The Presidential Years

That was also very hot in those early years. There were heated feelings on both sides. I remember him coming to caucus and saying, ‘On the question of the seat of Parliament, I have a very strong view.’ You know how he used to talk, he dragged it out, to give full effect to what he was saying. ‘We have to think about this very seriously and I have had to come to my own decision and …’ I don’t know what he said exactly but on and on and on. He said, ‘I have a very strong view that this Parliament should move. And I think it should move to Qunu.’ It was hilarious. He totally defused the thing, because we were also being very heavily lobbied by the ad agencies that Pretoria and Johannesburg and I think even Bloemfontein had got together to give us all the paperwork, why we should be moving. But that’s the sort of thing he would do as well. That was a very hot issue.

​ Sue van der Merwe