Short description
One thing the ‘old’ and ‘new’ South Africa have in common is a passion for inventing history.
Long description
History is not seen as a dispassionate inquiry into what happened, but rather as part of political mobilisation promoting some form of collective self-interest.
Not for one second do I pretend to know the ‘whole’ or ‘real’ story of what happened in the old South Africa, or what is happening in the ‘new’. I know that significant parts of what has been, or is being invented, are not the way I experienced them.
This is a personal reflection on a fascinating period in my life which coincided with fundamental shifts in the political life of South Africa.
I was fortunate to be in a position where I knew and had access to persons of influence across the political spectrum.
This is my account of their interaction with each other and mine with them.
- Frederik van Zyl Slabbert