Frederik van Zyl Slabbert - in memoriam

ldquoVan Zyl was always the same thoughtful witty clever and impatient to get things done friendly and charming He knew his friends and he kept them

He told a brilliant story He was a fleet-footed raconteur enormously entertaining His intellect was piercing challenging and respectfulrdquo

Share your tributes at

Tributes have flowed in following the death of van Zyl Slabbert Read some of them below or click on ldquoTributesrdquo

A tribute booklet was printed for the me-morial services

Videos of van Zylrsquos younger years can be seen on youtube Uni of Stellenbosch has also paid tribute in videos here

See the slideshow shown at the memorial services click on ldquoSlideshowrdquo

Listen to the speakers Minister Jeff Radebe Zohra Dawood Michael Savage Wilmot James Alex Boraine and Paul Graham at the memorial service

Frederik Van Zyl SlabbertIN MEMORIAM

Vanrsquos death was covered by newspapers across the globe Read some of them below

See a compilation and some of the photos from the memorial services below or click on ldquoPhotosrdquo

Van Zylmemorial photosSee more photos taken at the memorials for Van Zyl Slabbert This is a compilation of a few of the photos from wwwflickrcomidasa

Van Zylslideshow

At the memorial services this slideshow played in the background as a tribute to the work that Van Zyl Slabbert achieved in his lifetime To see the full slideshow click on the picture below

Van Zylvideo amp podcasts

The University of Stellenbosch has paid tribute in videos here

Videos of van Zylrsquos younger years can be seen at wwwyoutubecomidasa05

listen to the of tributes paid at his memorial

Van ZylTribuTes have poured in following The deaTh of van Zyl slabberT in May 2010 below are a few of The personal TribuTes ThaT have been senT To idasa if you would like To share your Message go To our websiTe aT wwwidasaorg

Tributespic The wiTness

He was always the same thoughtful witty clever and impatient to get things done friendly and charming He knew his friends and he kept them He told a brilliant story He was a fleet-footed raconteur enormously entertaining His intellect was piercing challenging and respectfulThe quality that gave stability to the dynamic personality that was Van Zyl Slabbert was his integrity loyalty and lack of pretension Make no mistake He could wipe the floor with those who contradicted his values or betrayed his trust and sense of fairnessThose at the receiving of his sarcasm or targeted by his witty sense of irony often ran for cover But Van was incapable of being nasty or mean over an intellectual disagreement because of the theologian in him He wanted to persuade never bullyHe had an unusual ability to distill complexity into an understandable proposition to take an entire body of literature to frame a problem and used his quite remark-able intellect to proceed to answer the problem confident but with the appropri-ate dose of self-doubt tooI once described Van Zyl as a visceral democrat By that I meant that he carried jus-tice fairness and a drive towards equality in his bones His brainpower governed and refined his joyfully open temperament but he was not simply an intellectual democrat Justice was written in his genome codeHe played a major and largely unacknowledged role in our countryrsquos yearning for freedom and democracy He put his comfort and his life in the service for justice Excommunication from the Afrikaner community is no small thing and he never quite had that fate still he never enjoyed being made to feel that he was not a proper AfrikanerFor the things we loved about Van were in fact that very qualities that came from his Afrikaner background the lack of royal pretension the respectfulness the im-patient earthiness of the frontiersman the intellect put to the common good the loyalty to family and friendsThe world stopped on Friday May 14 2010 I will miss you Van ZylDr Wilmot James

Frederik was an inspiring and towering personality One of the many solid heart warming South African politicians that I have come to learn already during the struggle years He was not an easy act but an honest and courageous one And I must say that when he explained to the delegation of Belgian parliamentarians in 1992 the difficulties at the Greater Johannesburg Council with getting taxation service delivery spacial politics the call for dignity and all that stuff more right it opened a microcosm of all the difficulties that South Africa would have to go through He helped outsiders understand both passions and problems at the inside When I wrote his portrait in a Flemish weekly I titled it ldquothe bridge builderrdquo As an anti-apartheid activist from Belgium I was an outsider But ndash as I keep on repeating ndash so privileged to have had the chance to learn from Frederik from you and many many others My condolences go to family and the huge network of friendsJan Vanheukelom Kessel-lo

I was very sad to hear about van Zylrsquos death I am of the generation of journalists who well remember the unique interventions made by him in particularI sometimes wonder if there would have been elections in 1994 without van Zyl and IdasaLast year I was asked by a Dutch television company I have done quite a lot of work for to set up a documentary in which he would be a main player along with Breyten and two ANC artistspoets to mark the 20 years since that particular meet-ing in Victoria FallsDespite the incredibly short time given me to set it up I managed to arrange it mainly through van Zylrsquos delight that it would be made and his energy to bully Breyten to delay his trip back to Paris but then one of the key ANC personalities pulled out at the last minute so the documentary was not madeI was asked again last month to see if I could set it up again later this year And now alas the main driver of that initiative is gone And without him there isnrsquot anyone I can remember who was at the Victoria Falls meeting then who could drive accurate memories of that story within its context and with its complexities analysis and humour tooAnd of course I as a technician with a microphone also remember van Zylrsquos rich compelling voice strong enough to ensure we changed our world and musical enough to engage any listerner prepared to hearThis is the second or third important historical documentary which has been in-formally on my diary for a while and which will now not be made because one or more of the main players has diedI will think of him at the memorial and think of IDASA as I know what he and it meant in South Africarsquos historyBest regards to you allPeta Thornycroft

It was November of 2004 I was late and in a panic The tarmac at Johannesburgrsquos OR Tambo international airport was soaked because of foul weather and our flight was backed up in the landing queue Immigration was a nightmare ldquoVisa How long are you staying Where are you staying What are you here for How much money do you have You must leave in 14 daysrdquo Rubber-Stamp thud like a baton stick on and run Never one to miss a thing he nabbed me as I walked stealthily into the room thinking I could sneak in unnoticed Thud Thud Thud The last drops of rainfrom my umbrella fell on the carpet ldquoWelcome Bella Take a seatrdquo or something convivial like that During the meetingrsquos tea break he headed towards me I was still cowering in my pity corner as I thought he was the sort of man to hand out a delayed form of discipline I was certain I was going to get a lecture on meeting etiquette But not Van Zyl His warm hand outstretched he gave me a greeting that will go down as one of the warmest and sincerest I have ever had I hope I never forget the comfort of that firm grip I would later learn it belonged to an ace rugby player someone who could have taken the game professionally but luckily for me chose a different path With that handshake came the biggest smile reaching all the way to his eyes and twinkling out of them He was wearing a white and brown cotton shirt of the pan-African tradition the neat fabric of the hemline of the sleeves just grazing his rough elbows The idea stuck Since then my male friends get one regularly from me Van Zyl was generous of spirit My country was going through difficult times ldquoItrsquos going to get worse before it gets better But donrsquot doubt it It will definitely get better Zimbabwe will be the amazing country it should berdquo he said with such prescient confidence I frankly thought some of his nuts and bolts were coming undone In the years to follow he would be a constant source of encouragement A kind man of the way your maternal grandmother is when you are having a hard time with something she knows you can accomplish A phone call would come through to me every so often ldquoI am just checking on you no pressurerdquo his voice would boom not with authoritarianism but to give you a big boost I could always tell there was a smile on the other side trying to ease my painHe was a role model in autonomy Van Zyl If an institution or organization did not work for him he wasnrsquot afraid to step out of it and create something of his own He believed in human agency and worked tirelessly for it He would craft a niche find a place where his exuberance and intellect could always thrive and where his

ideas would rapidly take shape Idasa is a poignant example He tools were optimism and a positive spirit that all would turn out right I never quite figured where his reserves of relentless hope came from when the rest of us were slipping into deep caves of distress and despair Once he had my email address the reading instructions followed ldquoThis might inspire yourdquo was the simple message Occasionally a text message would come through ldquoHang in there donrsquot give up rdquo especially in 2006 when we were on trail for our belief in a society where the airwaves belong to all of us not just a select few The Radio Voice of the People case was arduous Some friends chose to distance themselves from us because we were seen as ldquotoo controversialhelliptoo confrontationalrdquo Others spoke with their body language or just became distant Rather than play hide and seek Van Zyl compiled a docket for me of case material on how South Africa ensured the devolution of the airwaves In the years that I was born Dr Frederick van Zyl Slabbert was already leader of the opposition in the South African parliament of mid-1975 A decade later he was working as far afield as Dakar Senegal paving the way for South Africarsquos talks about a transition to a plural and democratic state ldquoSlabbert gave me all his wisdom rdquo says Davie Malungisa Executive Director of IDAZIM a think tank that we set up as quickly as Slabbert has said the name ldquoI think what Zimbabwe needs right now is an IDAZIM an independent place for dialogue and capacity building to play the role that Idasa did during our own transitionrdquo hersquod said with a sweep of his handsAnd that was another of his abundant gifts ndash ideas They would spew from his mind with his characteristically burly lucidity Dr Frederick Van Zyl Slabbertrsquos death on May 14 is not only a loss to his fam-ily his friends and the society of South Africa It is a loss to those of us in Africa who through his selfless and unpaid contribution learned from him and keep alive our beliefs in the possibility of attaining in our life time Open Tolerant Just and Equitable societiesAs the founding African board member for the Open Society Institutersquos southern Africa foundation he brought to our soils Karl Popperrsquos philosophy and expand-ed the depth and breadth of the work of the Soros Foundationrsquos OSI footprint across the African continent And so as we fly our personal flags at half-mast in honour of Van Zyl we no doubt feel a deep personal loss Our ache is dulled a little by the knowledge that bighearted as he was Slabbert gave to our world his dues and so much much moreIsabella Matambanadzo Harare Zimbabwe

I speak on behalf of Disabled People South Africa (DPSA) ndash a civil society organisa-tion formed by and representing South Africarsquos disabled peoplersquos human and de-velopmental rights ndash when saying we convey our condolences to the family friends colleagues and associates of the late Dr Frederik van Zyl SlabbertHis contributions to the strengthening of our countryrsquos democratic culture within which our citizens and civil society formations has been immense DPSA will ensure that his efforts at building a truly democratic South Africa are fortified further and consolidated through reinforcing the role of disabled citizens in South Africa the continent and world at largeDr van Zyl Slabbert will be remembered for his multifaceted contributions ndash through direct politics economic participation addressing our populations daily challenges and the ensuring individualsrsquo rights to free association ndash in our coun-tryrsquos political lanscapeThank youMotsoakgomo I ldquoPapirdquo Nkoli

Condolences and that of the entiere embassy with the passing of Van Zyl Slabbert I met him years ago several times Truly a great man who leaves us too earlyPeter Mollema Deputy Head of Mission Netherlands Embassy

It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of van Zyl and write to extend my deepest sympathy to you and all his colleagues in Idasa The tributes to van Zyl have been wonderful and I do hope these help his family and friends to ease the pain of loss even a little at this very sad timeWith warm regardsDi Oliver

The range of voices I have met in the last few days who knew him or of him and sing praises of him are many I had no opportunity to meet him personally and yet somehow I feel that I have I have colleagues at OSISA who recall that he devel-oped that institution from nothing and of course looking back in history I recall that I covered a lot meetings as both a political writer and a correspondent for the Associated Press during the transition periods (the 80s and early 90s) between President Kaunda and the delegations from South Africa led by Dr Slabbert or certainly gatherings associated with progressive groups within the SA establish-ment The founding member of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika upon learning that I had joined Idasa in 2002 had only one question for me ldquoHow is Van Zyl Slabbertrdquo Those moments repre-sent some of the most important years of my life growing up in the face of histori-cal events in southern AfricaIts not easy for those of us who joined Idasa late in the day to comprehend the the full impact of this tragic event but we live in the shadow of the greatness of this

incomparable intellectual who has passed and left us this indelible footprint called Idasa May his soul rest in peaceKondwani Chirambo

On behalf of the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Stellenbosch University I wish to convey our condolences to Dr van Zyl Slabbertrsquos family and all his close associates We honour his intellectual energy and integrity as well as his contribution to the struggle to build a deeply democratic South AfricaCherryl Walker

I am sorry that I cannot be there to honour a remarkable man Heshowed by personal example how possible it is to rise above pettycultural ties and engage the bigger questions We will miss him and Iam sad that he will not be here to guide Southern Africa through somevery difficult times aheadTony Reeler

At the Club of Madrid (wwwclubmadridorg) we are deeply saddened by thepassing by of Frederik van Zyl Slabbert on May 14 2010 in JohannesburgVan Zyl made enormous contributions to South Africa showing an unyieldingcommitment and dedication with the values of Democracy and the criticalimportance of promoting dialogue in consensus buildingWithin the outlook of the organisations dedicated to strength Democracyworldwide the Club of Madrid has always admired the brilliant path of IDASAunder the vision of your founderBoth organisations have consolidated a tight link over the years and we arepretty sure his legacy will remain in your work for a long timeOn this very sad moment as Secretary General of the Club of Madrid allow meto express my sincerest condolences and through you to the staff of IDASAOur thoughts are with you at this difficult timeWith my deepest sympathyCarlos Westerndorp

I met Van in 1975 I was active in the PFP and we met at meetings campaigns and congresses For years we had a chat every few years The last time I saw him he was well except for getting gout I then had two years of health troubles I was hoping to make contact again as I had done in the past I did not know he had had a serious health setbackThe news of his death came as a great shock I could not believe it He was so strong fit and young John Joslin Smart Green Prosperity

Van ZylThis is a collecTion of news and online sTories following The deaTh and MeMorials for

frederik van Zyl slabberT in May 2010 There was worldwide coverage in prinT and on-line of The ouTpouring of supporT for van Zyl and The sadness aT his deaTh

in the newspic The wiTness

Idasa pays tribute to van Zyl Slabbert By Moira Levy Idasa Media Manager 14 May 2010wwwidasaorg

