Two decades later, South African reconciliation still inspires many, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo says

In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman, Tebogo Seokolo, the South African ambassador in the Turkish capital, said the new constitution, drafted after intense three-year negotiations, was a key factor establishing a common ground for the compromise between whites and blacks. “Our constitution represents a decisive break from the past that was characterized by injustice to the future that is underpinned by democracy, justice and equality” he remarked.

Much of the credit, of course, goes to the iconic leader of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, whose fellow countrymen just celebrated the 20th anniversary of his release and cheered his role in bringing about reconciliation in a racially divided country. “It could have been easy to propagate vengeance and retribution, but it was necessary to promote forgiveness and reconciliation. And that is exactly what the leadership in South Africa did, post the release of Nelson Mandela,” Seokolo underlined.

Four years after his release from prison in 1990, Mandela became the first black president in a country dominated by a white minority for 300 years. He is praised for unifying the divided nation, calming fears on the part of whites who were on the brink of alienation while securing the forgiveness of blacks who had long been subjected to injustice. The South African ambassador acknowledges that the challenge was huge for the leadership in a new era. “Reconciling all South Africans, black and white, and working towards building a truly non-racial and democratic society was the most challenging job. This was critical because the past was characterized by racial exploitation, injustice and impunity,” he said.

South Africa hosting World Cup: South Africa will be hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament, in July and the ambassador believes the country is ready to showcase the capacity and capability of the greatest economy on the African continent. Considering that for the first time in FIFA’s 100-year history an African nation is holding the tournament, this presents a great public relations opportunity for the country to promote itself. “We appreciate that this injustice is being corrected. It is better late than never. We hope that this will open other opportunities for the continent in many other areas. Because Africa can! South Africa will also showcase Africa’s potential,” Seokolo remarked. The South African ambassador also confirmed that his country is ready to host a successful World Cup and highlighted the stringent safety and security measures in place for the tournament. “We understand those concerns. Our security arrangements are in place and we are collaborating with other security agencies including Interpol to make sure all visitors are safe and secure,” he said. Seokolo also noted that all stadiums under construction for the event have been completed on time. “This means no spectator will be sitting on wet cement come the June 11 kickoff!” he said, adding that major upgrades of the nation’s airports and roads were completed as well. Six stadiums have been fitted with fiber optic broadcasting infrastructure while the remaining four stadiums will be completed by end of March. Those fans travelling between OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Sandton will be able to use the newly built Gautrain high-speed rail line. “This will be a significant development given the ease with which visitors will be able to travel between the airport and various destinations in Johannesburg,” the ambassador noted. Enhanced cooperation with Turkey South African Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo sees closer cooperation with Turkey on a number of areas in the two countries’ future. Both countries are G-20 members, a group of developed and developing economies representing 85 percent of the global gross national product. Seokolo said: “We need to ensure faster reform of the Bretton Woods institutions to ensure the representation of developing countries. Both Turkey and South Africa, as members of the G-20, can work together to ensure that the mandate of these financial institutions incorporates the developmental needs of the developing world.” The trade volume between Turkey and South Africa is considerably low, amounting to just $2.7 billion in 2009. Seokolo attributes the low figure to a lack of information on both sides. “We are not happy about that. There is room for improvement. Part of the challenge is the lack of knowledge. Information is key,” he said. He pointed out, however, that diplomatic relations between the two countries were established not long ago. “You should expect gradual growth,” he stressed. It is worth noting that there have been more trade missions to and from South Africa recently than was the case in years past. “We are working hard to improve relations between the two countries at all levels. Our government is engaging Turkey directly. We need to promote dynamic interaction between our educational institutions as well. I believe this is an investment that will benefit both countries in the long term. Secondly we need to encourage interaction between our think tank institutions. Thirdly we need to encourage interaction between our nongovernmental organizations operating in all sectors,” he explained. The South African ambassador also invited Turkish companies to come and invest in his country. He said there are lot of opportunities in industries like renewable energies, textiles, machinery, leather and mining. “Our country can also act as a gateway to other African markets as well,” he stressed, noting his country is part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an inter-governmental organization comprising 15 southern African states. “It would give a Turkish company an opportunity to network to those markets as well if they settled in South Africa,” Seokolo said. Direct flights between Istanbul and Johannesburg and Cape Town were reintroduced in 2007, giving businessmen and tourists an easy transportation option.

