The Presidential Years

No, not at all. That is an important question. Mr De Klerk decided who he wanted to take with him to the new deputy president’s office. Not only Mr De Klerk; Dave Steward as director general obviously played a major role in that as well. We were just informed: ‘You will go, you won’t go’. Those officials moving over to Mr De Klerk’s office created most of the vacancies in the presidency. One staff member – only one – said ‘I can’t do this (‘ek sien nie kans hiervoor nie’).’ And you know why? Not because it was an ANC or black government or any other reason, but because the office would from now on mainly be functioning in the English language. That was the only one that I am aware of who resigned at that time.

Fanie Pretorius