AK - What had happened is that the papers had published beforehand their cabinet and my name was there. I then wrote to him and also gave the letter to someone to make sure in case mine doesn’t reach him, saying that although my name has been mentioned I am not interested in being in the Cabinet. It didn’t reach him so that when his first announcement came in the papers I was a minister. Fortunately there was this bartering with the IFP which wanted one of the security portfolios, so the easiest thing was to give mine.
JN - Did you have discussions with him on the leadership?
AK - No, no not at all. I told him that ‘Look, I am not interested.’ I wrote to him that I am not interested. Whether the letter reached him or not, I don’t know
JN - But in your assessment as he was doing all that, was it weighing heavily on him, or was he taking it in his stride?
AK - Yes, he didn’t like manoeuvre. Some of it was quite straightforward, because I didn’t give him any trouble on this question. Maybe he was relieved.