My Fellow South Africans,
Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation has departed.
He passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20h50 on the 5th of December 2013.
He is now resting. He is now at peace.
Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.
Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.
His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world.
His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family. To them we owe a debt of gratitude.
They have sacrificed much and endured much so that our people could be free.
Our thoughts are with his wife Mrs Graca Machel, his former wife Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, with his children, his grand-children, his great grand-children and the entire family.
Our thoughts are with his friends, comrades and colleagues who fought alongside Madiba over the course of a lifetime of struggle.
Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood.
Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own, and who saw his cause as their cause.
This is the moment of our deepest sorrow.
Our nation has lost its greatest son.
Yet, what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.
And in him we saw so much of ourselves.
Fellow South Africans,
Nelson Mandela brought us together, and it is together that we will bid him farewell.
Our beloved Madiba will be accorded a State Funeral.
I have ordered that all flags of the Republic of South Africa be lowered to half-mast from tomorrow, 6 December, and to remain at half-mast until after the funeral.
As we gather to pay our last respects, let us conduct ourselves with the dignity and respect that Madiba personified.
Let us be mindful of his wishes and the wishes of his family.
As we gather, wherever we are in the country and wherever we are in the world, let us recall the values for which Madiba fought.
Let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another.
Let us commit ourselves to strive together – sparing neither strength nor courage – to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Let us express, each in our own way, the deep gratitude we feel for a life spent in service of the people of this country and in the cause of humanity.
This is indeed the moment of our deepest sorrow.
Yet it must also be the moment of our greatest determination.
A determination to live as Madiba has lived, to strive as Madiba has strived and to not rest until we have realised his vision of a truly united South Africa, a peaceful and prosperous Africa, and a better world.
We will always love you Madiba!
May your soul rest in peace.
God Bless Africa.
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika
亲爱的南非同胞们：
我们敬爱的纳尔逊•罗利赫拉赫拉•曼德拉(Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela)，这个民主国家的国父，已经去世了。
2013年12月5号20点50分(当地时间)，曼德拉在家人的陪伴下安详地离世了。
他现在离我们而去，与世长辞。
我们的国家失去了它最伟大的儿子，我们的人民失去了自己的父亲。
尽管知道这一天终将到来，我们仍感到这是一个巨大在而无法弥补的损失。
他锲而不舍地为自由而奋斗，赢得了世界的尊重。
谦逊、慈悲和人文关怀为他赢得了无尽的爱。我们和曼德拉家人同在，一起为曼德拉总统祈祷。我们欠他们数不清的感谢。
他们牺牲了许多，忍受了许多，才换来人民的自由。
曼德拉的妻子格拉萨·米歇尔(Grace Machel)、前任妻子温尼·曼德拉(Winnie Madikizela-Mandeal)以及子女，孙辈和曾孙辈和整个家庭，我们和你们同在。
曼德拉的朋友、陪伴在毕生不断奋斗的曼德拉身边的同事，我们和你们同在。
今日前来悼念曼德拉，践行国家观念的人民，我们和你们同在。
视曼德拉为自己的同胞，将曼德拉的事业视为自己事业的世界人民，我们和你们同在。
这一刻，我们向曼德拉致以最深沉的哀伤。
我们的国家失去了它最伟大的儿子。
纳尔逊·曼德拉的伟大之处在于他作为一个人对其他人的关爱，我们在他的身上看见了自己。
我们在他的身上看到了自己奋斗的方向。
亲爱的南非同胞们：
曼德拉让我们团结在了一起，我们要一起为他祈福送行。
我们将为至爱的曼德拉举行国葬。
我已下命所有悬挂国旗的机构在6日起开始降半旗，直到葬礼结束。
我们聚在一起向曼德拉表示最后的敬意，让我们向这位崇高而又受人尊敬的人告别吧!
