Pik Botha considering joining ANC

JOHANNESBURG -- Former South African foreign minister Pik Botha was considering joining the African National Congress, City Press reported yesterday.

In an interview with the newspaper, Botha said there was no doubt former president Nelson Mandela was a greater leader than former president FW De Klerk.

"Mandela succeeded in his bid to reach out to whites without bitterness. De Klerk did not manage to reach out to blacks."

Responding to the new political move, he said: "Whites, especially the Afrikaners, must get down from their pedestals.

"We Afrikaners have helped build South Africa. Today you can count how many highly educated career people and managers are Afrikaners. Afrikaners are respected."

He pointed out that Mandela reached out to Afrikaners and that President Thabo Mbeki was continuing with the process.

Botha said there were many Afrikaners who wanted to build a democratic South Africa, but there were also other Afrikaners who "let themselves listen to gossip and other no-good elements".

He explained: "They should rather help uplift poor South Africans of other population groups. Afrikaners cannot flourish when things are not going well for other South Africans.

"The process of healthy political regrouping and restructuring will only start when Afrikaners join the ANC. You can no longer take the former National Party and ANC as reference points. You should judge them on their present policies."

Botha emphasised he was not considering joining the ANC "just to be on the side of the governing party".

He served as minister for two years in Mandela's cabinet.

"The standard of debate in the Mandela cabinet was at any time just as high if not higher than in former president De Klerk's cabinet," he said.

"In the Mandela cabinet I experienced that leaders of the ANC listened with respect to issues close to the hearts of the Afrikaners. They wanted to know how we felt and why we had certain standpoints on some issues."

Botha said Afrikaners could "feel at home" in the ANC. -- Sapa