One thing the old and new South Africa have in common is a passion for inventing history. History is not seen as a dispassionate inquiry into what happened, but rather as part of political mobilisation promoting some form of collective self-interest. Not for one second do I pretend to know the whole or real story of what happened in the old South Africa, or what is happening in the new. I know that significant parts of what has been, or is being invented, are not the way I experienced them.

This is a personal reflection on a fascinating period  in my life which coincided with fundamental shifts in the political life of South Africa. I was fortunate to be in a position where I knew and had access to persons of influence across the political spectrum. This is my account of their interaction with each other and mine with them.

Frederick van Zyl Slabber