One of South Africarsquos most visionary political leaders political analyst Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert died on Friday 14 May He had been admitted to Johannesburgrsquos Mil-park Hospital where he passed awayThe man who spent decades committed to non-racialism and to building democra-cy in South Africa is possibly best remembered for the role he played in addressing the polarisation between black and white South Africans especially under apart-heid In pursuit of this task he founded in 1987 what was then known as the Institute for a Democratic Alternative in South Africa now known as African democracy insti-tute Idasa Van Zyl as he was fondly known represented a living embodiment of active citi-zenship as a South African and an African public intellectual He made enormous contributions to democracy globally through among others founding our institu-tion and being a critical part of the South African transition to democracy His life was rooted in the values of social justice which guided his participation on an on-going basis in considering what democracy is and how it should be lived by citizens of South Africa and other countries At Idasarsquos 20th anniversary celebration the organisationrsquos director Paul Graham paid tribute to Van Zyl Slabbert for the clear vision that he provided the organi-sation over the years Graham said the speeches articles and insights provided during those early years by Van Zyl Slabbert helped push the organisation and the country to think about the democracy we strive for and the manner in which we strive for it Born in Pretoria on March 2 1940 Van Zyl Slabbert grew up in what is now Polok-wane and studied for 18 months at the Dutch Reformed Churchrsquos theological seminary at Stellenbosch University before deciding on an academic career in sociology He completed a BA Honours at the university in 1962 and was awarded a doctorate in 1967 From 1964 to 1973 he lectured in sociology at Stellenbosch Rhodes and the University of Cape Town In 1973 he was appointed head of the department of sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand The following year standing for the Progressive Party he won the Rondebosch parliamentary seat from the United Party In time he became the leader of the party which later became known as the Progressive Federal Party and was the official opposition

In the 1980s when South Africa was in turmoil and against a backdrop of mount-ing violence and repression Van Zyl Slabbert with fellow MP Dr Alex Boraine made the courageous decision in 1986 to resign as members of parliament This was their protest against the bankruptcy of whites-onlygovernment and the politics of exclusion and repression It expressed a widely-felt frustration with piecemeal National Party-dominated reform efforts and ex-pressed the innovative thinking and foresight that was to become associated with Van Zyl Slabbert and his style of politics for the next decades of his engagement with nation-building in our country Back then he and Boraine also broke with the 40-year traditions of whites-only rule and travelled throughout the country and abroad to consult a wide cross-section of political leaders including O R Tambo then president of the banned ANC They solicited support for the conclusion they were coming to -- that they could play a more effective role in the struggle to end apartheid from outside par-liament by bringing together South Africans from across the racial political and economic divides to explore the idea of a democratic alternative The result was Idasa which opened its first office in Port Elizabeth on 1November 1986 Its aim as the organisation saw it at the end of the 1980s was to encour-age South Africans of all races to find a common space where they could meet and together explore a non-racial and democratic alternative and assist a peace-ful transition to democracy while fostering and strengthening a culture of democ-racy This seemed unthinkable at the time and indeed immediately drew harsh criticism from many quarters -- from the state vitriolic anger from the mass democratic movement and many of its allies scorn and cynicism about Idasarsquos faith in negotiations in the face of the statersquos onslaught One of the first and the most dramatic initiatives that Van Zyl Slabbert will be remembered for was the conference Idasa held in Dakar Senegal in July 1987 which brought together white South Africans mostly Afrikaners and their coun-terparts in exile This was the first open and public meeting between members of the banned ANC and members of South Africarsquos white political establishmentDespite the outrage from the apartheid authorities at the time the visit sparked immense interest among ordinary South Africans ndash reportbacks drew large crowds and those who travelled to Dakar came back profoundly changed by the experience For them it cracked open a faccedilade of ignorance and fear that had characterised the white Afrikaner laager

The visit to Dakar became known as the second Great Trek of Afrikaners into the political unknown The group of mostly Afrikaners was seen by most white South Africans at the time as representing a lunatic fringe However that trek started a process of self-analysis and introspection that contributed to creating an irreversible momentum It showed Van Zyl Slabbert even then to be a thinker well before his time What was unthink-able at the time eventually became the inevitable within a few years the politics of negotia-tion started taking shapeThe climate of open discussion and self-criticism which characterised the 1990s and made a negotiated settlement in South Africa a reality can be attributed to the bold steps taken by people like Van Zyl Slabbert who got South Africans across the political divide to re-evaluate their future After the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994 Van Zyl Slabbert turned to business and became chairperson of Caxton Publishers Adcorp Holdings and Metro Cash lsquon Carry as well as holding variousdirectorships He also co-founded Khula a black investment trustIn 2002 then-president Thabo Mbeki appointed him to head a team investigating a new electoral system for the country Its recommendation a more accountable mix of constitu-ency-based and proportionalrepresentation was quietly shelved by the governmentSlabbert became chancellor of his alma mater Stellenbosch in 2008 but at the end of that year suffered a heart attack and had a pacemaker installed The following year he quit the Stellenbosch post along with his company directorships to spend more time with his wife and family He authored a number of books including a semi-autobiographical analysis of tricameral politics The Last White Parliament He leaves his wife Jane and two adult children Tania and Riko from a previous marriage

Zuma calls Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert a principled patriot Source Business Report 14 May 2010

httpwwwbusrepcozaindexphpfSectionId=552ampfSetId=662ampfArticleId=5470305

President Jacob Zuma said the late apartheid-era opposition leader Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert would be remembered as a principled patriot who served his coun-try diligently

ldquoDr Van Zyl Slabbert played a prominent role in the struggle against apartheid His conventional Afrikaner upbringing did not prevent him from recognising the folly of the apartheid systemrdquo said a statement from Zumarsquos office on Van Zyl Slabbertrsquos death on Friday morning

He had been an outspoken critic of minority rule and would be remembered for his courage and foresight in leading a group of white South Africans to Dakar Senegal in 1987 for talks with the then banned African National CongressldquoThat proved a critical moment on the path towards a negotiated settlementrdquo continued Zuma

ldquoHis visionary leadership lives on in our efforts to build and strengthen democ-racy He will be remembered as a principled and patriotic South African who served his country diligentlyrdquo said Zuma extending condolences to his family - Sapa

The ANC mourns van Zyl Slabbert

Source News24com 14 May 2010

httpwwwnews24comSouthAfricaPoliticsANC-mourns-Van-Zyl-Slabbert-20100514

Johannesburg ndash Former politician academic and businessman Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert would be sorely missed by all South Africans the ANC said on Friday after his death in Johannesburg

ldquoThe ANC deeply mourns the passing of legendary politician and business leader Frederik Van Zyl Slabbertrdquo said spokesperson Brian Sokutu

ldquoAs leader of the Progressive Federal Party not only did he make an indelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheid in South Africa but he fought for constitutional democracy to be realised

ldquoHe will also be remembered as one of those white South Africans who facilitated contact with the African National Congress at the time it was banned inside the countryrdquo said Sokutu

Slabbert died at home with his family after an illness

The Institute for Democracy in South Africa which he co-founded in 1986 with Truth and Reconcilation Commissioner Alex Boraine said he was a visionary and represented a ldquoliving embodiment of active citizenship as a South African and an African public intellectualrdquo

ldquoHis life was rooted in the values of social justice which guided his participation on an ongoing basis in considering what democracy is and how it should be lived by citizens of South Africa and other countriesrdquo the centre said

ldquoThis visionary son of Africa will be deeply missedrdquo- SAPA -

Max du Preez - from The Passion for Reason Essays in Honour of an Afrikaner African

I first saw Van in 1971 I was a confused screwed-up kaalvoet Boerseun from the Free State trying to learn something about the great world out there by studying at the University of Stellenbosch (with hindsight it almost sounds like a contradic-tion) Van and Rocky Gagiano young lecturers then were having a political discus-sion with Piet Vorster the son of the prime minister (and a student at the time) and a few of his friends in Tollies the student pub It was an uneven contest even though Piet was quite a bright guy Van was just in another league I was fascinated by this rugged good-looking Boer with his quick mind and wry sense of humour Back in my home town of Kroonstad I had been told that lefty whites had dirty long hair earrings and limp wrists so this was confusing If you had told me then that sixteen years later I would stand with Van and others in the kitchen of the President of Burkina Faso Thomas Sankara singing lsquoSarie Maraisrsquo I would have seriously doubted your sanity

At the end of 1973 I started working as a journalist at Die Burger then still the of-ficial mouthpiece of the National Party and the year after I became a member of the first editorial team of Die Burgerrsquos northern sister Beeld That was the year Van won the Rondebosch seat for the then Progressive Party and went to Parliament I remember as if it was yesterday how my father a staunch Free State Nat told me then that he thought Slabbert had wasted his entire future by joining the Progs lsquoHe could have been the Prime Minister of South Africa within a few years if he had stayed with his own peoplersquo my father said lsquohy is die slimste man in die politiek en rsquon gebore leierrsquo (he is the cleverest man in our politics and a born leader) I was now working for a newspaper group that saw Van Zyl Slabbert as an enemy of the Afrikaner people and as someone who was soft on the reds and the blacks To young Afrikaners like me and young journalists like me staying inside the main-stream of Afrikaner nationalism to carve out a good career was a very seductive prospect But at the same time most of us were always uncomfortably aware that there was once a promising young Afrikaner like us who had decided to abandon the comfort of the inner circle and had chosen rather to campaign for democracy and human rights I next saw Van when I became part of the Naspers newspapersrsquo parliamentary team in 1978 and he was a driving force behind the opposition to the National Party But by the end of that parliamentary session having witnessed the moral bankruptcy and dangerous politics of John Vorster and his henchmen I had lost my stomach for National Party propaganda I was duly lsquobanished to the coloniesrsquo by my editors I was sent to cover Namibia where the independence process had just started

My designs of rapid progress through the ranks of the Afrikaans newspapers were now falling apart very quickly as I was confronted by the realities of apartheid and of the apartheid statersquos destabilising military policies in neighbouring states It was my turn to abandon the comfort of the bosom of the volk in 1984 I walked over to the lsquoother sidersquo and became the political correspondent of the Sunday Times and Business Day ndash which meant my path again crossed Vanrsquos in Parliament (As it turned out it wasnrsquot the lsquoother sidersquo at all just the other side of the same side hellip) This time my employers and colleagues didnrsquot think it inappropriate for me to be seen talking to the leader of the official opposition and my friendship with Van started For many years there was always an undertone of resentment in my relationship with him I knew I wasnrsquot stupid I knew I was a good journalist and I was working hard yet I never had Vanrsquos uncanny ability to see through the clutter to grasp the bigger picture of the political developments around us In the three decades I have spent reporting on the politics of our region I have never met any-one who could analyse trends as quickly and as clearly as Van Zyl Slabbert He had a bullshit detector like few others In later years my political views and analysis often differed from Vanrsquos but I never doubted the wisdom of his dramatic decision in 1986 to resign from the white Parliament In fact I think most political analysts including Van himself have underestimated the impact of that decision on the thinking of both the ruling Nats at the time and the political leadership of black South Africans The damage to the legitimacy and credibility of the white-dominated Parliament was fatal And that was a good thing

Van told me of his decision to quit several days before the event It was a hot story a significant story I was the political correspondent of the biggest newspa-per in the country and yet I could not even tell my girlfriend what I knew before it actually happened Vanrsquos resignation speech was one of his best I still remember clearly seeing the utter shock in the eyes of PW Botha and his men when at the end of the speech Van declared he was leaving Parliament When Van asked me to be a part of the Dakar initiative of 1987 I did not hesitate although I knew very well that taking part in such a high-profile political event would make my job as a political correspondent for a mainstream newspaper com-pletely untenable Van explained to me that he believed such a symbolic act establishment Afrikan-ers travelling to West Africa and meeting the leadership of the banned liberation movement would help break the impasse in the deadly politics of repression and resistance of the late 1980s It would be risky he said but unless something went badly wrong it would probably have the effect of telling both sides of the conflict

that a negotiated settlement would not only be desirable but would not be so hard to achieve Of course he was right And despite everything said afterwards by the ANC the white establishment or the government and its security apparatus this was all Van had in mind all he wanted to achieve

Within months of our return from Dakar despite the hysterical reaction the domi-nant white attitude had shifted towards negotiation politics and students business leaders academics and writers started having meetings with the ANC in neighbour-ing states Less than eight months after Dakar the head of the National Intelligence Service Nieumll Barnard had his first meeting with Nelson Mandela in jail and shortly afterwards he and other senior spooks had a series of clandestine meetings with Thabo Mbeki Jacob Zuma and others in Europe The Dakar safari was a brave and visionary thing to do It also changed the views of the ANC leadership despite the statements later made by Mbeki and others that the whole thing was a controlled exercise from their side I was there I know that was not true The one ANC delegate who did admit to a change of heart about white South Africans and Afrikaners after Dakar was Kader Asmal In August 2003 he told a meeting of the National Business Initiative that before Dakar the only Afrikaners he had met were security policemen and immigration officials After the Dakar meeting most of us went on to visit Ghana and Burkina Faso as guests of their presidents ndash that was when we sang lsquoSarie Maraisrsquo to Thomas Sankara and his Cabinet who had just treated us to a rendition of some of their folk and liberation songs It was while we were in Ouagadougou that we received the first faxes of South African newspaper coverage and comment on our trip It was truly depressing We were sitting around the hotel pool talking about this when Van and Beyers Naudeacute challenged me if you are so disillusioned about South African and especially Afrikaans journalism why donrsquot you do something about itThe result of that conversation was the founding a year later of Vrye Weekblad the first anti-apartheid newspaper in Afrikaans Chairman of the board Van Zyl Slabbert We were a wild hard-living bunch of media terrorists and we must have embarrassed Van many times with our antics And yet Van remained the one figure we could count on for support and advice (and occasionally money) right to the end Helen Suzman was wrong about him when it really counted Van Zyl Slabbert did have staying powerVan and many of us who went to Dakar came back with the message to everyone who wanted to listen the ANC are pragmatic reasonable people the white estab-lishment could do business withThere are very few South African politicians in history who could retire with their credibility and self-respect intact Van Zyl Slabbert is one of them

lsquoHe wore his alienation on his sleeversquo Source Mark Gevisser Mail amp Guardian 21 May 2010httpwwwmgcozaarticle2010-05-20-he-wore-his-alienation-on-sleeve

I first met Frederik van Zyl Slabbert in 1977 when I was 12 on a holiday our two families took together My father David Gevisser had been one of the campaign managers to engineer the ldquoProgrdquo victory that put Slabbert and five others into Parliament next to Helen Suzman and had become an ardent supporter of his political aspirations

Like my father and like almost everyone else who would meet ldquoVanrdquo during his extraordinary life I was immediately smitten I had never met anyone like him he seemed both glamorous and earthy both intense and irreverent both easily approachable and fiercely intellectual He solicited my opinions on something political possibly the Soweto Uprising I remember my conversations with him and his wife Mana on that holiday as being the first seriously ldquoadultrdquo ones I ever had I remember thinking on the drive home that I would go to the trenches for him (some trenches door-to-door canvassing in a Bryanston by-election) and that I wanted to be like him when I grew up passionate principled engaged

