that measures must be taken to ensure that our economy benefits all our people. Millions are condemned to a life of misery and deprivation, without food, housing, clothing, education, jobs and access to health care. At the same time, others live opulent lives. While not seeking to improverish anybody, quite clearly we have to address the issue of those who are deprived.
Today's reality is that apartheid, in all its principal elements, is still in place. We are still ruled by a white minority government. Millions are still confined in bantustans and other group areas. Fundamental change has not yet taken place. The struggle must continue.
It is our firm belief that sanctions must be maintained. Sanctions were imposed as a peaceful means to end apartheid. Given the fact that apartheid has not ended, it is only logical that we continue to use this weapon.
We are very conscious of the need to develop the South African economy so that it is able to provide for the needs of all our people. This is going to require massive international intervention. This means there is urgent need to end the system of apartheid so that the need for sanctions falls away.
Clearly, we must look to a future in which South Africa will be free. Peace will reign supreme in our region, despite the stubborn resistance of some elements. When we have cleared these remnants of a cruel and inhuman past, then it will be time to attend to the reconstruction of our country and the region in order to meet the material and spiritual needs of all our people.
Many years ago, the General Assembly of the United Nations decided it had a special responsibility to the people of South Africa. It recognized the unique manner in which the scourge of racism had established itself in our country. By assuming a special responsibility, it was expressing the view that the elimination of the apartheid system was critical to the elimination of racism everywhere.
We believe that even after the political transformation we all seek has been achieved, this special responsibility of the international community will continue to be relevant. It will be necessary to repair the damage caused by apartheid both in South Africa and the rest of southern Africa. It will be important to ensure that within South Africa, as in Germany after the second world war, the necessary democratic institutions are put in place so racial tyranny does not raise its ugly head again.
~~~~~~~~
By Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is the deputy president of the African National Congress.
Copyright of Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities is the property of American Bar Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.