The other side of history: An anecdotal reflection on political transition in South Africa

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History is not seen as a dispassionate inquiry into what happened, but rather as part of political mobilisation promoting some form of collective self-interest. Not for one second do I pretend to know the ‘whole’ or ‘real’ story of what happened in the old South Africa, or what is happening in the ‘new’. I know that significant parts of what has been, or is being invented, are not the way I experienced them.

This is a personal reflection on a fascinating period in my life which coincided with fundamental shifts in the political life of South Africa. I was fortunate to be in a position where I knew and had access to persons of influence across the political spectrum. This is my account of their interaction with each other and mine with them. Frederik van Zyl Slabbert