When he became the leader of the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) two years later I put a poster of him up in my room I abandoned the ldquoProgsrdquo when I found the student left at university three years later when Slabbert stormed out of the ldquogrotesque ritual of irrelevancerdquo that was the white Parliament I cheered And as I watched him lead those vital encounters between white South Africans and ANC leaders I felt a deep relief His relationship with Thabo Mbeki in particular seemed to hold in its affection and creativity an answer to South Africarsquos prob-lems I thought then -- somewhat naively -- that Slabbert would be South Africarsquos transitional leader and that this would save us from civil war

One of Slabbertrsquos great antagonists at the time was newspaper editor Ken Owen who wrote recently that by quitting the former PFP leader gave up the chance to become one of the architects of the South African Constitution The historian Hermann Giliomee agrees ldquoThere was a golden opportunity for an Afrikaner politician unsullied by apartheid to join FW de Klerk in trying to find a way outrdquo

But Slabbert had already accepted that there was only one possible way out straightforward majority rule As Jurgen Kogl puts it ldquoHe rejected out of hand that he was the last white hope lsquoThe last white hope to do whatrsquo he would ask lsquoTo preserve white power by modernising apartheid To fight for the qualified

franchisersquo If that was to be his role he wanted no part of itrdquo

I have written elsewhere that Slabbert was ldquoseducedrdquo by a highly instrumental-ist Mbeki as part of the latterrsquos strategy to shatter the monolith of white South African support for apartheid Slabbert himself believed this to be true but the process actually went both ways one cannot overestimate the role he played -- both personally and as a convener -- in leading the ANC away from the battlefield He brought South Africa that much closer to a negotiated settlement -- even if it meant in the process quitting his post as an elected representative of the white minority and thus excluding himself from the formal structures of power Far from being an act of hubris and impetuosity which is how many white liberals saw it this was a sacrifice of principle and immense generosity

Slabbert remained outside until his death and many -- including the man him-self -- believe he was denied an active role in post-apartheid politics because he refused to be a yes-man to Mbeki from whom he became estranged Heribert Adam and Kogila Moodley write that ldquoit seems a great pity than an extraordinary political talent has been wasted and has remained unrecognisedrdquo both David Welsh and Breyten Breytenbach have written that this was tragic ldquonot only for Van Zyl personallyrdquo as Welsh puts it ldquobut also for the countryrdquo

Certainly some of Slabbertrsquos later writings were harsh he described Mbekirsquos 1999 ascendancy as having been won by means of ldquopatronage favouritism cunning and manipulationrdquo and wrote that ldquowhen I look towards the future I am fearful of the long darkness that may await us allrdquo But despite his disappoinment at not having been called to serve in any significant way it was my sense of him that he understood this to be a consequence of his independence and his integrity He loathed the ldquopatronage favouritism cunning and manipulationrdquo of the new order as much as he did that of the old and although he was an ambitious man who wanted to play his part he wore his alienation from the new power elite as a badge of pride Despite his decade in Parliament he was in the end simply not a politician

Instead he did a whole lot of things within what we call ldquocivil societyrdquo He set up the Institute for a Democratic South Africa (Idasa) and godfathered both the non-governmental sector and the alternative media in this country he became a businessman he engaged with Afrikaner culture he wrote books South Africa might have lost him as a ldquoplayerrdquo -- in the sense that his fellow Stellenbosch aca-demic Willie Esterhuyse was or Marthinus van Schalkwyk is -- but he deepened the world around these ldquoplayersrdquo that guarantees our democracy I do not know if in his last years Slabbert was able to take comfort in this But as we mourn him I hope that we can

Slabbert Skerp van intellek en ruim van gees Source Die Beeld 14 May 2010

httpwwwbeeldcomOpinieHoofArtikelsSlabbert-Skerp-van-intellek-en-ruim-van-gees-20100516

Hoekom het Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert nooit rsquon veel groter rol in die SA politiek gespeel nie Dit is die een vraag wat altyd oor hom gevra is reg tot sy afsterwe verlede Vrydag En nog lank gevra sal word

Dieacute wat hom geken het het geweet en die res het aangevoel Hier was rsquon buitenge-wone Suid-Afrikaner met voortreflike talente Vir rsquon politikus het hy alles gehad rsquon vlymskerp verstand hartlikheid rsquon aantreklike voorkoms en rsquon pretensielose cha-risma

Toe hy in die amptelike opposisie was het sy aanhangers gesecirc ldquoas Slabbert maar net president kon weesrdquo In die post-1994-era het hulle en die vele ander wat intussen bygekom het gereeld die versugting uitgespreek dat Slabbert rsquon veel prominenter rol in die nuwe Suid-Afrika speel

Dit is begryplik behalwe dat dit afbreuk doen aan die groot rol wat hy wel gespeel het Hy het die apartheidstelsel konsekwent meedoeumlnloos en met hiperlogika aan-geval oor rsquon hele politieke loopbaan heen

Dis gepas om hier te vra Sou die Afrikaners nie vroeeumlr die onwerkbaarheid daarvan ingesien het as hulle groter blootstelling gehad het aan Slabbert se insigte nie

Die Afrikaner-instellings van destyds Afrikaanse koerante inkluis was verkeerd om Slabbert en sy idees weg te hou van hul mense en hom te demoniseer

Slabbert se rol in die tydperk tussen sy uittrede uit die parlement en die ontknoping van SA se politiek in die vroeeuml 1990rsquos is selfs belangriker as toe hy rsquon opposisie leier was

As medeleier van Idasa en as die instelling Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert het hy rsquon gewigtige bydrae gelewer om die akker voor te berei vir die veranderinge wat in 1990 begin hetMet sy epiese safari na Dakar in 1987 was Slabbert die eerste Afrikaner van statuur wat vir die Afrikaners gesecirc het Kyk hier is die ANC en hy is nie rsquon duiwel met horings nie Sonder die uiteindelike aanvaarding daarvan sou SA se onderhandelde skikking nie sommer gebeur het nie

Beeld salueer dieacute goeie man met sy skerp verstand sy ruim gees en sy mooi geaard-heid Wat onbeskaamd Afrikaner was met rsquon intense liefde vir sy taal

Slabbert had true mark of a historic leader Source Xolela Mangcu Business Day 27 May 2010 httpwwwbusinessdaycozaarticlesContentaspxid=110105

AS A little boy I never liked doing household chores such as tending the garden or anything that demanded physical exertion However there was one chore I always looked forward to every day after school mdash my mother sending me to buy the Daily Dispatch in town The town was a hopscotch away from our township but to my motherrsquos eternal frustration a trip that should take half an hour would invari-ably end up taking hours I would be found on the side of the road reading the paper out loud to myself or to the older boys in our township I donrsquot think there is a publication that had a greater effect on my young mind than the Dispatch which was then edited by the legendary Donald Woods

The Dispatch also introduced me to Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert I followed opposi-tion politics with a fascination that gave way to radicalism only in my teenage years I remember finding Colin Eglin rather dour compared with the debonair charismatic new leader of the Progressive Federal Party Van Zyl Slabbert I was always intrigued by the idea that the white community was divided over apartheid It was in the Dispatch that I read about divisions between the verligtes and verkramptes in the National Party mdash a conceptual division I am told that owes its origins to FW de Klerkrsquos older brother Wimpie A decade elapsed before Slabbert realised the futility of operating within the constraints of the apartheid parliament I followed his career as an extraparliamentary institution builder which resulted in the formation of the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for SA (Idasa) This was a time when some of us were beginning to get out of the trenches of political struggle and entertaining the idea of working with think-tanks such as Idasa the Institute for Multiparty Democracy the Centre for Policy Studies and the Develop-ment Bank of Southern Africa By the late 1980s we were establishing a beachhead presence in the system no doubt a departure from the long-held principle of noncollaboration with the sys-tem Slabbert chaired the metropolitan chamber during one of the most exhilarat-ing and precarious moments of our transition The chamber was the first real experiment in collective governance a micro-scale precursor to the government of national unity If this could be achieved in a city the size of Johannesburg then it ought to be possible for the country The cham-ber consisted of representatives of disparate bodies such as the Transvaal Pro-

vincial Administration white ratepayersrsquo associations civic organisations and the African National Congress Slabbert held the body together in what Mark Swilling described as ldquoa glorious experiment in participatory governancerdquo I also admired Slabbertrsquos devotion to ideas In the 1970s he was regarded as one of SArsquos top sociologists For his sins he became a functionalist mdash one of those so-ciologists who believe a political system is made up of constituent elements which can be made to work together if everyone can be socialised in the same value system As opposed to Marxists functionalists emphasise cohesion over conflict as the motor of change I finally got to know Slabbert personally after I asked him to speak about his last book The Other Side of History which deals with the contradictions of racial iden-tity and belonging in contemporary SA After the talk we went out to a restaurant in Melville where I tried to keep up with him as we downed a couple of bottles of wine He was just one of the great-est story-tellers I have ever met with intimate details of the behind-the-scenes drama of the transition And he told it all with the most remarkable humour You always laughed around him The last time I saw him was in Goree Senegal where he was once again regaling us with stories well into the night No the last time I actually saw him was at one of the malls in Johannesburg He was a distance away I thought of running after him but thought ldquomaybe next timerdquo As it turns out there would be no next time The South African political landscape was all the better for him Thatrsquos the true mark of a historic leader

- Mangcu is convener of the Platform for Public Deliberation at the University of Johannesburg

Slabbert saw the big picture in SArsquos future and worked towards it Source Rory Riordan The Herald 27 May 2010

httpwwwtheheraldcozaopinionarticleaspxid=567169

THERE is a received wisdom about Frederik van Zyl Slabbertrsquos contribution to South Africarsquos politics and it runs something like thisAn enormously gifted person he was a splendid member of parliament As a Leader of the Opposition he oversaw the rapid rise in numbers and influence of the PFP Pity he spoilt it all by storming out of parliament so damagingly (1974 to 1986) His contribution through Idasa the Open Society Foundation and the Dakar and other such initiatives were ldquonice-to- havesrdquo ndash useful but the real show of the time (1986 to 1990) was the two muskoxen (the NP and the ANCUDF) headbut-ting each other until they could take the pain no more ndash then February 2 1990 and on Codesa was great but would have been better if Slabbert had not been sidelined from it From 1990 on he did a few minor good things (the Joburg Metropolitan Chamber etc) before fading off to business and another lifeLots of people believe the above ndash but Irsquom not one of them Let me give you an-other appraisal then choose for yourself Slabbertrsquos 12 years in parliament should not be judged by his contribution (or damage) to the PFP ndash that was incidental His real achievement in parliament was to get those verligte Nats who knew the great apartheid project was doomed and collapsing to begin to consider other options to endless violent repression of black revolt and to become willing to risk going on the route of negotiationsThis he did by being in parliament by his speeches there and by his personal cha-risma and credibility in that arena and most particularly by being an Afrikaner an unashamed member of the tribe His period in parliament was as fundamental as was his leaving of it The NP vilified and abused Slabbert ndash but some NP MPs those who could see that the tricameral parliament could not take South Africa further and who se-cretly agreed with Slabbertrsquos trenchant criticism of it became willing to consider also his proposal for negotiations but they did not know where to begin And if they did reach out would the ANC respond Nobody knew The risks were too great to tryWith his credibility in place with those verligte NPs Slabbert left parliament abruptly and brutally ndash thereby establishing his credentials with the ANCUDF He became the most prominent politician with credibility with both muskoxenThen Dakar There had already been a few mini-Dakars but nothing had come of

them They lacked a person of Slabbertrsquos stature as organiser Dakar started a flood of meetings The word started going around ndash these ANC guys are OK we can talk to them we can cut deals with them Dakar was not a speech in parliament on the need for negotiations ndash there had been hundreds of those and nothing was moving ndash it was negotiations and it worked We now had the feasibility study and the pilot project behind us and our chip was on the board of the snakes and ladders game of political negotiations From Dakar on it was downhill The ANC would negotiate and the state would not prosecute participants The risks were behind us Slabbert had taken the risks and his personal credibility had made it work Sure Slabbert was not at Codesa It did not need him Codesa gave us the 20th centuryrsquos finest election and its finest constitution It had what it needed obviously but it couldnrsquot have got into place without Slabbertrsquos ini-tiatives ndash that was much more important You can see Slabbert as a brilliant man a fine parliamentarian who nearly wrecked a political party and parliament also and who then got into side- shows until finally becoming irrelevant and fading away Or you can see him as a political genius (as Max du Preez says ldquoVan was in another categoryrdquo) who saw the road ahead miles before we did and who took huge risks with great courage to muck the details into place in the huge framework of the jour-ney from oppression to democracy Slabbert knew the solution to our 1980s resistancerepression cycle was negotiations ndash almost everyone else did too But the rest of us didnrsquot have a clue how to get the NP to beginHe did He saw the big picture and strode out at such risk to muck in the details And he succeeded and we have a constitutional democracy today Thank you Van Zyl For what you did for South Africa for our self-respect and for the extraordinary pleasure and honour of having known you For all those years when everything was so fluid and so uncertain we all hung on ndash ldquowhat was Van Zylrsquos opin-ionrdquo We then read it and became certain Now somehow our country doesnrsquot seem quite as safe without you You will be sorely missed

Van Zyl Slabbert hailed on all sides Source The Witness 15 May 2010

httpwwwwitnesscozaindexphpshowcontentampglobal[_id]=40709

JOHANNESBURG mdash ldquoA mobile political libraryrdquo ldquoa living embodiment of active citi-zenshiprdquo and a ldquoperson who left South Africa better than what it wasrdquo mdash these were some of the tributes to former politician businessman and academic Frederik van Zyl Slabbert who died in Johannesburg yesterdayAfter being treated at Johannesburgrsquos Milpark Hospital for an illness the man who led the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) opposition during apartheid died with his family at his side

He was 70 years old ldquoHe died peacefully with his familyrdquo his daughter Tania told SapaIn a moving tribute to his ldquodear friendrdquo Inkatha Freedom Party chief whip Koos van der Merwe described him as a parliamentarian par excellence while the opposition Democratic Alliance a descendant of the PFP said he presented a non-racial alterna-tive ldquowith determination and principlerdquo ldquoHe devoted his life to the development of a just South Africa and he left our country a far better place than beforerdquo said DA leader Helen Zille PFP co-founder Colin Eglin said Van Zyl Slabbert will be remembered with ldquogreat respect for his integrity his keen intellect his warm personality and his deep concern for the people the society and the country of which he was so much a partrdquoPresident Jacob Zuma called him a ldquoprincipled patriotrdquo and an outspoken critic of minority rule He arranged pre-democracy talks with the ANC and the ruling National Party and ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu said ldquoAs leader of the Progressive Federal Party not only did he make an indelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheid in South Africa but he fought for constitutional democracy to be realisedrdquo The office of the ANC chief whip in Parliament said he will be remembered for the role he played in the historic meeting between Afrikaners and the ANC representatives in exile which helped open up channels of communication between the party and the white community that had been bombarded with the apartheid governmentrsquos anti-ANC propaganda The ANC had regarded him as a voice of reason in ldquoan ocean of ruthlessness repres-sionrdquo and felt that he had resisted apartheid when it was not fashionable or person-ally rewarding to do so