让我们谨记他和他家庭的心愿。
让我们谨记曼德拉为之奋斗的价值观吧，无论身在南非何处，无论身在世界何地。
让我们继承他的遗志，建立一个没有剥削，没有压迫，没有掠夺的社会。
让我们团结一心，增强力量和勇气，建立一个团结、没有种族歧视、性别歧视、民主繁荣的南非共和国。
让我们向这位穷其一生服务国家人民和人类事业的人表示衷心的感谢。
这一刻，我们向曼德拉表示最深沉的哀悼。
这一刻，也是我们彰显坚定决心的时刻。
决心像曼德拉一样活着，为曼德拉奋斗的事业而奋斗，直至实现他的夙愿，建立一个真正统一的南非，一个繁荣和平的南非，一个更加美好的世界。
我们永远爱您，曼德拉。
愿您的灵魂得到安息。
上帝保佑南非。
上帝保佑非洲。
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was aquitted in 1961.
After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela's campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labour. In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought to stand trial with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. His statement from the dock received considerable international publicity. On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland.
During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom.
Nelson Mandela was released on February 18, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly into his life's work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four decades earlier. In 1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the ANC while his lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, became the organisation's National Chairperson.
南非前总统曼德拉励志英汉双语语录
纳尔逊·罗利赫拉赫拉·曼德拉(Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela)，1918年7月18日出生，南非前总统。因废除南非种族歧视政策所做的贡献，在1993年被授予诺贝尔和平奖。曼德拉为推翻南非百种种族主义统治，进行了长达50年的斗争。
1964年他被南非政府以“企图暴力推翻政府”为由关入罗本岛监狱。27年牢狱生涯不改他反种族主义、建立平等自由新南非的信念。1994年5月，曼德拉当选南非首位黑人总统。1996年6月，曼德拉去职。2013年12月5日，曼德拉因病逝世，享年95岁。
When I walked out of the prison cell towards the door leading to freedom, I have made it clear his own pain and resentment if not able to stay behind, so in fact I still in prison.
当我走出囚室迈向通往自由的大门时，我已经清楚，自己若不能把痛苦与怨恨留在身后，那么其实我人在狱中。
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
精明的头脑和善良的心灵往往是个不可思议的组合。
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
登上高峰后，你会发现还有更多的山峰要翻越。
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
教育是最强有力的武器，你能用它来改变世界。
For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
自由不仅仅意味着摆脱自身的枷锁，还意味着以一种尊重并增加他人自由的方式生活。
I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.
我痛恨种族主义，不管是来自黑人或是来自白人的种族主义，在我看来，都是野蛮未开化的。
I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.
我向往一个内部和平的非洲。
I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses.
我梦见，通过非洲各国领导人齐心协力共同解决非洲的种种问题，非洲实现了统一。我梦见那广袤的沙漠、茂密的森林，还有那无际的荒野。
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
我懂得了，勇气不是没有恐惧，而是战胜恐惧。勇者不是感觉不到害怕的人，而是克服自身恐惧的人。
If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.
有建设美好南非的梦想，就有通向梦想的道路。善良和宽恕就是其中的两条大道。
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
如果你用一个人听得懂的语言与他交流，他会记在脑子里;如果你用他自己的语言与他交流，他会记在心里。
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
若想与敌和平共处，就要与敌并肩作战。敌亦将为友。
In my country we go to prison first and then become President.
在我的祖国，我们先当囚徒，后当总统。
It always seems impossible until its done.
在事情未成功之前，一切总看似不可能。
It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
作为领袖，最好是在后方领导，让其他人站在前线，尤其是在庆祝胜利或好事时;但在危险时，你要站在前线。这样，人们会欣赏你的领导力。
Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.
让自由来主宰一切吧。对于如此辉煌的人类成就，太阳永远不会停止照耀。
Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.
让所有人都拥有工作、面包、水和盐吧。
Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will.
创造成功，靠的不是金钱，而是拥有创造成功的自由。
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.
这片美丽的土地将永远、永远、永远不会再经历人对人的压迫。
only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.
只有自由的人才能谈判，身陷牢笼的人没有谈判的资格。你们的自由和我的自由是不可分割的。
There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.
知晓一个社会的灵魂，就看这个社会对待小孩的方式，除此以外，没有更好的办法。
There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.
自由之路从不平坦，我们中的许多人都不得不一次又一次地穿过死神笼罩的山谷，才能抵达愿望的顶峰。
There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
本来能过得更精彩的生活，却勉强接受现状，满足于个人的生活，这毫无激情可言。
There is no such thing as part freedom.
