Special Report Transcript Episode 30, Section 6, Time 39:45

You have been watching Max du Preez on the Truth Commission Special Report. // O ek is mal vir Max [I am crazy about Max]. Max is one of my favourite people in the SABC. He’s become very, very liberal. Liewe aarde wat sal sy ma sê [what will his mother say] and he’s looking very nice. I think he should cut his hair, dit lyk bietjie morsig [it looks a bit messy]. Maar baie interessant [but very interesting]! And of course many Afrikaners are very cross with Max because Max is saying things that Afrikaners don’t want to hear. But I know that Max means it well. He had his little newspaper. Do you remember that funny little paper he wrote? And I think he’s doing a very nice job, and it’s very important to hear what has happened through an Afrikaner’s mouth not just always people with foreign accents accusing Afrikaners of doing things. At least he’s one of the sons of Afrikanerdom. But he must keep his facts right want ek hou hom dop en as hy iets verkeerd se gaan ek hom slaan [I’m watching him and if he doesn’t get his facts right I’ll whack him]. // Can you tell us, you’ve often had a lot to say about the quality of our leadership, what do you think about the job that the Archbishop has been doing on the Truth Commission? // I am so happy with little Desmond Tutu. You know, during the old days of the propaganda when the SABC was still the SABC, before it became the SANC, we never saw Desmond Tutu for more than 20 seconds. And then all he said was ‘sanctions’ and we thought, die kabouter [the dwarf/goblin/pixie]! But what a sweet, good man. He treats me like a human being, not like an enemy. He always kisses my hand and he’s very small so I’ve got to bend and he looks down my dress. But he’s an Anglican they can do that. It’s the Communists that go to hell. He’s a wonderful man. Ek sal vir jou nou ‘n ding se skat [I’ll tell you something dear] that if we had the Truth Commission in the hands of a politician it would be ice cold. Desmond Tutu allows us to cry. And he’s human and he makes us human and he’s a very great man. And I apologise for all the terrible things I accused him of in my mind in the old days. Hy’s ‘n goeie Suid Afrikaner, amper ‘n Afrikaner [He’s a good South African, almost an Afrikaner].

Notes: Jann Turner interviews Evita Bezuidenhout, former RSA Ambassador to Baphetikosweti

References: there are no references for this transcript