CRITICISM from church leaders made the former South African President F. W. de Klerk retract a statement that he made last Friday, in which he denied that apartheid was “a crime against humanity” as stated in a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1973.

Mr de Klerk, the last president under apartheid, made the statement after attending the opening of parliament the previous evening, at which he was attacked by the opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). In a radio interview earlier last week, Mr de Klerk had denied that apartheid was a crime against humanity.

He was condemned by many South Africans, including another former President, Thabo Mbeki, and by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation.

On Sunday, the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), the Rt Revd Malusi Mpumlwana, wrote in an opinion piece in City Press: “Apartheid was not only a crime, it was more than that; it was a gross sin against the image of God in the humanity of black South Africans.”

Bishop Mpumlwana argued that de Klerk’s remarks went against the values for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, together with Nelson Mandela.

The Tutu Foundation further appealed: “Let us not reverse the gains we have made since apartheid. South Africa is on an economic precipice. It is beset by radical poverty and inequity. Those who suffered most under apartheid continue to suffer most today. It is incumbent on leaders and former leaders of the white community, in particular, to demonstrate the courage, magnanimity, and compassion necessary to contribute to societal healing.”

On Monday, Mr de Klerk withdrew the original statement “unconditionally”, and, in a statement issued by the FW de Klerk Foundation, he apologised “for the confusion, anger, and hurt that it has caused. . .

“I agree with the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation that this is not the time to quibble about the degrees of unacceptability of apartheid. It was totally unacceptable.”