Former president FW de Klerk has not been notified by the authorities of any threat to his life, the FW de Klerk Foundation said on Monday.
The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that suspected right-wing extremists had compiled a hit list targeting De Klerk and former ministers Pik Botha and Roelf Meyer, retired Freedom Front leader Constand Viljoen, and a Tshwane councillor.
According to the article, top security officials who confirmed the discovery of the hit list, said the men on it were seen by extremists as having sold out their people.
In a statement on Monday, the foundation said De Klerk had taken note of the report. ”He had received no prior notification of this threat from the authorities.”
As a former president, De Klerk received protection services from the South African Police Service. The SAPS protection unit regularly conducted threat assessments to determine the appropriate level of protection that should be accorded to him, the statement said.
”It is clear that those involved represent only a tiny minority of a minority. Nevertheless, they have the potential to cause instability and to harm inter-racial relations. South Africa cannot afford this.”
De Klerk strongly supported the view expressed by President Thabo Mbeki last week that South Africa would not tolerate attempts by any group to impose its agenda on the country through the use of violence and terrorism, the statement said. – Sapa