South Africa

Eduardo Del Buey
Foto: Afp
La Jornada Maya

Friday, May 3, 2019

On April 27th, we marked South Africa Election Day, a celebration of the triumph of humanity over racism twenty-five years ago. And, in today’s world, this triumph is to be welcomed, as racism continues to raise it's ugly head in many parts of the world.

In April 1994, I served as spokesperson for the late Hon. Christine Stewart, Canada's then-Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa, and Canada's representative for the first free national election in South African history. I had the honor of accompanying her to South Africa to observe the lead-up to and the general election itself and witness a chapter of history in which the good of universal human rights triumphed over the evil of apartheid.

Nelson Mandela had been released in 1990 after twenty-seven years in prison, and had negotiated with then-President Fredrick de Klerk for a national election and constitution that would give the black majority in South Africa equal rights with the white Afrikaner minority.

In short, he became the father of modern South Africa, a vibrant multiracial society at the foot of a continent that has suffered cruelly from invasion, slavery, and coercion.

In the 1950’s and 60’s, national liberation movements in Africa and elsewhere were associated with Soviet expansionism, and South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) was no exception.

Yet, despite this perception, Canada’s then-Prime Minister John Diefenbaker stood against apartheid as an abhorrent political system, and convinced his Commonwealth partners to agree to expel South Africa from the organization as long as apartheid ruled. It remained outside of the Commonwealth until Mandela’s election and the dismantling of the apartheid regime in 1994.

Many during the Cold War tended to see the bi-polar world of the day in terms of communism versus democracy. Mandela in those days was considered by many Westerners (including U.S. President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher) to be a communist terrorist and most were glad to see him behind bars.

Mandela was a victim of this ideological war, and his goal of creating an independent and racially equal South Africa was equated by many in the West as tantamount to supporting Soviet foreign policy aims.

By 1990, however, communism had failed, the Berlin wall came down, and such ideas suddenly became antiquated and irrelevant.

Mandela’s life proves the old adage that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

As negotiations to repeal apartheid took hold, so did perceptions of Nelson Mandela.

Mandela had once said that “I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists”.

As he left prison, he told followers that “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison”.

And by leaving his bitterness behind, he became a giant of history and role model for all leaders.

He once noted that “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner”.

And partnership and consensus are what he sought.

He refused to be governed by hatred for his opponents or for the white South Africans who had incarcerated him and separated him from family and friends. Rather, he sought to unite all in what he named a “rainbow” country that would be governed through respect by all for all.

?My trip to South Africa was filled with many poignant moments. Our delegation saw how people became closer together during the campaign, but we also felt up close the string of bombings and shootings as the last vestiges of white supremacy and black radicalism tried to sabotage this emerging dialogue fostered by the election.

But no moment was more impactful than the day we accompanied our Embassy's driver to vote.

As he exited the polling station, he had tears in his eyes and told us that, for the first time in his life, he felt like a human being in his own country. Needless to say, we all had tears in our eyes as we saw the ascent of humanity in a society that had been cruel and divisive.

What a proud moment for Canada, whose leaders, especially then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, had continued the charge begun by Diefenbaker in 1961.

Mulroney’s challenges to Ronald Reagan’s and Margaret Thatcher’s support for the regime in international forums such as the G-7 were legendary, and he carved out a unique space for Canada in South African history. Working with Commonwealth and United Nations colleagues, he neutralized British and U.S. objections and overcame all obstacles.

During the 1980’s, Canada was at the forefront of a sanctions campaign aimed at forcing white South Africans to yield to world pressure, and Mulroney’s foreign ministry (of which I was proudly a member) created an excellent public diplomacy campaign and led on economic and political sanctions against the regime. This helped transform hearts and minds in many parts of the world.

As a result, Nelson Mandela's first official trip abroad after being released from prison in 1990 was to Canada in recognition of Canada’s role in the struggle against apartheid, and, in 2001, he was granted honorary Canadian citizenship.

In fact, Elections Canada had worked with South African elections officials to create an electoral system that was free and fair. And it worked wonders in April of 1994.

What a proud moment for Canada, for South Africa, and for me personally, to be able to witness the results first hand, watching tens of thousands of South Africans waiting in the hot sun at various polling stations, ecstatic at their newfound right to vote freely and fully for their own future.

These are the moments that transcend our daily lives and inspire us to push forward in the constant struggle between good and evil.

Something to celebrate indeed

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