The Independent Democrats called him a true patriot and said all South Africans owed him a debt of gratitude for the principled stance he took in all the positions he occu-pied throughout his life while United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the country had been deprived of an intellectual and moral leaderThe African Christian Democratic Party called him a ldquoremarkable manrdquo The Institute for Democracy in South Africa which he co-founded in 1986 with Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Alex Boraine said he was a visionary and represent-ed a ldquoliving embodiment of active citizenship as a South African and an African public intellectualrdquo A memorial service will be held next Saturday lsquo Apartheid fighter Frederik van Zyl Slabbert dies Source BBC News May 2010

httpnewsbbccouk2hiafrica8683015stm South Africarsquos governing African National Congress has paid tribute to the apartheid-era politician Frederik van Zyl Slabbert who has died aged 70Mr Slabbert was best known for his efforts in the late 1980s to open up dialogue be-tween Afrikaners and the then-exiled ANC He was one of the few members of South Africarsquos white-dominated parliament to oppose apartheid

The ANC said he had made an ldquoindelible markrdquo in fighting white minority ruleMr Slabbert was apparently only persuaded to stand for office after a hard nightrsquos drinking But having been elected in 1974 he became leader of the Progressive Federal Party In 1985 he travelled to Zambia for talks with the still-banned ANC in an unsuccessful bid to get the government to negotiate with all political groups The following year much to his colleaguesrsquo surprise he quit politics saying he refused to be ldquoin the slipstream of the governmentrsquos repression and incompetencerdquoMr Slabbert then formed the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for South Africa - which aimed to bring resistance groups and influential white figures togetherMuch to the governmentrsquos fury in 1987 he lead a group of 60 influential white South Africans to Senegal where they held talks with an ANC delegation

On meeting Van Zyl Source Isabella Matambanadzo 17 May 2010

httpwwwidasaorgzaOutput_DetailsaspRID=2111ampoplang=enampOTID=4ampPID=11

It was November of 2004 I was late and in a panic The tarmac at Johannesburgrsquos OR Tambo international airport was soaked because of foul weather and our flight was backed up in the landing queue Immigration was a nightmare ldquoVisa How long are you staying Where are you staying What are you here for How much money do you have You must leave in 14 daysrdquo Rubber-Stamp thud like a baton stick on and run Never one to miss a thing he nabbed me as I walked stealthily into the room think-ing I could sneak in unnoticed Thud Thud Thud The last drops of rainfrom my umbrella fell on the carpet ldquoWelcome Bella Take a seatrdquo or something convivial like that During the meetingrsquos tea break he headed towards me I was still cowering in my pity corner as I thought he was the sort of man to hand out a delayed form of discipline I was certain I was going to get a lecture on meeting etiquette But not Van Zyl His warm hand outstretched he gave me a greeting that will go down as one of the warmest and sincerest I have ever had I hope I never forget the comfort of that firm grip I would later learn it belonged to an ace rugby player someone who could have taken the game professionally but luckily for me chose a different path With that handshake came the biggest smile reaching all the way to his eyes and twinkling out of them He was wearing a white and brown cotton shirt of the pan-African tradition the neat fabric of the hemline of the sleeves just grazing his rough elbows The idea stuck Since then my male friends get one regularly from me Van Zyl was generous of spirit My country was going through difficult times ldquoItrsquos going to get worse before it gets better But donrsquot doubt it It will definitely get bet-ter Zimbabwe will be the amazing country it should berdquo he said with such presci-ent confidence I frankly thought some of his nuts and bolts were coming undone In the years to follow he would be a constant source of encouragement A kind man of the way your maternal grandmother is when you are having a hard time with something she knows you can accomplish A phone call would come through to me every so often ldquoI am just checking on you no pressurerdquo his voice would boom not with authoritarianism but to give you a big boost I could always tell there was a smile on the other side trying to ease my pain He was a role model in autonomy Van Zyl If an institution or organization did not work for him he wasnrsquot afraid to step out of it and create something of his own He believed in human agency and worked tirelessly for it He would craft a niche find a place where his exuberance and intellect could always thrive and where his ideas would rapidly take shape Idasa is a poignant example

He tools were optimism and a positive spirit that all would turn out right I never quite figured where his reserves of relentless hope came from when the rest of us were slipping into deep caves of distress and despair Once he had my email ad-dress the reading instructions followed ldquoThis might inspire yourdquo was the simple message Occasionally a text message would come through ldquoHang in there donrsquot give up rdquo especially in 2006 when we were on trail for our belief in a society where the airwaves belong to all of us not just a select few The Radio Voice of the People case was arduous Some friends chose to distance themselves from us because we were seen as ldquotoo controversialhelliptoo confrontationalrdquo Others spoke with their body language or just became distant Rather than play hide and seek Van Zyl compiled a docket for me of case material on how South Africa ensured the devo-lution of the airwaves In the years that I was born Dr Frederick van Zyl Slabbert was already leader of the opposition in the South African parliament of mid-1975 A decade later he was working as far afield as Dakar Senegal paving the way for South Africarsquos talks about a transition to a plural and democratic state ldquoSlabbert gave me all his wisdom rdquo says Davie Malungisa Executive Director of IDAZIM a think tank that we set up as quickly as Slabbert has said the name ldquoI think what Zimbabwe needs right now is an IDAZIM an independent place for dia-logue and capacity building to play the role that Idasa did during our own transi-tionrdquo hersquod said with a sweep of his hands And that was another of his abundant gifts ndash ideas They would spew from his mind with his characteristically burly lucidity Dr Frederick Van Zyl Slabbertrsquos death on May 14 is not only a loss to his family his friends and the society of South Africa It is a loss to those of us in Africa who through his selfless and unpaid contribution learned from him and keep alive our beliefs in the possibility of attaining in our life time Open Tolerant Just and Equi-table societies As the founding African board member for the Open Society Institutersquos southern Africa foundation he brought to our soils Karl Popperrsquos philosophy and expanded the depth and breadth of the work of the Soros Foundationrsquos OSI footprint across the African continent And so as we fly our personal flags at half-mast in honour of Van Zyl we no doubt feel a deep personal loss Our ache is dulled a little by the knowledge that bighearted as he was Slabbert gave to our world his dues and so much much more Isabella Matambanadzo Harare Zimbabwe17 May 2010

Tributes pour in for VZSlabbert Source The Voice of the Cape 14 May 2010

httpwwwvocfmcozaindexphpampsection=newsampcategory=sanewsamparticle=52985

ldquoA mobile political libraryrdquo ldquoa living embodiment of active citizenshiprdquo and a ldquoperson who left South Africa better than what it wasrdquo -- these were some of the tributes to former politician businessman and academic Frederik van Zyl Slabbert who died in Johannesburg on Friday After being treated at Johannesburgrsquos Milpark Hospital for an illness the former Progressive Federal Party opposition leader dur-ing apartheid died with his family at his side at the age of 70

ldquoHe died peacefully with his familyrdquo his daughter Tania told Sapa In a moving tribute to his ldquodear friendrdquo Inkatha Freedom Party chief whip Koos van der Merwe described him as a parliamentarian par excellence while the opposition DA a de-scendant of the PFP said he had presented a non-racial alternative ldquowith determi-nation and principlerdquo ldquoHe devoted his life to the development of a just South Africa and he left our coun-try a far better place than beforerdquo said DA leader Helen Zille PFP co-founder Colin Eglin said Van Zyl Slabbert would be remembered with ldquogreat respect for his integ-rity his keen intellect his warm personality and his deep concern for the people the society and the country of which he was so much a partrdquo President Jacob Zuma called him a ldquoprincipled patriotrdquo and an outspoken critic of minority rule The ANC with which he arranged pre-democracy talks with the ruling National Party said he had made an indelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheid ldquoAs leader of the Progressive Federal Party not only did he make an indelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheid in South Africa but he fought for constitutional democracy to be realisedrdquo said ANC spokes-man Brian Sokutu The office of the ANC chief whip in Parliament said he would be remembered for the role he played in the historic meeting between Afrikaner South Africans and the ANC representatives in exile which helped open up channels of communica-tions between the party and the white community which had been bombarded with the apartheid governmentrsquos anti-ANC propaganda The ANC had regarded him as a voice of reason in ldquoan ocean of ruthlessness repres-sionrdquo and felt that he had resisted apartheid when it was not fashionable or per-sonally rewarding to do so The Independent Democrats called him a true patriot and said all South Africans owed him a debt of gratitude for the principled stance he took in all the positions he occupied throughout his life while United Demo-

cratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the country had been deprived of an intellectual and moral leader The African Christian Democratic Party called him a ldquoremarkable manrdquo The Insti-tute for Democracy in South Africa which he co-founded in 1986 with Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Alex Boraine as the Institute for a Democratic Aler-native for South Africa said he was a visionary and represented a ldquoliving embodi-ment of active citizenship as a South African and an African public intellectualrdquo A memorial service at a venue to be announced will be held next Saturday

Van Zyl Slabbert remembered News24com and Business Report 26 May 2010

httpwwwnews24comSouthAfricaVan-Zyl-Slabbert-remembered-20100526

Cape Town - MPs from all sides of the National Assembly on Wednesday paid tribute to former politician academic and businessman Frederik van Zyl Slab-bert who died at the age of 70 on May 14 ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga set the tone in moving a motion noting among other things that Slabbert travelled to Lusaka in Zambia 1985 for talks with the external wing of the ANC It acknowledged too that with Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi he launched the National Convention Movement in an unsuccessful attempt to put pressure on the then SA government to negotiate with all political groups The motion further recognised Slabbertrsquos contribution towards shaping the South African political landscape and conveyed heartfelt condolences to the Slabbert family his relatives and friendsSpeakers from all parties lauded Slabbert for his tireless efforts in trying to bring a peaceful negotiated settlement in South Africa He was a true patriot and would be remembered as a progressive voice for change during the dying days of apartheid they said- SAPA

Frederick van Zyl Slabbert - Former Opposition leader dies Source Financial Mail BD Online 14 May 2010

httpwwwfmcozaArticleaspxid=109030

Former opposition leader and political analyst Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert has died He is perhaps best remembered for his pioneering work in opening up dialogue between Afrikaners and the exiled African National Congress He was once viewed as one of South Africarsquos most gifted public figures

Slabbert 70 once viewed as one of South Africarsquos most gifted public figures had been admitted to Johannesburgrsquos Milpark Hospital and was reportedly being treated for liver and other problems

Perhaps best remembered for his pioneering work in opening up dialogue between Afrikaners and the exiled African National Congress he had a conventional Afri-kaner upbringing The ANCrsquos statement on Friday said ldquoVan Zyl Slabbert will be remembered for the role he played in the historic meeting between Afrikaner South Africans and the ANC representatives in exile which spurred the advancement towards the demo-cratic South Africa The meeting further helped to open up channels of commu-nication between the ANC and the white community which was for a long time bombarded with apartheid regimersquos anti-ANC propaganda Commenting on that meeting ANC President Oliver Tambo remarked at the time that ldquoan organisation that is opposed to the apartheid system we regard as on our siderdquo ldquoFor a long time Van Zyl Slabbert served as one of the few outstanding voices of reason amidst an ocean of ruthlessness repression subjugation and resistance to non-racialism ldquoHe was amongst the few white South Africans who resisted apartheid when it was not fashionable or personally rewarding to do so Like Helen Suzman he sought to use his role within Parliamentary opposition as an MP for the Progressive Federal Party as a platform to reject and fight apartheid ldquoHe later resigned from Parliament in protest against the apartheid regimersquos inabil-ity to address the countryrsquos problems He did so not only to send an unequivocal message to the regime about the wrongness of its oppressive policies but also to enable himself an opportunity to join extra parliamentary forces of change to ac-celerate the process towards the demise of the apartheid demon He argued at the

time that staying on in that institution would merely serve to lend it legitimacyldquoRecognising the historic importance of this decisive break with the apartheid system by an Afrikaner the leadership of the ANC made bold to salute him as rsquoa new Voortrekkerrsquo The ANC added ldquoVan Zyl Slabbert would be missed for his intellectual and con-structive analysis on the political challenges of the day which enriched our politi-cal discourse and contributed in strengthening our constitutional democracy This is indeed the quality present-day academics opposition politicians and commen-tators should emulate ldquoWe are certain that the rich legacy that Van Zyl Slabbert leaves this country shall be appreciated by generations for many years to comerdquo He leaves his wife Jane and two adult children Tania and Riko from a previous marriage

Frederik van Zyl Slabbert white anti-apartheid leader dies at 70 Source Washington Post 14 May 2010

httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20100514AR2010051405409html

Frederik van Zyl Slabbert 70 who helped South Africa chart a peaceful way out of apartheid by leading fellow whites into talks with exiled black leaders died May 14 at his home in Johannesburg after being treated for a liver-related complication Reuters reported Mr Slabbert was a rugby-playing son of conservative Afrikaners the descendants of early Dutch settlers known for their commitment to apartheid But as a political figure he symbolized the emergence of a new breed of Afrikaner urbane articu-late and committed to racial equality He was also charming and telegenic a creature of the modern age at a time when Arikanerdom was fracturing over many questions the ultimate question was how to deal with modernity resist it ignore it subvert it or try to lead it Mr Slabbert tried to lead leaving behind an early career as a sociologist in aca-demia to enter politics He represented the Progressive Federal Party a precursor to the current opposition Democratic Alliance in parliament during the apartheid years He resigned as party leader and left parliament in 1985 during a crackdown on black activists saying the whites-only legislature was no longer relevant Helen Suzman -- who had promoted him as the new face of Arikanerdom and a way of making her all-white English-dominated progressive party more inclusive and influential -- was angry and saddened when he walked away from parliamentary politics Soon afterward Mr Slabbert and rights advocate Alex Boraine formed the Institute for a Democratic Alternative in South Africa known as Idasa to organize meetings between whites and blacks in apartheid South Africa The group is now the Insti-tute for Democracy in Africa In 1987 Mr Slabbert led a delegation of white South Africans to Senegal to meet the African National Congress -- which was banned in South Africa at the time but is now the countryrsquos governing party The white government labeled Mr Slabbertrsquos group traitors In a statement Friday South African President Jacob Zuma said Mr Slabbert showed ldquocourage and foresightrdquo by going to Senegal In his definitive book on South Africarsquos transformation journalist Allister Sparks

says the Senegal meetings proved that South African factions had enough com-mon ground to find a peaceful solution to their countryrsquos crisis

