F. W. de Klerk

F. W. de Klerk acknowledged authorising a South African Defence Force raid in 1993 against a house in Mthatha presented as an APLA base, asking, according to his account, for minimum force to be used. Five young people, including two twelve-year-old children, were killed. The TRC classified the raid as a gross human rights violation, and the NPA announced a new inquest into the deaths in 2025.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Directly implicated

In 2020, de Klerk and his foundation sparked fierce controversy by challenging the classification of apartheid as a crime against humanity. Following the outcry, the foundation withdrew that position and acknowledged the classification; in a posthumous message released in 2021, de Klerk apologised unreservedly for the suffering caused by apartheid.

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

Khotso House, headquarters of the South African Council of Churches, was destroyed by a police bomb in 1988. The case subsequently sparked particular controversy over what F. W. de Klerk knew of clandestine operations. The TRC heard testimony suggesting that he had been informed of certain unlawful actions; he later acknowledged knowing that the Khotso House bombing had been authorised by the apartheid government.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Directly implicated

Although he initiated negotiations ending apartheid, de Klerk remained controversial for his responsibility as leader of the last white-minority government. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission criticised the culture of impunity and the extent of his responsibility or ignorance concerning serious abuses committed by security structures.

State of the evidence

Documented

During the transition, massacres and violence attributed to networks described as the "Third Force", often linked to security force members and groups opposed to the ANC, almost derailed negotiations. Mandela publicly accused de Klerk of failing to act quickly enough against the violence.

State of the evidence

Documented