Why did the decolonization of Africa threaten South Africa?
PB: No, I don’t believe that threatened South Africa as such. it was inevitable, it had to come. I remember vividly that as a young foreign affairs official, I was surprised at a Belgian representative of the United Nations in the Fifties, early Fifties, saying that the Belgian Congo would not be independent for another 30 to 40 years. I was amazed, because I knew that there was no way that Belgium would be able to last in the Belgian Congo that long; and ever since that time there has been problems, of course, in Zaire. Maybe it is too huge, too large to be governed by one central government, and should have had more provincial power. I do not know – I don’t want to go into that matter today, but certainly Zaire is paying a price today for what was originally conceived to be a strong central government in the country not allowing, in my opinion, for sufficient diversity in your provinces and more provincial autonomy in matters affecting the people within a province more directly. agai
