Ramaphosa said that the IFP leader had helped end the violence which had gripped the country ahead of the 1994 polls.
“Many people were displaced from their homes. Many people died. Today is not the day to point fingers and cast blame. History will in the end be the true arbiter,” Ramaphosa said.
“Through negotiations and serious engagement we stepped back from the brink of turmoil. All parties involved in the negotiation process participated in the historic elections that ushered in our democracy,” Ramaphosa said.“At a political level we did not always agree. We often found ourselves on opposing sides of one or another issue. He never shied away from a harsh word, a criticism or from voicing his dissent,” Ramaphosa said.
“We carry the heavy weight of memories, and of many heartaches. But difficult as it may be right now, it is important that we fulfil the wishes he had for a sustainable and durable reconciliation not only between the IFP and the ANC but amongst all of us as the people of South Africa,” he said.Ramaphosa also said that there was a need to put differences aside in KwaZulu-Natal and around the country for the sake of building the nation.
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