Johannesburg - Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher had a better grasp of the complexities and geo-strategic realities of South Africa than many of her contemporaries, former president FW de Klerk said on Monday.
A steadfast critic of apartheid, she had consistently and correctly believed that much more could be achieved through constructive engagement with the South African government than through draconian sanctions and isolation, De Klerk said in a statement.
She had understood the need to consider the concerns and aspirations of all South Africans in their search for constitutional consensus.
“For this reason, she was able to play a positive role in supporting our own process of non-racial constitutional transformation in South Africa,” he said.
Thatcher died of a stroke on Monday morning, at the age of 87.
“She will be remembered not only as one of Britain's greatest prime ministers, but also as a leader whose policies and approach had a significant impact on politics throughout the world,” De Klerk said.
From his first meeting with Thatcher in London in 1989 until the end of her tenure as prime minister, she gave strong and valued support to him and all other leaders working for a peaceful, prosperous, and constitutional future for South Africa.
“We met in the Cape and in London many times after her retirement from office, and before her stroke in 2002. I am honoured to have had Margaret Thatcher as a friend,” he said.
Thatcher served as British prime minister from 1979 to 1990. - Sapa