The country was able to overcome tense emotions by addressing the legitimate concerns of both sides. On the one hand, the long-oppressed blacks were questioning what these new developments would mean for them. On the other hand, the minority white population was afraid of retaliation for years of injustice done to others and many civil servants were fearful of losing their jobs in the army, intelligence services, judiciary and in other organs of the state. “Thanks to an all-inclusive approach, we were able to get the allegiance of whites to the new constitution,” Seokolo said, stressing that most who served in the army especially in the middle and junior ranks pledged to continue working with the new government.

When the apartheid regime ended officially, the country started to debate a new constitution, which went into effect in 1997. It declared that all existing laws that were in conflict with the constitution had no force or effect. “It [the Constitution] carried the notion of reconciliation and represented a break from the past, as was indicated in the preamble,” Ambassador Seokolo said. “That was very important for all South Africans to subscribe fully to all its provisions.”

Paradigm shift and transformation in mentality

The change in the thought process of people accustomed to the old rule was not easy, the ambassador concedes. Yet state institutions were revamped to reflect the new order with the help of a new composition of the Constitutional Court. “The judiciary understood that there was a paradigm shift in the way they interpret the law. First and foremost, constitutional laws would be their primary lead in interpreting the law,” Seokolo noted, adding: “All actions and decisions by the organs of the state, including by judicial officers, are subject to review by the courts. Our Constitutional Court is the final arbiter on all matters concerning the exercise of state power.”

The South African constitution was built on a system of checks and balances and enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of public, as its composition represents what prominent religious leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu described as a rainbow nation. “Because the constitutional court was composed of men and women from all sectors of the society, it has high legitimacy,” the ambassador underlined. “All organs of the state and the judicial officers are required to promote, defend and protect the provisions of the Constitution without fear and favor. If any South African feels the lower courts did not adjudicate a matter fairly, he or she can appeal the decision to the higher court,” he added.

Breaking from the past did not mean sweeping past injustices under the carpet, either, Seokolo argued. The new government set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 1995 to address grievances and bring closure for many who still had lingering memories of the past. The nagging question was whether or not there would be accountability for the injustices that happened during the apartheid regime. The issue was addressed through TRC sessions, aired live across the country.

South Africa took a different route to the settlement however. Rather than trying perpetrators in a court of law like the Nuremberg trials, it opted for a political solution. “Ours was a politically negotiated settlement. Therefore the solution must be political. You need to establish a mechanism in the form of a court-like body in order to come to terms with the past and bring some closure to it,” the South African diplomat explained.

The TRC sessions worked on the premise of full closure: Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, while perpetrators faced victims, admitting their wrongdoings. “That would exonerate perpetrators from any future prosecution provided that they had committed politically motivated crimes. It also helped out lay down the anger on the side of the black people,” Seokolo said.

The transition period was tough for many South Africans, black and white alike. Negotiations were at the brink of the collapse many times. Yet the process kept going forward. Asked what kept South Africans moving forward, the ambassador said: “Each time we were confronted by a challenge, we all remembered we did not want to go back. We would have the only destiny that is the future. That was complemented with the strong leadership, especially of Mandela. When the nation was tested, the leadership prevailed with the solution.”

Economic challenges still persist

Today, 20 years after Mandela’s release, the country has fared well on the political front yet still struggles to cope with the adverse impact of unemployment. Despite years of economic growth, unemployment has remained above 20 percent and millions of blacks continue to live in shanty towns with little access to running water, electricity or healthcare. “The dominant discourse in South Africa is about how best to accelerate the pace of transformation of the economy so that all can share in the resources of the country,” the ambassador argued, stressing that apartheid relegated black South Africans to the margins of the economy.

“Now that political freedom has been achieved, there is a need to ensure that black people and women are also integrated in the mainstream of our economy. This government is working on this through its Broad-based Economic Empowerment Policy and other supporting policies,” he said. What’s more, he emphasized, there is an ongoing discussion about accelerating and deepening the provision of public services to people. “This includes access to good quality healthcare, decent housing, rural development and creating sustainable jobs. These are the priorities of the government of South Africa,” he said.

Though most people associate South Africa with only Mandela and the apartheid regime, Ambassador Seokolo dismisses suggestions that his country remained under the shadow of the charismatic leader. “Even though Mandela only served five years as president, South Africa continues to remain the country that it is today. We have had 15 years since becoming a democracy. That shows the rich reservoir of leadership we have in South Africa in addition to Mandela. That is our strong point,” he said.

He acknowledges that Mandela is the icon and the face of the struggle for justice and freedom. “Mandela has always spoken on behalf of the collective,” Ambassador Seokolo emphasized. “He personified the struggles for freedom not only for South Africans but also for many oppressed people in the world. But he did all these as the servant of the people and as part of the collective. It is that collective that continues to ensure that Mandela’s rainbow nation remains true and loyal to its founding values,” he added.