The Democratic Alliance said that Mr Slabbert played a ldquoleading role in opposing apartheid and facilitating South Africarsquos transition to democracyrdquo Frederik van Zyl Slabbert was born March 2 1940 in Pretoria He received multi-ple degrees from South Africarsquos University of Stellenbosch His marriage to Marie Jordaan ended in divorce Survivors include his wife Jane Stephens whom he married in 1984 and two children from his first marriageHis books included ldquoThe Last White Parliament The Struggle for South Africa by the Leader of the White Oppositionrdquo (1986) and ldquoTough Choices Reflections of an Afrikaner Africardquo (2000) ldquoHe went against the grain broke ranks but established new alliances and friend-ships that transcended the old divisionsrdquo said Njabulo Ndebele Idasarsquos chairman ldquoHe was a remarkable South African who had a sharp and sensitive intelligence and a tremendous sense of humorrdquo

Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert An Obituary Source Politicsweb 14 May 2010wwwpoliticswebcoza

JOHANNESBURG (Sapa) - Former opposition leader and political analyst Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert died at home in Johannesburg on Friday morning his daughter Tania said ldquoHe died peacefully with his familyrdquo she told Sapa ldquoWe are okayrdquo she addedSlabbert 70 once viewed as one of South Africarsquos most gifted public figures had been admitted to Johannesburgrsquos Milpark Hospital and was reportedly being treated for liver and other problems Perhaps best remembered for his pioneering work in opening up dialogue between Afrikaners and the exiled African National Congress he had a conventional Afrikan-er upbringing He was born in Pretoria on March 2 1940 and spent his formative years in Pietersburg now Polokwane in what is now Limpopo where he captained his schoolrsquos first cricket and rugby teams He studied for 18 months at the Dutch Reformed Church theological seminary at Stellenbosch University before decid-ing sociology was his proper calling He completed a BA Honours at the university in 1962 and was awarded a doctorate in 1967 From 1964 to 1973 he lectured in sociology at Stellenbosch Rhodes and the University of Cape Town

During this period his interest in the position of the coloured people of the West-ern Cape led him into confrontation with the National Party and he joined a multi-racial discussion group named Synthesis which sought to promote black-white dialogue In 1973 he was appointed head of the department of sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand The following year standing for the Progressive Party (PP) hewon the Rondebosch parliamentary seat from the United Party He maintained afterwards he had been persuaded to stand only after a hard nightrsquos drinking with PP members In 1979 he accepted the leadership of the party -- by then known as the Progressive Federal Party -- and of the official opposition in Parliament and led the PFP to substantial gains in the 1981 general election In 1985 he travelled to Lusaka for talks with the external wing of the ANC and with Inkatharsquos Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi launched the National Convention Move-ment in an unsuccessful attempt to pressure the government to negotiate with all political groupsBy this time Slabbert who was said by one acquaintance to have a ldquonon-existent boredom thresholdrdquo was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the tricameral

Parliament which in his view was a hopelessly flawed constitutional experimentIn February 1986 he publicly announced his resignation from Parliament and the leadership of the PFP which he had informed of his decision only an hour earlierFellow front-bencher Helen Suzman labelled it betrayal but he strongly defended his move saying he refused to be ldquoin the slipstream of the governmentrsquos repres-sion and incompetencerdquo

His desertion of the PFP sparked criticism that while he had the brains for a politi-cian he lacked the balls ldquoJardquo he responded with a wry smile ldquoThe trouble with this country is you have too many politicians with balls but no brainsrdquo In July 1986 Slabbert with another former PFP MP Alex Boraine formed the Insti-tute for a Democratic Alternative for South Africa (Idasa) He became a director of Idasa and undertook an intricate process of shuttle diplomacy aimed at bringing resistance groups together with influential figures in the white establishment in South Africa In July 1987 to the governmentrsquos fury he took a group of about 60 influential white South Africans most of them Afrikaners to Dakar Senegal for talks with an ANC delegation In the 1990s he branched out into business becoming chairman of Caxton Publish-ers Adcorp Holdings and Metro Cash lsquon Carry as well as holding various director-ships He also in 1990 co-founded Khula a black investment trust In 2002 then-president Thabo Mbeki appointed him to head a team investigating a new electoral system for the country Its recommendation a more accountable mix of constituency-based and proportional representation was quietly shelved by the government Slabbert accepted the position of chancellor of his alma mater Stellenbosch in 2008 but at the end of that year suffered a heart attack and had a pacemaker installed The following year he quit the Stellenbosch post along with his company director-ships in order he said to spend more time with his wife and familyHe authored a number of books including a semi-autobiographical analysis of tricameral politics The Last White Parliament which appeared in 1985In May that year he wrote that his fear was not that there would not be eventual consensus on the principles of a new democratic constitution for South AfricaldquoFar more disturbing are the expectations that people have of what a democracy can deliver and which research shows it is incapable of doing ldquoThis in the South African context is the real burden of democracyrdquoHe leaves his wife Jane and two adult children Tania and Riko from a previous marriage

SA mourns death of former politician Eyewitness News Cathy Mohlahlana |14 May 2010

httpwwwewncozaarticleprogaspxid=39624

Tributes are pouring in for former politician Frederick van zyl Slabbert who passed away on Friday morningVan zyl Slabbert died at the age of 70 following a long illness

The political analyst played a crucial role in the countryrsquos transition to democracy He also co-founded the Institute for Democracy in South Africa at the end of 1986 to help explore new ways of addressing polarisation between black and white South Africans

Idasarsquos Paul Graham said he would be sorely missed ldquoHe also played a very mean game of snooker No one in the organisation was able to match himrdquo President Jacob Zuma said van zyl Slabbert was a patriot who served his country with vigor The president extended his condolences to relatives of the former politi-cian and academic Zumarsquos spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president re-membered van zyl Slabbert fondly UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said he was a great example for all South Africans

ldquoThe country has been deprived of another intellectual and moral leaderrdquo

Dren Nupen who was a colleague and close friend said she was devastated

ldquoHe was an incredible human being He was empathetic he had a great sense of humour and he had a great ability to attract people to himrdquo

Tributes flood in for Van Zyl Slabbert Source The Mercury 14 May 2010httpwwwthemercurycozafSectionId=ampfArticleId=nw20100514130748928C407039

Tributes flowed in on Friday for former politician academic and businessman Fred-erik Van Zyl Slabbert following his death in Johannesburg

The opposition DA a descendant of the Progressive Federal Party which he once led said he presented a non-racial alternative ldquowith determination and principlerdquo

ldquoHe devoted his life to the development of a just South Africa and he left our country a far better place than beforerdquo said DA leader Helen Zille

The Independent Democrats called him a true patriot and said all South Africans owed him a debt of gratitude for the principled stance he took in all the positions he occupied throughout his life

The ANC said he had made an indelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheid ldquoHe will also be remembered as one of those white South Africans who facilitated contact with the African National Congress at the time it was banned inside the countryrdquo said ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu

In 1985 he travelled to Lusaka for talks with the external wing of the ANC and with IFP president Mangosuthu Buthelezi launched the National Convention Movement in an unsuccessful attempt to pressurise the government into negotiating with all political groups

In 1987 he led a delegation of influential white business people to Dakar Senegal for talks with the then banned ANC

The Institute for Democracy in South Africa which he co-founded in 1986 with Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Alex Boraine said he was a visionary and represented a ldquoliving embodiment of active citizenship as a South African and an African public intellectualrdquo

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the country had been deprived of an intellectual and moral leader

ldquoHis progressive contribution during the transition must have played a big role in stilling the doubts of those who thought our country would not succeed in reach-ing a peaceful democratic settlementrdquo he said

PFP co-founder Colin Eglin said Van Zyl Slabbert would be remembered with ldquogreat respect for his integrity his keen intellect his warm personality and his deep con-cern for the people the society and the country of which he was so much a partrdquo - Sapa

Debt of Gratitude to Slabbert and Duncan Source Judith February Cape Times 19 May 2010httpwwwidasaorgza

Perhaps it is a reflection of the kind of society in which we live that the murder of a somewhat shady character eclipses the death of a South African woman of sub-stance Sheena Duncan founding chair of the Black Sash Trust passed away recently Unfortunately however it was the sordid murder of Lolly Jackson which hogged the headlines endlessly

Sheena Duncan was in all respects an activist and a tireless fighter for human rights during the apartheid era Over the years of her involvement with the Black Sash Duncan would become well-known and highly respected as she sought to assist hundreds of people whose lives were cruelly affected by the apartheid pass laws Duncanrsquos role in leading the Black Sash in its pacifist vigils along road-sides in rain or shine in protest against repressive laws will also be remembered Her commitment to a just society still underpins the work of the Black Sash today as it continues her work to lsquomake human rights realrsquo Her passing allows a moment to reflect on the role of an ordinary South African woman who when she might have turned a blind eye to injustice chose not to It is Duncanrsquos ordinariness which makes her lifersquos work extraordinary It may be clicheacuted to say it but she was after all a middle class white woman who lived in a community largely indifferent to the plight of the oppressed Taking a risk was a choice few were prepared to make The Sowetan editorialrsquos words were apt lsquoldquoOur sorrows and fears lifted a little when-ever her ample figure hove into view She took up the cudgels and fought tirelesslyhellip against members of her own race who enslaved usrdquo South Africa today is a very different place to the one in which pass laws existed and black people were treated as imposters on the land Yet in so many ways the deep structural inequalities the poverty and exclusion of many have created rifts within this society which either did not exist before or deepened existing ones Duncanrsquos life ndash that of choosing to fight for injustice everywhere even for no profit or reward- challenges all of us as citizens to redouble our efforts against corruption venality injustice and inequality

This last week also saw the passing of van Zyl Slabbert former Progressive Federal Party Member of Parliament Afrikaner African and intellectual Slabbert who with Alex Boraine was the founder of the Institute for a Democratic Alternative in South Africa (today known as lsquoidasarsquo) Slabbert was a fellow member of the Independent Panel on the assessment of Parliament set up by then Speaker Baleka Mbete in 2008 and chaired by former ANC MP Pregs Govender He will be remembered by those

of us who served on the Panel for his razor sharp understanding of power the workings of Parliament and his intricate knowledge of various systems of account-ability His was a great mind with a sharp eye for detail The work of our panel was enriched because of his insights For whatever the criticisms of his political life in 1986 when he made the decision to abandon the last white Parliament it was a decision based on principle and patriotism as the Presidencyrsquos statement rightly put it It was a decision which created a momentum in the white body politic from which it never recovered His attempts to bring Afrikaners and the ANC into dia-logue in Dakar Senegal in 1987 was in many ways a turning point in the stalemate that had become the turbulent 80s It was one part of the jig-saw which brought down an apartheid regime In the lives of Sheena Duncan and Van Zyl Slabbert we reflect on the countless other men and women who contributed to dismantling apartheid and pinning their colours to the mast when it mattered Such individual and corporate acts brought down the repressive apartheid regime Recently at a meeting of a very powerful western donor which pours millions of rands in development aid into South Africa primarily via government projects we were told that it is govenrment lsquosystemsrsquo which need to be improved in South Africa For while civil society is important working with citizens is not intrinsic to improving systems This approach must surely be misguided For systems can only work if citizens are empowered to access them and are able to articulate what it is they really need from their elected representatives But the approach is also naiumlve given our past It was people who managed to dismantle the apartheid system after all The lives of Duncan and Slabbert one an ordinary South African woman turned activist the other a privileged Afrikaner turned politician illustrate beyond doubt that it is people who change systems not the other way around We owe Duncan and Slabbert a debt of gratitude for showing us how

Parties praise SlabbertSource Kim Hawkey Times live 15 May 2010

httpwwwtimeslivecozaPoliticsarticle451626eceParties-praise-Slabbert

Tributes have been pouring in for former politician academic and businessman Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert since his death on Friday at the age of 70

Slabbert probably best known for his opposition politics during the apartheid era died in Johannesburg after a recent illness President Jacob Zuma was one of the first to send his condolences to Slabbertrsquos family on Friday He described Slabbert as a ldquovisionary leaderrdquo who made a valuable contribution in South Africarsquos transition to democracy Political parties including the Independent Democrats the United Democratic Movement and the Democratic Alliance praised Slabbert describing him as a ldquotrue patriotrdquo an ldquointellectual and moral leaderrdquo and a ldquotruly great South Africanrdquo The ANC commended Slabbert for his ldquoindelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheidrdquo Professor Njabulo Ndebele chairman of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa which was co-founded by Slabbert in 1986 said he had known Slabbert since 1996 ldquoHe was one of the most remarkable South Africans our country was blessed to have He had a sharp and sensitive intellect with a tremendous sense of humanity He always struck me as a person of conviction and courage that was not self-con-scious His courage was the essence of himselfrdquo Ndebele said on Friday

Slabbert leaves behind his wife Jane Stephens his two adult children Riko and Tania Slabbert and several grandchildren

Frederik V Z Slabbert - Apartheidrsquos white foe 70

Source Phillycom 16 May 2010httpwwwphillycomphillyobituaries20100516_Frederik_V__Z__Slabbert___Apartheid_s_

white_foe__70html

Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert 70 who helped South Africa chart a peaceful way out of apartheid by leading fellow whites into talks with exiled black leaders died FridayThe Institute for Democracy in Africa known as Idasa announced his deathIn the announcement the think tank that Mr Van Zyl Slabbert founded to organ-ize meetings between whites and blacks in apartheid South Africa called him a ldquovisionary son of Africardquo Mr Van Zyl Slabbert was the rugby-playing son of conservative Afrikaners the descendants of early Dutch settlers known for their commitment to apartheidIn 1987 he led a group of white South Africans to Senegal to meet the African National Congress which was banned in South Africa at the time but now is the governing party The white government called his group traitorous He represented the liberal Progressive Federal Party a predecessor to the cur-rent opposition Democratic Alliance in parliament during the apartheid years He resigned as party leader and left parliament in 1985 during a crackdown on black activists saying the whites-only legislature was no longer relevantIn 1986 he and Alex Boraine formed Idasa - AP

Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Afrikaner fought apartheid Source Donna Bryson Associated Press May 15 2010httpwwwbostoncombostonglobeobituariesarticles20100515frederik_van_zyl_slabbert_

afrikaner_fought_apartheid

JOHANNESBURG mdash Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert who helped South Africa chart a peaceful way out of apartheid by leading fellow whites into talks with exiled black leaders died yesterday He was 70 The Institute for Democracy in Africa known as Idasa announced his deathIn the announcement the think tank that Mr Van Zyl Slabbert founded to organize meetings between whites and blacks in apartheid South Africa called him a ldquovi-sionary son of Africarsquorsquo Mr Van Zyl Slabbert had been hospitalized recently with an undisclosed illness Njabulo Ndebele Idasarsquos board chairman said he did not know the cause of death Mr Van Zyl Slabbert was the rugby-playing son of conservative Afrikaners the de-scendants of early Dutch settlers known for their commitment to apartheidldquoHe went against the grain broke ranks but established new alliances and friend-ships that transcended the old divisionsrsquorsquo Ndebele said ldquoHe was a remarkable South African who had a sharp and sensitive intelligence and a tremendous sense of humorrsquorsquo The office of Nelson Mandela South Africarsquos first black president released a tribute calling Mr Van Zyl Slabbert ldquoa leader who had the vision and foresight to recognize that our national interest was to be found in our common humanityrsquorsquoIn 1987 Mr Van Zyl Slabbert led a delegation of white South Africans to Senegal to meet the African National Congress which was banned in South Africa at the time but now is the governing party The white government labeled Mr Van Zyl Slabbertrsquos group traitors In a statement yesterday President Jacob Zuma said Mr Van Zyl Slabbert showed ldquocourage and foresightrsquorsquo by going to Senegal In his definitive book on South Africarsquos transformation journalist Allister Sparks says the Senegal meetings proved that South African factions had enough common ground to find a peaceful solution to their countryrsquos crisisThe opposition Democratic Alliance said that Mr Van Zyl Slabbert played a ldquolead-ing role in opposing apartheid and facilitating South Africarsquos transition to democ-racyrsquorsquo

Mr Van Zyl Slabbert represented the liberal Progressive Federal Party a prede-cessor to the Democratic Alliance in Parliament during the apartheid years He resigned as party leader and left Parliament in 1985 during a crackdown on black activists saying the whites-only Legislature was no longer relevant In 1986 he and Alex Boraine formed Idasa which then stood for the Institute for a Democratic Alternative in South Africa Today Idasa lobbies to strengthen democracy across the continent Mr Van Zyl Slabbert leaves his wife Jane and his children Tania and Riko Activist who helped bury apartheid dies Source Business24-7 AP 15 May 2010httpwwwbusiness24-7aenewsafricaactivist-who-helped-bury-apartheid-dies-2010-05-15-1244276 Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert who helped South Africa chart a peaceful way out of apartheid by leading fellow whites into talks with exiled black leaders died on Friday He was 70 The Institute for Democracy in Africa (Idasa) announced his death In the an-nouncement the think tank Van Zyl Slabbert founded to organise meetings between whites and blacks in apartheid South Africa called him a ldquovisionary son of Africardquo Van Zyl Slabbert had been hospitalised recently with an undisclosed illness Njab-ulo Ndebele Idasarsquos board chairman said he did not know the cause of deathVan Zyl Slabbert was the son of conservative Afrikaners descendants of Dutch settlers known for their commitment to apartheid ldquoHe went against the grain broke ranks but established new alliances and friend-ships that transcended the old divisions He was a remarkable South African who had a sharp and sensitive intelligence and a tremendous sense of humourrdquo Ndebele said

Tributes from across the spectrum for lsquopatriotrsquo Van Zyl Slabbert Source The Star 15 May 2010

httpwwwthestarcozaindexphpfArticleId=5471074

ldquoA mobile political libraryrdquo ldquoa living embodiment of active citizenshiprdquo and a ldquoper-son who left South Africa better than what it wasrdquo - these were some of the trib-utes to former politician businessman and academic Frederik van Zyl Slabbert who died in Joburg yesterday After being treated at Johannesburgrsquos Milpark Hospital for an illness the former Progressive Federal Party opposition leader died with his family at his side at the age of 70 ldquoHe died peacefully with his familyrdquo his daughter Tania saidIn a moving tribute to his ldquodear friendrdquo IFP chief whip Koos van der Merwe de-scribed him as a parliamentarian par excellence while the opposition DA a de-scendant of the PFP said he had presented a non-racial alternative ldquowith determi-nation and principlerdquo ldquoHe devoted his life to the development of a just South Africa and he left our country a far better place than beforerdquo said DA leader Helen ZillePFP co-founder Colin Eglin said Van Zyl Slabbert would be remembered with ldquogreat respect for his integrity his keen intellect his warm personality and his deep con-cern for the people the society and the country of which he was so much a partrdquoPresident Jacob Zuma called him a ldquoprincipled patriotrdquo and an outspoken critic of minority rule The ANC with which he arranged pre-democracy talks with the ruling NP said he had made an indelible mark in shaping opposition politicsldquoAs leader of the Progressive Federal Party not only did he make an indelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheid in South Africa but he fought for constitutional democracy to be realisedrdquo said ANC spokesman Brian SokutuThe office of the ANC chief whip in Parliament said he would be remembered for the role he played in the historic meeting between Afrikaner South Africans and the ANC representatives in exile The ANC had regarded him as a voice of reason in ldquoan ocean of ruthless repres-sionrdquo and felt that he had resisted apartheid when it was not fashionable or per-sonally rewarding to do so The Independent Democrats called him a true patriot and said all South Africans owed him a debt of gratitude for the principled stance he took in all the positions he occupied throughout his life while United Democratic Movement leader Bantu

Holomisa said the country had been deprived of an intellectual and moral leader The African Christian Democratic Party called him a ldquoremarkable manrdquo The Institute for Democracy in South Africa which he co-founded in 1986 with Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Alex Boraine as the Institute for a Demo-cratic Alternative for South Africa said he was a visionary A memorial service will be held next Saturday - Sapa

Van Zyl Slabbert lsquothe greatest president South Africa was never even able to consider Source Bianca Silva West Cape News 26 May 2010httpwestcapenewscomp=1550

A lsquovisionaryrsquo a lsquofallen great treersquo and a lsquocourageous manrsquo were some of the de-scriptions of the late Dr Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert at a memorial held at the Insti-tute for Democracy in Africarsquos (IDASA) Cape Town offices today Slabbert who died on May 14 at age 70 after a prolonged illness led the liberal Progressive Federal Party (PFP) from 1979 to 1986 was best remembered for his contribution to de-mocracy and a non-racialised society following his arranging groundbreaking talks between the then exiled African National Congress (ANC) and the National Party in Senegal in 1985Memorial keynote speaker Justice Minister Jeff Radebe who addressed a packed venue of about 100 people among them top academics politicians civil society leaders and businesspeople described Slabbert as a ldquoSouth African patriotrdquo and ldquovisionaryrdquo who worked against hypocrisy as he ldquoupheld in word and deed the truth to be self-evident that all men were created equalrdquoRadebe commended Slabbertrsquos ldquoinnovative thinkingrdquo saying Slabbert by example showed that every South African had a role play in the aftermath of the ldquosecond Great Trek of Afrikaaners into the great unknownrdquo which led to a post-1994 demo-cratic stateldquoThe nation is forever indebted to him for his tireless and selfless work His spirit will continue to inspire us to raise the barrdquoDA MP and shadow minister of higher education Wilmot James referred to Slab-bert affectionately as ldquoVanrdquo and spoke of Slabbertrsquos outstanding academic career as a sociology Professor who lectured at four different South African universities and was Chancellor of Stellenbosh University in 2008Slabbert was an ldquoengaging academicrdquo with an ldquoenquiring mind that was unstoppa-blerdquo said James ldquoHe wore his justice on his sleeve and clutched it in his heartrdquoUniversity of Cape Town Professor Michael Savage described Slabbert as a great fallen tree under which many people had taken shelter and would now miss the shade of what James haddescribed as the ldquogreatest president South Africa was never even able to considerrdquoHis work in NGOrsquos and civil society such as his temporary position as Founding Chair of the Open Society Foundation for South Africa was amongst some of the things that were often not noted as Slabbert conducted much of his work for so-cial justice out of the public eyeCo-founder of IDASA and close friend of Slabbertrsquos Dr Alex Boraine reminded the audience how Slabbert left Parliament after 12 years as MP for the official opposi-tion to the National Party a move which was a ldquoprotest against the bankruptcy of

whites-only democracyrdquoAlthough ldquocynical of famerdquo as he ldquobelieved it was illusionaryrdquo Boraine said Slab-bert was nevertheless warm and loving to his friends and familyHe said while Slabbert never took himself too seriously he upheld the utmost integrity advocated clean and efficient government and understood that strug-gles created progressldquoTot siens my maat peace be with yourdquo he said before challenging those left behind to step up and take Slabbertrsquos placeFollowing the memorial service James went to Parliament to attend a motion to be raised during a condolence debate that Cabinet should be elected through both direct and proportionate representation according to the findings of the Elections Task Team (ETT) which were dismissed in 2003 ndash West Cape News Rogue politician gets heartfelt goodbye Source Nathan Adams Edited by Danya Philips Eyewitness News 26 May 2010httpwwweyewitnessnewscozaarticleprogaspxid=40446

Former opposition politician and political analyst Frederik van zyl Slabbert has been hailed as a civil rights leader Colleagues and friends held a memorial for Van zyl Slabbert at democracy watch-dog Idasarsquos offices in Cape Town on Wednesday

He died two weeks ago at the age of 70

Van zyl Slabbert co-founded Idasa after he resigned from Parliament in 1986

To his close friends and colleagues van zyl Slabbert was more than a rogue politi-cian and academic

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe said it seemed like only yesterday when he was released from prison and van zyl Slabbert ap-proached him to speak at an Idasa conferenceRadebe lauded van zyl Slabbertrsquos contribution to fostering negotiations that brought a peaceful end to Apartheid

Co-founder of Idasa Alex Boraine said van zyl Slabber was one of a kind ndash a char-ismatic academic who fought bravely for equality and justice for all South Afri-cans at a time when it was not popular to do so

His friends said they would miss his characteristic chuckle his passion for debate and his unique insight

Van-Zyl-Slabbert--Afrikaner-revolutionary Source TimesLive 15 May 2010

httpwwwtimeslivecozasundaytimesarticle451040eceObituary---Frederik-

Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert who has died at the age of 70 was a charismatic catalyst of change at several crucial moments in South Africarsquos recent history He will probably be best remembered as the opposition leader who quit in 1986 because he doubted the relevance of an all-white parliament in a country whose majority population was black and for his initiative a year later to lead a largely Afrikaner delegation for unprecedented talks with the ANC in Dakar SenegalUntil September he was also chancellor of the University of Stellenbosch where he had studied and taught before entering politics in 1974

The Progressive Federal Party had asked him to stand in the Rondebosch constitu-ency against the United Party and although bored with academic life by then he later said he only agreed because he was assured he would not win When he did the response from PFP supporters was euphoric Prog stalwart Helen Suzman enthused that he was a ldquostar acquisitionrdquo He had ldquomore than his fair share of cha-risma and a very good brainrdquo And of at least equal importance to a party trying to attract the Afrikaans vote he was Afrikaans and had the accent to prove it Most Afrikaners regarded him as a traitor and gave him a rough ride He experi-enced ldquothe full weight of conservative Afrikaner nationalist hatred and vilificationrdquo he later wrote In 1979 he became the leader of what was then the official opposi-tion and more of a hate figure than ever among those on the government benches in parliament One of his less edifying experiences was visiting casino king Sol Ker-zner to ask for a donation Kerzner he remembered sat ldquosurrounded by his flun-kies and said lsquoWhy must I give money away to a party that talks to fing com-munistsrsquo I got up and leftrdquo When businessman Tony Bloom who had arranged the meeting urged him to press his request Slabbert retorted that he wouldnrsquot ask Kerzner ldquofor five cents to go to a railway toiletrdquo Ten years later as he sardonically observed Kerzner paid for Mbekirsquos 50th birthday celebrations By 1986 Slabbert had decided that parliament was a waste of time The opposi-tion were ldquopassive spectatorsrdquo of a game in which the only two sides that mattered were the government and the ANC Many in the PFP felt he had betrayed them Suzman was furious and didnrsquot speak to him for years Then editor of the Sunday Times Ken Owen penned a lacerating piece which summed up the feelings of many opposition voters calling him an ldquoAfrikaner glamour boyrdquo who ldquowhored with the English voterdquo

Slabbert and fellow MP Alex Boraine who resigned a week later then started Idasa the Institute for a Democratic Alternative in SA to promote dialogue with the extra-parliamentary opposition They quickly arranged for a bunch of Afrikaner intellectu-als to meet ANC leaders in Dakar Slabbert fell completely for Thabo Mbekirsquos charm and they enjoyed what he termed a ldquocomfortablerdquo relationship until the eve of Mbekirsquos appointment as deputy president It ended very abruptly when Mbeki asked Slabbert what he would do if he were to become deputy president ldquoI would appoint a number of committees of experts in key areas to constantly remind me of how much I have to learn and how ignorant I amrdquo answered Slabbert Mbeki barely spoke to him again Slabbertrsquos disillusionment with him was sealed after recommendations he had been asked by Mbeki to draw up on electoral reform were ignored Slabbert called it ldquoa disgusting and eminently forgettable experiencerdquo In 1993 he was driving back from Swaziland where his wife Janersquos parents had a farm when he heard on the car radio that he had been appointed chairman of the SABC A panel of judges had recommended Professor Njabulo Ndebele with him as deputy but President FW de Klerk had persuaded them to give it to Slabbert in-stead There was an uproar Fatima Meer told him that as a white Afrikaner male he was not acceptable ldquothe kind of logicrdquo he retorted ldquothat informs ethnic cleans-ingrdquo He allowed himself to be persuaded to stay a few weeks to get the board up and running but got out as soon as he realised that neither Mandela nor De Klerk was remotely interested in an independent board All they wanted was ldquopower and controlrdquo He quickly handed over to the ANCrsquos preferred candidate Ivy Matsepe-Cas-aburri In 1991 Slabbert was asked to head the new Central Witwatersrand Metropolitan Chamber whose purpose was to improve the quality of services for the people of Soweto by establishing new non-racial democratic structures Such was his cred-ibility that an impressive variety of parties including the ANC and National Party bought in to the chamber Perhaps its biggest achievement by the time it closed shop in 1994 was to end the rent boycott Slabbert said he saw first-hand how ldquosound lo-cal democratic practice is linked to immediate problems concerning the daily quality of life - water sewerage electricity ldquoHe predicted that the new South Africa would ldquosurvive or go under in its cities The political powder kegs lie in our citiesrdquo Slabbertrsquos analytical skill and ability to cut to the chase in language everybody could understand made him a favourite of both local and foreign reporters trying to grasp developments in both the old and new South Africa

