South Africa prepares for Botha funeral
South Africa today prepared to say goodbye to former President PW Botha, a man who in life guided the country through some of the worst excesses of apartheid but whose death has shown the strides a bitterly divided country has made toward reconciliation.
Botha, 90, the last hard-line white leader of South Africa died eight days ago at his home in the seaside resort of Wilderness on the south coast.
In a remarkable demonstration of South Africa’s racial progress, President Thabo Mbeki, whose governing African National Congress party was brutally repressed during the turbulent years of Botha’s presidency, was expected to attend the funeral.
However, Mbeki’s attendance has proved to be deeply divisive, with radio talk shows flooded with calls on the issue.
Many black callers see the president’s presence as a betrayal of all of those who suffered under Botha’s regime.