不存在部分自由之说。
There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
回到一个未曾改变的地方，却发现自己已经改变，没有什么这更美妙。
When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat.
水刚煮沸就关火，这很愚蠢。
Our greatest fear is not from our lack of, but because we have extraordinary strength. Let us often threatened not our weaknesses, but our strengths.
我们最大的恐惧不是来自于我们的不足，而是因为我们超常的强大。通常让我们受到威胁的不是我们的弱点，而是我们的长处。
The greatest brilliance in life lies not in never falling, but fall can always rises again.
生命中最伟大的光辉不在于永不坠落,而是坠落后总能再度升起。
Let black and white as brothers, South Africa to the prosperity and development.
让黑人和白人成为兄弟,让南非繁荣发展。
I have finished my role play, now need unknown life. I want to go back home, the village in childhood frolicking hillside walk.
我已经演完了我的角色，现在只求默默无闻地生活。我想回到故乡的村寨，在童年时嬉戏玩耍的山坡上漫步。
南非前总统曼德拉1994年总统就职演讲中英双语稿
1994年5月9日，多种族议会正式开幕，纳尔逊.曼德拉当选为新政府总统。1994年5月10日 纳尔逊?曼德拉宣誓就职总统。翌日，南非新内阁宣誓就职。下面是曼德拉总统就职演讲稿，附中文译文。
英语演讲稿：
Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, Distinguished Guests, Comrades and friends:
Today, all of us do, by our presence here, and by our celebrations in other parts of our country and the world, confer glory and hope to newborn liberty.
Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.
Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all.
All this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world who are so well represented here today.
To my compatriots, I have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld.
Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. The national mood changes as the seasons change.
We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.
That spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland explains the depth of the pain we all carried in our hearts as we saw our country tear itself apart in a terrible conflict, and as we saw it spurned, outlawed and isolated by the peoples of the world, precisely because it has become the universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and racial oppression.
We, the people of South Africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.
We thank all our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.
We trust that you will continue to stand by us as we tackle the challenges of building peace, prosperity, non-sexism, non-racialism and democracy.
We deeply appreciate the role that the masses of our people and their political mass democratic, religious, women, youth, business, traditional and other leaders have played to bring about this conclusion. Not least among them is my Second Deputy President, the Honourable F.W. de Klerk.
We would also like to pay tribute to our security forces, in all their ranks, for the distinguished role they have played in securing our first democratic elections and the transition to democracy, from blood-thirsty forces which still refuse to see the light.
The time for the healing of the wounds has come.
The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come.
The time to build is upon us.
We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.
We succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace.
We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity--a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.
As a token of its commitment to the renewal of our country, the new Interim Government of National Unity will, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of amnesty for various categories of our people who are currently serving terms of imprisonment.
We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free.
Their dreams have become reality. Freedom is their reward.
We are both humbled and elevated by the honour and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness.
We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom.
We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.
We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.
Let there be justice for all.
Let there be peace for all.
Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.
Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfil themselves.
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.
Let freedom reign.
The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!
God bless Africa!