He was not always right however He told Irish author and academic Padraig OrsquoMalley in an October 1993 interview ldquoWell Irsquom still prepared to put my head on a block there wonrsquot be elections on April 27 (1994)rdquo In 1991 he started Khula Investment Trust one of the first black-majority-owned companies in the new South Africa In 2005 he became chairman of Caxton Adcorp Holdings and Metro Cash and Carry His experience in business taught him that it was possible to succeed and be honest But it wasnrsquot easy and there werenrsquot too many examples he said Slabbertrsquos parents divorced when he was a toddler His father pretty much van-ished from his life until he was 16 and his mother an alcoholic had to give him and his twin sister up when they were seven They grew up in a hostel at Pieters-burg Hoeumlrskool where they became head boy and head girl and captained the school sports teams in his case the first cricket and rugby teams He graduated cum laude at Stellenbosch in his bachelorrsquos and his masterrsquos degrees in sociology before going on to earn a PhD He lectured there at Rhodes and at the University of the Witwatersrand before being appointed a professor at Wits in 1973 He is survived by his second wife Jane and two adult children Tania and Riko from his first marriage

Van Zyl Treurnichtrsquos daughter and the black man Source Koos van der Merwe IFP Chief Whip on Politicsweb 16 May 2010httpwwwpoliticswebcozapoliticswebviewpoliticsweben

oid=176316ampsn=Detail

It was with great sadness that I have learned that my dear friend Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert passed away earlier today I served many years in Parliament with Fred-erik Van Zyl Slabbert He was a Parliamentarian par excellence and I remember how once in a mere three minute speech he practically annihilated PW Botha He feared no one and was prepared to go to prison for his views

His contributions to achieving a democratic society were not only fearlessly fought in Parliament When he realised that the struggle for democracy was in fact out-side Parliament he did not hesitate for a moment but resigned from Parliament and founded Idasa as an instrument to continue the struggle Van Zyl Slabbert led the Dakar group in defiance of PW Botharsquos warningsWhat amazed me about Van Zyl Slabbert was the depth of his political knowledge

and his wisdom He knew and understood the policies of each political party bet-ter than they did themselves On one occasion at a Seminar in Colonial Williamsburg in the USA I represented the Conservative Party and was confronted with questions I could not answer I asked to be excused for a few minutes and went to van Van Zyl Slabbert and asked him how I as a Conservative MP should answer He immediately gave me the right answers because he fully understood the views and beliefs of the Conservatives And for that matter each and every political party He was in fact a mobile political library

When the late Dr Treurnichtrsquos daughter approached Van Zyl Slabbert for assis-tance to move to the USA to marry a black man Van Zyl Slabbert did not use that information against Treurnicht At that stage it was unthinkable for a white Con-servative to marry a black man News of Treurnichtrsquos daughter marrying a black man would have led to the end of Treurnichtrsquos political career Van Zyl Slabbert confidentially told me the story but it never made the headlines What an honourable man His part in the struggle for Afrikaans at Stellenbosch was indeed an eye opener Where were the Verkramptes The old Conservatives of which I was a member Nowhere The fight for Afrikaans was led by the ldquoliberal jingoesrdquo such as Van Zyl Slabbert Hermann Giliomee and Breyten Breytenbach I have lost a dear friend one whom I could phone as I have often done to ask for guidance and wisdom in trying to better understand the intricacies of our hugely diverse society I also never once saw him angry Mooi loop Van Zyl Koos gaan jou mis Statement issued by Koos van der Merwe MP Inkatha Freedom Party chief whip May 14 2010

Afrikaner who paved the way for the new South Africa by quitting parliament in dramatic fashion in the mid-1980sObituary Frederik van Zyl Slabbert

Source FRED BRIDGLAND the Scotsman 17 May 2010

wwwscotsmancom Born 2 March 1940 in Pretoria South Africa Died 14 May 2010 in Johannesburg aged 70

THE recent death in a gruesome murder of South African neo-Nazi leader Eugene Terre-Blanche reminded the world how much hatred and prejudice there was among whites in the dark days of apartheid But the subsequent deaths of Black Sash leader Sheena Duncan two weeks ago and now of the extraordinarily intel-ligent charismatic and politically incorrect Frederik van Zyl Slabbert are remind-ers also of how much white liberal opposition there was to racism how far South Africa has travelled since their heydays and how much ldquogood peoplerdquo like them were able to achieve

Van Zyl Slabbert who died aged 70 from a liver complaint believed to have been related to his love of fine wines and other liquor was mourned almost universally across South Africarsquos racial and political spectrum

He was admired for his sharp intellect his principles which made him a critic of both apartheid and post-apartheid governments and as the man who paved the way for the new South Africa by quitting parliament in dramatic fashion in the mid-1980s

Van Zyl Slabbert as a young sociology professor entered the old whites-only as-sembly in 1974 as an MP for the liberal Progressive Party (PP) in a Cape Town con-stituency joining Helen Suzman ndash until then the sole liberal who had battled for 13 years single-handedly in parliament against apartheid

Suzman regarded him as a star acquisition to the English-speaking PP not only be-cause of his brain but also because the party was trying to attract Afrikaners and he was an Afrikaner with the accent to prove it

He liked in later years to tell how he had been dragooned into standing only after a long night of heavy drinking with friends and agreed because he was assured he would not win

Van Zyl Slabbert a handsome man who loved to carouse became leader of the ldquoProgsrdquo in 1979 and grew the partyrsquos representation to 26 seats But in February 1986 he shocked loyalists and the countryrsquos entire political class by resigning both the leadership and his party membership and as an MP saying that no resolu-tion to South Africarsquos crises was possible without the banned and exiled African National Congress (ANC)

ldquoThe country had become stalemated between the white governing National Partyrsquos politics of repression and the ANCrsquos politics of revoltrdquo he said ldquoIn parlia-ment we (the opposition] had become simply passive spectators of a game in which we could not participate I knew I was wasting my time hellip parliament had become irrelevantrdquo

Suzman was deeply embittered describing Van Zyl Slabbertrsquos withdrawal as a great betrayal She did not speak to him for years Liberal English commentators described him as an ldquoAfrikaner glamour boyrdquo who had ldquowhored with the English-origin voterdquo

National Party Afrikaners mocked Van Zyl Slabbert as a traitor who had the brains for politics but not the balls ldquoJardquo he responded wryly ldquoThe trouble with this country is you have too many politicians with balls but no brainsrdquo

Van Zyl Slabbert charming affable and telegenic became identified outside parliament with the kind of innovative thinking and foresight that would bring an end to apartheid

With his friend Alex Boraine who also resigned as a ldquoProgrdquo MP he travelled throughout the country and abroad to consult a wide cross-section of political leaders including Oliver Tambo then president in exile of the banned ANC

Van Zyl Slabbert had been refused permission from Nationalist president PW Botha to visit the imprisoned Nelson Mandela His meeting with Tambo ndash techni-cally an act of treason under apartheid law ndash infuriated Botha who went apo-plectic in July 1987 when Van Zyl Slabbert organised a ground-breaking meeting in Senegal between 60 prominent Afrikaner businessmen and the exiled ANC leadership Those who travelled to Senegal came back profoundly changed by the experience it had cracked the shell of ignorance and fear that had characterised the white Afrikaner laager

There followed several similar meetings in venues between Burkina Faso and the then Soviet Union The Afrikaner right-wing accused Van Zyl Slabbert of ldquocrawling to the ANC to arse-creep with future leadersrdquo while the ANCrsquos South African

Communist Party ally said he was ldquopart of a Trojan Horse plot to dilute and confuse the lsquoStrugglersquordquo

While fulfilling short-term fellowships at Oxford University Van Zyl Slabbert found-ed with Boraine the Institute for a Democratic South Africa (Idasa) The aim of what became the countryrsquos most important independent think-tank was to bring togeth-er people from across the racial political and economic divides to explore ideas for a democratic alternative to apartheid and achieve a peaceful transition to all-race democracy

Idasa survives Van Zyl Slabbert playing a major role in South African civil life One of its major projects today is an investigation of the financing of the fight against HIVAids which kills some 1000 South Africans daily

Van Zyl Slabbert was born into an Afrikaner family and brought up in Pietersburg near the Limpopo River where he attended the all-white Afrikaans-speaking high school captaining the school and its cricket and rugby first teams He resolutely derided efforts by others to classify him in narrow ethnic terms saying the first Van Zyl Slabberts had set foot in Africa in 1670 and one had produced three children with a black slave

ldquoI have a deep aversion to attempts to give ideological value-laden content to concepts of nationality ethnicity or racerdquo he said ldquoPerhaps it is because I had an overdose of this growing up in a predominantly rural Afrikaner environmentrdquo

When he resigned from parliament he was refused permission to visit his old school ldquoYoursquore a disgrace to Pietersburg High Schoolrdquo said the headmaster

Van Zyl Slabbert insisted ldquoI am an African because I can trace my history here and I have a South African passport which states that I come from South Africa and am a South African citizen For most of my intelligent life I have been aware of being stereotyped as an Afrikaner There is not much I can do about it

ldquoAs Jean-Paul Sartre once said lsquoYou are a Jew because I look at yoursquo Even when I have offended all the stereotypes of what an Afrikaner is I am still told I remain lsquoa wayward rebel atypical Afrikanerrsquo So be it Others will have to make peace with me I am at peacerdquo

Van Zyl Slabbert is survived by his wife Jane and two children from a previous mar-riage

Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Source The Telegraph 16 May 2010httpwwwtelegraphcouknewsobituariespolitics-obituaries7730924Frederik-van-Zyl-Slab-

berthtml

Frederik van Zyl Slabbert who died on May 14 aged 70 was one of the architects of South Africarsquos transition from apartheid and a noted writer on its politics and sociology

Charming telegenic and invariably known as ldquoVanrdquo he became an MP for the liberal Progressive Federal Party (PFP) in 1974 and its leader only three years later ndash serving as head of the official Opposition from 1979 until his sudden resig-nation in 1986 When Slabbert and four others entered parliament the redoubt-able Mrs Helen Suzman was the only progressive by the time he left there were 26 an increase which was seen as a personal victory for the still-youthful leader In his later years he built up a strong position as an independent observer of poli-tics based at the Institute for a Democratic Alternative in South Africa known as Idasa which he co-founded in 1986 to organise meetings between whites and blacks in apartheid South Africa The group is now the Institute for Democracy in Africa Frederik van Zyl Slabbert was born on March 2 1940 the son of conservative Afrikaners descendants of early Dutch settlers known for their commitment to apartheid Educated at Pietersberg High School he studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg before going on to Stellenbosch University the intellectual heartland of the Afrikaner nation where he wrote his doctorateHe played rugby for Stellenbosch but later described the game as a social nar-cotic which stopped South Africans from thinking about more serious matters He stayed on at Stellenbosch as a lecturer in Sociology (1964-68) and senior lecturer (1970-71) his tenure interrupted in 1969 by a stint at Rhodes University Gra-hamstown The political scales fell from his eyes in the 1960s when he was sent on mission work in the African township of Langa In 1972 Slabbert moved to the University of Cape Town returning the following year to the University of the Witwatersrand where he spent a year as head of the sociology department before going into politics At 34 his move was some-thing of an accident Having been persuaded to stand as an MP he joined the PFP ndash a predecessor to the Democratic Alliance ndash on the day he accepted the nomina-tion and was surprised to win

In August 1979 Colin Eglin stepped down as leader of the party which by then had 17 seats and Slabbert beat the experienced Zach De Beer for the succession Helen Suzman voted against him partly because she knew that he was a contend-er for the post of vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town and she was not sure that he would stay in parliament Slabbert suddenly resigned in 1986 declaring himself disillusioned with the par-liamentary process His abrupt departure nearly wrecked the PFP but established his credibility in the eyes of blacks Mrs Suzman begged him to reconsider she was devastated and outraged but the pair renewed their friendship at a conference in Bermuda in 1989 The overwhelmingly English-speaking PFP opposed racial discrimination and in-sisted that South Africarsquos political future must be negotiated by all concerned par-ties In September 1977 Slabbert contributed to an important series in The Daily Telegraph in which he wrote of withdrawal into the politics of siege as the only alternative to negotiation Moderate and open-minded by 1980 Slabbert had come to believe that the South African President PW Botha had created better expectations of reform than any of his predecessors He was soon disappointed In 1982 Slabbert promised that the PFPrsquos criticism of the proposals for constitutional reform would be constructive but emphasised that they were fatally flawed because they made no provision for black representation He described the governmentrsquos campaign in the 1983 referendum on the propos-als as crude and emotive and believed that the new constitution would increase racial discrimination and ensure one-party dictatorship Though Slabbertrsquos opposi-tion on internal affairs was uncompromising it was not until 1984 that he doubted the Presidentrsquos ability to conduct foreign affairs In August 1985 Slabbertrsquos career moved into a new phase when with Chief Man-gosuthu Buthelezi of the Inkatha Freedom Party he formed the National Conven-tion Movement in an unsuccessful attempt to force the government into negotiat-ing with all political groups Although the alliance was immediately condemned by the banned African National Congress Slabbert travelled to meet them in exile in Lusaka The absence of Oliver Tambo may have been intended as a snub because of Slabbertrsquos record as a moderate but he spent nine hours with the ANC and emerged saying ldquoA path away from violence can be negotiatedrdquo After his resignation while based at Idasa he remained in regular contact with the ANC in Zambia In August 1987 he was one of some 50 prominent white South Africans mostly businessmen who went to Dakar to meet an ANC delegation The

secret meeting had been organised by Slabbert using private funds donated to Idasa from the United States and by Mme Danielle Mitterrand wife of the Presi-dent of France and Breyten Breytenbach the distinguished Afrikaans poet who had been a friend since Slabbert visited him in prison in 1973 After the Dakar meeting the ANC expressed willingness to hold more talks with a broader cross-section of whites

