Nelson Mandela vs De Klerk

Bismillah arahman araheem

This is just an essay i wrote for history on Mandela vs De Klerk, 'who made the most fundamental contributions to bringing about the end of Apartheid', so i just decided to share it with you all. I will most probably next post up my Macbeth one because i got an A* for that :D. Anyway, i hope you like my essay inshallah and feel free to comment please!

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Mandela made the fundamental contributions i think. It is he who took the struggle and to the stages where it mattered. His determination and loyalty for a free and equal South Africa were and are inspiring. He kept steady with the ANC, even when the movement was banned. In 1962, he slipped out of South Africa to other countries to gain support. He took the risk, even though when he returned he was arrested for minor offences. He was sent to Robben Island, a prison offshore Cape Town. During The Rivonia Trial, he read out his 'statement', which is renowned as 'The Dream'. He got life imprisonment at Robben Island. Regardless of the fact that his cell was just seven feet square: his bed was a mat on the floor and light came from a 40 watt bulb! he lived through it. In his biography, Mandela tells us how he remembered the experience of the negotiations going on for 5 hours about his release, for him it was “a conflict between my blood and my brains”. Here we see the mental struggle Mandela was going through, so imagine what it must have been like during those long years in prison? Painful, exhausting and spirit killing!, but he managed to keep his determination and loyalty for the cause alive. He was an old man, and was still willing to do anything for his people. He was a man to admire. He sacrificed his marriage because while he was trying all in his might to end apartheid, she was being quite a radical. Accused of participating in violence, she was ruining Mandela's image as a serious man willing to talk and compromise to end Apartheid, and condemning violence. Mandela’s contributions were enormous. He saw South Africa more importantly than his personal, mental and physical matters. He put his people before himself.

De Klerks contributions are astonishing, especially knowing that he was an extreme racist before, and that he did not believe in majority rule anymore than Botha did. De Klerks family background meant that he grew up in a pro-Apartheid environment, all for white supremacy, and when in cabinet, he was noted for “constantly throwing up obstacles to reform”. Once prime Minster, he was indeed faced with many dilemmas. He knew he had to do something, as the sanctions were taking toll and he was under pressure for political reform, even from many whites. He rid South Africa of Petty Apartheid, but it barely made a difference. De Klerk, regardless of the enormous amount of pressure he was under, decided to free Mandela and the banned groups, and in February 1991, he announced that the final laws of Apartheid were to be scrapped! White extremists may not have liked this, but this did not stop de Klerk. In March 1992, he cheerfully said, “Today, we have closed the book on Apartheid”. Here we see that de Klerk made quite the right decisions, at least he realised, unlike Botha that “the greatest risk is not to take a risk”.

Ultimately, all I can say is that both men contributed equally. They both played an important role to end Apartheid, but obviously this can be debated. I do believe that they both gave equal assistance, just in different ways. Mandela’s way was based upon his true belief that Apartheid was evil and that his people needed equality, where as de Klerks sudden change of mind, from racist to pro-reform , was some what arguably, due to the damage the sanctions were doing to South Africa. De Klerks contributions were made for material matters, but Mandela’s were for genuine freedom and equality for his people. The difference in intention could sway one to choose between the two, but I do not agree that anyone balances out the other. If de Klerk did not announce the end of Apartheid, this white man, prime minister, does one really think that Apartheid would have ended? I personally do not. He could have not ended Apartheid, and regardless of his reasons, he still did it, and that is what matters. He compromised with Mandela, and vice versa, so that at the end of the day, they could not have done it without each other.