Hard Bargaining

Abstract

Once again, the atmosphere was altogether different. To Young’s satisfaction, this time, the two teams had been cut back to just three on each side: the time was over for cordial philosophical and intellectual probing. It was now down to hard bargaining. On the ANC side the three were Mbeki, Pahad and Trew; on the South African side Esterhuyse and Terreblanche, as before, as well as a newcomer, Willem (Wimpie) de Klerk, a man with a reformist background as a newspaper editor, but a friend of several ministers — and, above all, elder brother of the most conservative likely successor to Botha, Frederik W. de Klerk. Esterhuyse had been authorized by Barnard and Botha to make specific proposals to the ANC.