The government which was inching its way towards contact with the ANC did not welcome the efforts of private groups Nevertheless in May 1988 Slabbert met Thabo Mbeki in Frankfurt and was in West Germany again in October for talks with Soviet representatives and the ANC which has since become the coun-tryrsquos governing party The white government of the day denounced Slabbertrsquos group as traitors After the transition to majority rule Slabbert consolidated his position as a re-spected independent political observer and business consultant He was appoint-ed chairman of the Central Witwatersrand Metropolitan Chamber (1991-94) a government quango set up to improve the administration of black and white cities around Johannesburg In 1993 he became the first chairman of George Sorosrsquos Open Society Foundation and in 1994 co-chairman of the task group for local government elections He maintained his academic links as visiting professor at several South African universities and co-authored a book Comrades in Business Post-Liberation Poli-tics in South Africa which avoided hagiography Earlier he had written an autobiography and co-authored two other books on South African politics Frederik van Zyl Slabbertrsquos first marriage to Mana Jordan was dissolved In 1984 he married Jane Catherine Stephens who survives him with a son and a daughter of his first marriage

Tributes flow in for van Zyl Slabbert Source News24com 14 May 2010

httpwwwnews24comSouthAfricaNewsTributes-for-Van-Zyl-Slabbert-20100514

Johannesburg ndash Tributes flowed in on Friday for former politician academic and businessman Frederik van Zyl Slabbert following his death in JohannesburgThe opposition DA a descendant of the Progressive Federal Party which he once led said he presented a non-racial alternative ldquowith determination and principlerdquoldquoHe devoted his life to the development of a just South Africa and he left our coun-try a far better place than beforerdquo said DA leader Helen ZilleThe Independent Democrats called him a true patriot and said all South Africans owed him a debt of gratitude for the principled stance he took in all the positions he occupied throughout his life Facilitated talks with ANCThe ANC said he had made an indelible mark in shaping opposition politics against apartheid ldquoHe will also be remembered as one of those white South Africans who facilitated contact with the African National Congress at the time it was banned inside the countryrdquo said ANC spokesperson Brian SokutuIn 1985 he travelled to Lusaka for talks with the external wing of the ANC and with IFP president Mangosuthu Buthelezi launched the National Convention Movement in an unsuccessful attempt to pressurise the government into negotiating with all political groups

In 1987 he led a delegation of influential white business people to Dakar Senegal for talks with the then banned ANC VisionaryThe Institute for Democracy in South Africa which he co-founded in 1986 with Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Alex Boraine said he was a visionary and represented a ldquoliving embodiment of active citizenship as a South African and an African public intellectualrdquo ldquoHis life was rooted in the values of social justice which guided his participation on an ongoing basis in considering what democracy is and how it should be lived by citizens of South Africa and other countriesrdquo the centre said United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the country had been deprived of an intellectual and moral leader ldquoHis progressive contribution during the transition must have played a big role in stilling the doubts of those who thought our country would not succeed in reaching a peaceful democratic settlementrdquo he said

ldquoA mobile political libraryrdquo ldquoa living embodiment of active citizenshiprdquo and a ldquoperson who left South Africa better than what it wasrdquo were some of the other tributes Parliamentarian par excellenceIn a moving tribute to his ldquodear friendrdquo Inkatha Freedom Party chief whip Koos van der Merwe described him as a parliamentarian par excellence who had once ldquoannihilatedrdquo apartheid head of state PW Botha in a three-minute speechHe also kept to himself information that the daughter of the old far Right-wing Conservative Partyrsquos leader Andries Treurnicht had asked him for help to move to the United States to marry a black man ldquoAt that stage it was unthinkable for a white Conservative to marry a black man News of Treurnichtrsquos daughter marrying a black man would have led to the end of Treurnichtrsquos political careerldquoVan Zyl Slabbert confidentially told me the story but it never made the head-lines What an honourable manrdquo He said Van Zyl Slabbert had known political parties ldquobetter than they knew themselvesrdquo and was often approached for advice He was considered a mobile political library The Freedom Front Plus said ldquoWhether one agreed or disagreed with him he treated everyone in the same courteous manner and brought integrity into poli-tics which often today is lackingrdquo RIPWebsites also carried tributes to him with ldquoCape Town Fanrdquo saying ldquoYou did well for usrdquo and ldquorbrdquo writing ldquoRIP Van Zyl One of the few true South Africans Unfor-tunately a breed that is fast becoming extinctrdquo However some people commenting on the TimesLive website took a different view with Ntebaleng writing ldquoHe was a good man but truth is he lacked balls - if a man decide to get in a fight he must fight to the end - he was easily getting disilutioned (sic) - in politics you need men of steelrdquoCamps Bay wrote ldquoI wish all pinkies were like him RIP Comraderdquo PFP co-founder Colin Eglin said Van Zyl Slabbert would be remembered with ldquogreat respect for his integrity his keen intellect his warm personality and his deep concern for the people the society and the country of which he was so much a partrdquo- SAPA

Former Caxton Chairman dies Source Moneywebcoza 14 May 2010httpwwwthemediaonlinecozathemediaviewthemediaenpage1351oid=49981ampsn=Detailamppid=1

Former opposition leader and political analyst Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert died today at the age of 70 ldquoI have just spoken to his PA and she confirmed itrdquo said University of Cape Town academic Prof Mike Savage Slabbert once viewed as one of South Africarsquos most gifted public figures had been admitted to Johannesburgrsquos Milpark Hospital and was reportedly being treated for liver and other problems Perhaps best remembered for his pioneering work in opening up dialogue between Afrikaners and the exiled African National Congress he had a conventional Afrikaner upbringing He was born in Pretoria on March 2 1940 and spent his formative years in Pieters-burg now Polokwane in what is now Limpopo where he captained his schoolrsquos first cricket and rugby teams He studied for 18 months at the Dutch Reformed Church theological seminary at Stellenbosch University before deciding sociology was his proper calling He completed a BA Honours at the university in 1962 and was award-ed a doctorate in 1967 From 1964 to 1973 he lectured in sociology at Stellenbosch Rhodes and the University of Cape Town

During this period his interest in the position of the coloured people of the Western Cape led him into confrontation with the National Party and he joined a multi-racial discussion group named Synthesis which sought to promote black-white dialogueIn 1973 he was appointed head of the department of sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand The following year standing for the Progressive Party (PP) he won the Rondebosch parliamentary seat from the United Party He maintained afterwards he had been persuaded to stand only after a hard nightrsquos drinking with PP members In 1979 he accepted the leadership of the party -- by then known as the Progressive Federal Party -- and of the official opposition in Parliament and led the PFP to substantial gains in the 1981 general election In 1985 he travelled to Lusaka for talks with the external wing of the ANC and with Inkatharsquos Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi launched the National Convention Movement in an unsuccessful attempt to pressure the government to negotiate with all political groups By this time Van Zyl Slabbert who was said by one acquaintance to have a ldquonon-existent boredom thresholdrdquo was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the

tricameral Parliament which in his view was a hopelessly flawed constitutional experiment

In February 1986 he publicly announced his resignation from Parliament and the leadership of the PFP which he had informed of his decision only an hour earlierFellow front-bencher Helen Suzman labelled it betrayal but he strongly defended his move saying he refused to be ldquoin the slipstream of the governmentrsquos repres-sion and incompetencerdquo

His desertion of the PFP sparked criticism that while he had the brains for a poli-tician he lacked the balls ldquoJardquo he responded with a wry smile ldquoThe trouble with this country is you have too many politicians with balls but no brainsrdquo In July 1986 Van Zyl Slabbert with another former PFP MP Alex Boraine formed the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for South Africa (Idasa) He became a director of Idasa and undertook an intricate process of shuttle diplomacy aimed at bringing resistance groups together with influential figures in the white estab-lishment in South Africa In July 1987 to the governmentrsquos fury he took a group of about 60 influential white South Africans most of them Afrikaners to Dakar Senegal for talks with an ANC delegation In the 1990s he branched out into business becoming chairman of Caxton (JSECAT) Publishers Adcorp Holdings (JSEADR) and Metro Cash lsquon Carry as well as holding various directorships He also in 1990 co-founded Khula a black investment trust In 2002 then-president Thabo Mbeki appointed him to head a team investigating a new electoral system for the country Its recommendation a more accountable mix of constituency-based and proportional representation was quietly shelved by the government Slabbert accepted the position of chancellor of his alma mater Stellenbosch in 2008 but at the end of that year suffered a heart attack and had a pacemaker in-stalled The following year he quit the Stellenbosch post along with his company directorships in order he said to spend more time with his wife and family He stepped down from his position at Caxton on February 16 2010 He authored a number of books including a semi-autobiographical analysis of tricameral politics The Last White Parliament which appeared in 1992 In May that year he wrote that his fear was not that there would not be eventual consensus on the princi-ples of a new democratic constitution for South AfricaldquoFar more disturbing are the expectations that people have of what a democracy can deliver and which research shows it is incapable of doingldquoThis in the South African context is the real burden of democracyrdquoHe leaves his wife Jane and two adult children Tania and Riko from a previous marriage

Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Politician and activist in the vanguard of the struggle against apartheid

By Gavin Evans Independent 19 May 2010httpwwwindependentcouknewsobituariesfrederik-van-zyl-slabbert-politician-and-activist-in-

the-vanguard-of-the-struggle-against-apartheid-1976324html

Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert was one of the big beasts of apartheid-era politics best-known for abandoning parliament in 1986 to liaise with the exiled African National Congress He had burst on to the South African political scene 12 years earlier when he pulled off an upset in the all-white general election by winning the Cape constituency of Rondebosch for Helen Suzmanrsquos Progressive Party beating a segre-gationist incumbent

ldquoVanrdquo as he was called by friends had only joined the Progressives after his nomi-nation but immediately established himself as leader-in-waiting This former pro-vincial rugby forward certainly looked the part tall broad and handsome with a resonant baritone voice he exuded the kind of rugged manliness that played well in white South Africa and his credentials were certainly impressive ndash an Afrikaner university professor who had sailed through his cum laude academic career My first contact with him came three years later when as a 17-year-old I cam-paigned for his party by then called the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) He im-pressed me hugely as a magnetic figure who combined pragmatic intellectualism with earthy machismo His leadership helped to transform the PFP from a fringe collective of English-speaking liberals to the official opposition Slabbertrsquos early years had their share of heartache His parents divorced when he was three leaving him and his twin sister to live with their mother in Pretoria and then at seven with their uncle in Johannesburg and finally with their grandpar-ents on a farm in Pietersburg Yet despite this chaos he seemed to excel at every-thing he touched head boy captain of the rugby and cricket teams top student He dreamt of becoming a minister in the segregationist Dutch Reformed Church and went off to study at theology sociology and Afrikaans at Stellenbosch Univer-sity Exposure to alternative intellectual traditions and to black churchgoers prompted a shift leftwards although this liberalism should not be overstated The Progres-sive Party he embraced had the dubious policy of supporting a ldquoqualified fran-chiserdquo for blacks Slabbert who became leader in 1978 later steered it towards supporting a universal franchise within a federal system

Their rather naiumlve aim was to win enough seats to secure a future power-broking role However the military-dominated regime of PW Botha had ideas becoming a nuclear power that used its security and intelligence services to bypass parlia-ment and wipe out opposition Assassinations state-sponsored massacres and mass-scale detention without trial became the norm On the other side was the sanctions campaign and armed struggle of the resurgent African National Con-gress and at home the United Democratic Front (UDF) a network of trades unions and community organisations whose aim was to make the country ungov-ernable In this climate the white parliamentary opposition looked increasingly insipid although it took Slabbert a while to recognise this and he made several quixotic errors along the way He tried to broaden their electoral base by attacking the sanctions campaign and backing military conscription and requested a special meeting with Botha meekly pleading for a change in course (Botha secretly recorded the meeting and embarrassed Slabbert by releasing the transcript) The final stage came in 1985 when Slabbert founded the National Convention Move-ment with Mangosuthu Buthelezi whose Inkatha forces were being armed by the military The result was that this movement was still-born forcing Slabbert to reconsider Later that year he met with the ANC in Lusaka and in February 1986 resigned as leader of the opposition and as an MP saying that he ldquorefused to be in the slipstream of the governmentrsquos repression and incompetencerdquo Suzman accused him of a ldquobetrayalrdquo others said he lacked ldquoballsrdquo to which he responded ldquoThe trouble with this country is that you have too many politicians with balls but no brainsrdquo Slabbert and his friend Dr Alex Boraine who had joined him in abandoning parliament established the Institute of Democratic Alternatives in South Africa which played a significant role in bringing white opinion-makers into contact with the leadership of the ANC and UDF Hundreds of white businessmen editors academics politicians and military figures were in touch with the exile-based movement in the late-1980s easing the way towards negotiations It was during this period that I got to know Slabbert regularly joining him in his meetings and conferences By then he was in his late 40s and his magnetism had given away to a quieter gravitas My impression was that he was always intellectually and politically curious ndash and open to new ideas ndash while remaining inscrutable in his dealing with power bro-kers He showed enormous patience and humility in frequently tedious meetings with young radicals and soon established himself as a trusted facilitator who was

particularly close to the future South African president Thabo Mbeki Slabbert recognised that this role had come to an end after the 1994 elections and he withdrew from high-profile politics concentrating instead on business aca-demic and charitable interests including George Sorosrsquos Open Society Foundation Last year he left his post as chancellor of Stellenbosch University following a heart attack

Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert politician academic and businessman born Pretoria South Africa 2 March 1940 married firstly Mana Jordaan (marriage dissolved) one son one daughter) secondly Jane Stephens died Johannesburg 14 May 2010 Anti-Apartheid Activist Warned of Rich-Poor Gap Source Black Voice News Special to the NNPA from the GIN ndashhttpwwwblackvoicenewscomnewsnews-wire44457-anti-apartheid-activist-warned-of-rich-

poor-gaphtml (GIN) - Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert a scholar author and former member of the anti-apartheid opposition died this week at age 70 during treatment for liver and other problems Before he died he signaled the dangers of the growing gap between rich and poor ldquoI do know from talking to ordinary people that there is a great deal of anger at the conspicuous consumption of the new emerging eliterdquo the former leader said in a press interview ldquoThe biggest gap at the moment is not between black and white but between black and black in terms of access to economic opportunitiesrdquo Once the rugby-playing son of conservative Afrikaners Slabbert turned towards multi-racial politics in the late 70s and 80s opening up dialogue between Afrikan-ers and the exiled African National Congress Later with rights advocate Alex Boraine he helped formed the Institute for a Dem-ocratic Alternative in South Africa known as Idasa to organize meetings between whites and blacks in apartheid South Africa The group is now the Institute for Democracy in Africa

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Van Zylmemorial photosSee more photos taken at the memorials for Van Zyl Slabbert This is a compilation of a few of the photos from wwwflickrcomidasa

Van Zylslideshow

At the memorial services this slideshow played in the background as a tribute to the work that Van Zyl Slabbert achieved in his lifetime To see the full slideshow click on the picture below

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Documents

Frederik van Zyl Slabbert - in memoriam