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Articles on FW de Klerk

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Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov meets with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor, in Pretoria. Russia provided valuable support for the ANC during its struggle against apartheid. EPA-EFE/Kim Ludbrook

Russia rekindles old friendship with South Africa, its ally against apartheid

The relationship between Pretoria and Moscow was forged in the apartheid era with the then Soviet Union giving support to banned ANC fighters.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (L) is congratulated by leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party Mangosuthu Buthelezi (R) after being elected president of South Africa during the swearing in of new members of the National Assembly. Nic Bothma

Post-election pact failure: echoes of fraught history between South Africa’s ANC and Inkatha

The failure of the 2021 post-election deal is a missed opportunity for the African National Congress and Inkatha to work together.
Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, former South African President FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela after signing a peace pledge ahead of the first democratic elections in 1994. Keith Schamotta/AFP via Getty Images

New book on South Africa’s history puts black people at the centre, for a change

This history covers twelve decades, from the surrender of Boer guerrillas in the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1902 to the July 2021 looting spree and violence.
Elizabeth Dlamini at her curio stall in the Ezulwini Valley near Mbabane, eSwatini. The kingdom’s economy is dependent on its larger neightbour, South Africa. EFE-EPA/John Hrusha

South Africa’s apartheid regime manipulated borders. Today, the effects linger

International borders were negotiable for the right price. What residents of former ‘homelands’ and of Lesotho and eSwatini have in common now are limited government services and few job prospects.

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