[No doubt Mbeki and the ANC are laughing their asses off. I don’t buy their fake crocodile tears.

re: Futility of the fight.
Frankly, I’ve never seen any indication that PW was ever going to just give in to anyone, including the ANC. He did change things but he never was going to surrender not let Mandela out of jail until Mandela renounced violence (which he never did). If PW was not thrown out by the De Klerk/Pik Botha Coup crowd… then Mandela would have remained in jail and S.Africa would have fought on. PW would only have surrendered when there was no choice. Ergo he was thrown out by others weaker than him. Jan]

In his own way, former state president PW Botha realised South Africans had no alternative but to reach out to one another, President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday.

Botha took over the reigns of the government at a difficult time in the country’s history, he said.

It stood to his credit that he understood the futility of fighting against what was right and inevitable.

Botha died at his home, Die Anker, near the Wilderness in the Western Cape, at 8pm on Tuesday night.

“On behalf of the government and people of South Africa we express our heartfelt condolences to his wife and the rest of the family, who have lost a husband, father and grandfather,” said Mbeki.

“In this hour of need our thoughts and prayers go to his family. May his soul rest in peace.” – Sapa

Source: Independent Online (IOL)