Whatever was inside his head, De Klerk’s actions represented a choice that would (in all likelihood, and apparent that February) result in his and his party’s eviction from power, and the possibility of avoiding a confrontation that would ultimately have destroyed the country. Across the Limpopo, Zimbabwe showed what could happen when an entrenched oligarchy dug itself in and refused to yield. Zanu-PF remains in power, but the country has been devastated.
