South Africa Commemorates Former President

(3 Nov '06 - RV) South African Flags have been flying at half-mast, in tribute to the apartheid-era President P.W. Botha, who died on Tuesday at the age of 90. Botha oversaw one of the most brutal periods of apartheid, including state-sanctioned murder and torture, and raids into neighbouring states that backed the anti-apartheid movement. Yet he also initiated contacts with black leaders which led to the end of apartheid in 1994. Gunther Simmermacher is the Editor of South Africa's largest Catholic Weekly, The Southern Cross. He spoke to Charles Collins about the mixed legacy of President Botha...