中文译文：
陛下，殿下，尊贵的嘉宾，同胞们，朋友们：
今天，我们会聚于此，与我国和世界其他地方前来庆贺的人士一起，对新生的自由赋予光辉和希望。
这异常的人类悲剧太过漫长了，这经验孕育出一个令全人类引以自豪的社会。?作为南非的一介平民，我们日常的一举一动，都要为南非创造现实条件，去巩固人类对正义的信念，增强人类对心灵深处高尚品德的信心，以及让所有人保持对美好生活的期望。
对我的同胞，我可以毫不犹疑地说，我们每一个人都跟这美丽祖国的大地亲密地牢不可分，就如红木树之于比勒陀利亚，含羞草之于灌木林。?我们对这共同的家乡在精神上和肉体上有共同的感觉，当目睹国家因可怕的冲突而变得四分五裂，遭全球人民唾弃、孤立，特别是它成为恶毒的意识形态时，我们的内心如此地痛苦。
我们南非人民，对全人类将我们再度纳入怀抱，感到非常高兴。不久之前，我们还遭全世界摒弃，而现在却能在自己的土地上，招待各国的嘉宾。?我们非常感谢我国广大人民，以及各方民主政治、宗教、妇女、青年、商业及其他方面领袖所作的贡献，使我们取得了上述的成就。特别功不可没的，是我的第二副总统——德克勒克先生。
治愈创伤的时候已经来临。消除分隔我们的鸿沟的时刻已经来临。创建的时机就在眼前。
我们终于取得了政治解放。我们承诺，会将依然陷于贫穷、剥削、苦难、受着性别及其他歧视的国人解放出来。
我们已成功地让我们千千万万的国人的心中燃起希望。我们立下誓约，要建立一个让所有南非人，不论是黑人还是白人，都可以昂首阔步的社会。他们心中不再有恐惧，他们可以肯定自己拥有不可剥夺的人类尊严——这是一个在国内及与其他各国之间都保持和平的美好国度。
作为我国致力更新的证明，新的全国统一过渡政府的当务之急是处理目前在狱中服刑囚犯的特赦问题。
我们将今天献给为我们的自由而献出生命和作出牺牲的我国以至世界其他地方的英雄。
他们的理想现已成真，自由就是他们的报酬。
作为一个统一、民主、非种族主义和非性别主义的南非首任总统，负责带领国家脱离黑暗的深谷。我们怀着既谦恭又欣喜的心情接受你们给予我们的这份荣誉与权利。
我们深信，自由之路从来都不易走。我们很清楚，没有任何一个人可以单独取得成功。
因此，为了全国和解，建设国家，为了一个新世界的诞生，我们必须团结成为一个民族，共同行动。
让所有人得享正义。让所有人得享和平。让所有人得享工作、面包、水、盐分。让每个人都明白，每个人的身体、思想和灵魂都获得了解放，从属于自己。?这片美丽的土地永远、永远、永远再不会经历人对人的压迫，以及遭全球唾弃的屈辱。对于如此光辉的成就，太阳永不会停止照耀。
让自由战胜一切。愿上帝保佑南非!
南非前总统曼德拉1990年出狱英语演说全文
After a quarter century in jail, Nelson Mandela, the leader of the South African African National Congress, was released and faced the world's press in a speech carried live throughout the world.
Comrades and fellow South Africans, I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all. I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.
On this day of my release, I extend my sincere and warmest gratitude to the millions of my compatriots and those in every corner of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release. I extend special greetings to the people of Cape Town, the city which has been my home for three decades. Your mass marches and other forms of struggle have served as a constant source of strength to all political prisoners.
I salute the African National Congress. It has fulfilled our every expectation In its role as leader of the great march to freedom.
I salute our president, Comrade Oliver Tambo, for leading the ANC even under the most difficult circumstances.
I salute the rank-and-file members of the ANC: You have sacrificed life and limb in the pursuit of the noble cause of our struggle.
I salute combatants of Umkhonto We Sizwe (the ANC's military wing) who paid the ultimate price for the freedom of all South Africans.
I salute the South African Communist Party for its sterling contribution to the struggle for democracy: You have survived 40 years of unrelenting persecution. The memory of great Communists like Bram Fisher and Moses Mabhida will be cherished for generations to come.
I salute General Secretary Joe Slovo, one of our finest patriots. We are heartened by the fact that the alliance between ourselves and the party remains as strong as it always was.
I salute the United Democratic Front, the National Education Crisis Committee, the South African Youth Congress, the Transvaal and Natal Indian Congresses, and COSATU, and the many other formations of the mass democratic movement.
I also salute the Black Sash and the National Union of South African Students. We note with pride that you have endured as the conscience of white South Africans, even during the darkest days of the history of our struggle. You held the flag of liberty high. The largescale mass mobilization of the past few years is one of the key factors which led to the opening of the final chapter of our struggle.
I extend my greetings to the working class of our country. Your organized strength is the pride of our movement: You remain the most dependable force in the struggle to end exploitation and oppression.
I pay tribute to the many religious communities who carried the campaign for justice forward when the organizations of our people were silenced.
I greet the traditional leaders of our country: Many among you continue to walk in the footsteps of great heroes.
I pay tribute for the endless heroism of youth: You, the young lions, have energized our entire struggle.
I pay tribute to the mothers and wives and sisters of our nation: You are the rock-hard foundation of our struggle. Apartheid has inflicted more pain on you than on anyone else.
On this occasion, we thank the world, we thank the world community for their great contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle. Without your support, our struggle could not have reached this advanced stage.
The sacrifice of the front-line states will be remembered by South Africans forever.
My celebrations will be incomplete without expressing my deep appreciation for the strength that has been given to me during my long and gloomy years in prison by my beloved wife and family. I am convinced that your pain and suffering was far greater than my own.
Before I go any further, I wish to make the point that I intend making only a few preliminary comments at this stage. I will make a more complete statement only after I have had the opportunity to consult with my comrades.
Today, the majority of South Africans, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. It has to be ended by our own decisive mass action in order to build peace and security.
The mass campaigns of defiance and other actions of our organizations and people can only culminate in the establishment of democracy.
The apartheid's destruction on our subcontinent is incalculable. The fabric of family life of millions of my people has been shattered. Millions are homeless and unemployed. Our economy lies in ruins and our people are embroiled in political strife.
Our resort to the armed struggle in 1960 with the formation of the military wing of the ANC (Umkhoto We Sizwe) was a purely defensive action against the violence of apartheid. The factors which necessitated the armed struggle still exist today. We have no option but to continue. We express the hope that a climate conducive to a negotiated settlement would be created soon, so that there may no longer be the need for the armed struggle.
I am a loyal and disciplined member of the African National Congress. I am therefore in full agreement with all of its objectives strategies and tactics.
The need to unite the people of our country is as important a task now as it always has been. No individual leader is able to take all this enormous task on his own. It is our task as leaders to place our views before our organization and to allow the democratic structures to decide on the way forward
On the question of democratic practice, I feel duty-bound to make the point that a leader of the movement is a person who has been democratically elected at a national congress. This is a principle which must be upheld without any exception.
Today, I wish to report to you that my talks with the government have been aimed at normalizing the political situation in the country. We have not yet begun discussing the basic demands of the struggle. I wish to stress that I myself have at no time entered negotiations about the future of our country, except to insist on a meeting between the ANC and the government.
Mr. de Klerk has gone further than any other nationalist president in taking real steps to normalize the situation. However, there are further steps, as outlined in the Harare declaration, that have to be met before negotiations on the basic demands of our people can begin.
I reiterate our call for, inter-alia, the immediate ending of the state of emergency and the freeing of all - and not only some - political prisoners.
only such a normalized situation, which allows for free political activity, can allow us to consult our people in order to obtain a mandate.
The people need to be consulted on who will negotiate and on the content of such negotiations.
Negotiations cannot take their place above the heads or behind the backs of our people.
It Is our belief that the future of our country can only be determined by a body which is democratically elected on a non-racial basis.
Negotiations on the dismantling of apartheid will have to address the overwhelming demands of our people for a democratic, non-racial and unitary South Africa.
There must be an end to white monopoly on political power and a fundamental restructuring of our political and economic systems to ensure that the inequalities of apartheid are addressed, and our society thoroughly democratized.
It must be added that Mr. de Klerk himself is a man of integrity who is acutely aware of the dangers of a public figure not honoring his undertaking.
But as an organization, we base our policy and our strategy on the harsh reality we are faced with, and this reality is that we are still suffering under the policies of the nationalist government.
Our struggle has reached a decisive moment: We call on our people to seize this moment, so that the process toward democracy Is rapid and uninterrupted.
We have waited too long for our freedom. We can no longer wait. Now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. To relax our efforts now would be a mistake which generations to come will not be able to forgive.
The sight of freedom looming on the horizon should encourage us to redouble our efforts. It Is only through disciplined mass action that our victory can be assured.
We call on our white compatriots to join us in the shaping of a new South Africa. The freedom movement is a political home for you, too.
We call on the international community to continue the campaign to isolate the apartheid regime. To lift sanctions now would run the risk of aborting the process toward the complete eradication of apartheid.
Our march toward freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way.
Universal suffrage on a common voters roll in a united, democratic and non-racial South Africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony.
In conclusion, I wish to go to my own words during my trial in 1964 - they are as true today as they were then:
I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunity. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But, if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
