2006年VOA标准英语-S. African Apartheid Strongman P.W. Botha Dies

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
01 November 2006

Former South African president, P.W. Botha, has died at his home in Wilderness¹ on the country's southern coast. He was 90. VOA's Delia Robertson has this profile on the man who introduced some reforms in apartheid South Africa, but who also established a shadowy parallel government that ruthlessly oppressed opposition², assassinated³ opponents and was involved in widespread state-sponsored violence.

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P.W. Botha (file photo)   
  
Immediately after being elected Prime Minister of South Africa in 1978, P.W. Botha stood on the steps of parliament in Cape⁴ Town and promised the country a streamlined government that would administer openly, honestly and fairly.

When pushed from power by his cabinet colleagues in 1989 he had established himself as an executive president presiding over a bankrupt administration that spent 20 percent of the national budget on defense⁵; and included nine so-called homelands for black South Africans operating at varying degrees of nominal⁶ independence.

Most importantly he had put in place the so-called State Security Council, a shadowy parallel government whose tentacles⁷ reached into every aspect and level of South African society. The Council, in which he had the final say, was drawn⁸ primarily from defense and intelligence structures and included some members of cabinet, but by-passed parliament altogether.

Analyst⁹ Robert Schrire said on national radio that Mr. Botha was ruthless and typified his nickname of the "Groot Krokodil" or "Great Crocodile".

"P.W. really was the bull in the china shop. He was very tough, very ruthless," he said. "But ultimately totally insensitive to the interests the interests and perhaps the values of other groups, especially black South Africans."

During his tenure¹⁰ Mr. Botha tried to soften¹¹ his image as an unrepentant racist¹² by meeting with one or two African leaders; and in 1985 he put in place the so-called tri-cameral parliament which gave limited political power to colored and Indian South Africans. He also tentatively chipped away at what analysts¹³ then called petty apartheid; removing laws that criminalized inter-racial unions, and desegregated some public facilities such as park benches and post offices.

Former opposition politician, Helen Suzman, who spent many years sitting across from Mr. Botha in parliament, says that among his reforms was one of real significance - he allowed black workers to form and join trade unions.

"P.W. was always in a temper ... very irascible, very angry with people who disagreed with him. But I have to say that it was during his regime that many of bricks of apartheid were in fact withdrawn," she said. "The first one being the recognition of black trade unions; now that was an enormous advantage for the black working force."

But he never deviated¹⁴ from the goals of so-called grand apartheid, the permanent separation of races in which 87 percent of the population, blacks, would live in 13 percent of the country in the so-called homelands - nine small, carefully demarcated states with little or no arable¹⁵ land.

In 1985, after weeks of orchestrated leaks to the media that he would announce a major policy shift that would give black South Africans political rights, he shied away at the last moment, offering limited rights that were immediately rejected. In the speech that became known as his failed Rubicon, he was defiant¹⁶ about retaining power in white hands.

"I am not prepared to lead white South Africans and other minority groups on a road to abdication¹⁷ and suicide. Listen - destroy white South Africa and this country will drift in faction¹⁸ strife¹⁹, chaos²⁰, and poverty," Botha said.

F.W. De Klerk (file photo)   
  
In 1989 Mr. Botha suffered a stroke, and while he relinquished²¹ the leadership of the National Party to F.W. de Klerk, he insisted on retaining the presidency²². Within months however, his colleagues had ousted²³ him and replaced him with F.W. de Klerk, the man who would ultimately lead South Africa away from apartheid.

Mr. Botha refused to testify at the Truth and Reconciliation²⁴ Commission - even defying defying a subpoena²⁵ to appear. He was tried and convicted for doing so, but the conviction was overturned on technical grounds when he appealed.

Co-chairperson of the Commission, Alex Boraine, told national radio that the country had consequently left Mr. Botha behind and that he had died as yesterday's meaningless man. He said that Mr. Botha missed an opportunity to redeem²⁶ himself and leave a lasting²⁷ legacy²⁸ to South Africans.

"I think it would have unlocked the statements of many, many other people, who had served under him. One of the shortfalls of the commission was that it was so difficult to persuade top political leaders in the National Party to come and speak to us frankly²⁹ and honestly; and even indeed, to seek amnesty," he said. "And I think this would have helped P.W. Botha's legacy to the country, and most of all it would have helped, I think, to clear up a lot of unanswered questions that still remain unanswered now that he has died."

Reaction has poured in from across South Africa. In a statement, former president F.W. de Klerk said he honored Mr. Botha for his contributions to South Africa, but said he had never liked Mr. Botha's overbearing leadership style.

Another apartheid-era colleague, former foreign minister Pik Botha, said that, on occasion, his former boss showed a likable side.

"You know, on purely³⁰ private occasions when we were not busy with official work, with cabinet work - for instance when we had these bosberaade (business retreats) where we could relax, he was a man's man - full of humor and wit and that sort of thing," Botha said. "But when it came to official work he was a very effective organizer, temperamental at times, I think that he was sometimes a little bit on the authoritarian³¹ side."

Thabo Mbeki (July 2006 file photo)  
  
President Thabo Mbeki said that in his own way, Mr. Botha had realized that South Africans had no alternative but to reach out to each other.

Elder statesman, Nelson Mandela, who as a prisoner was invited to tea with Mr. Botha, said he would be remembered for the steps he took to pave the way to an eventual³² negotiated settlement, but that he will always remain a symbol of apartheid.

The funeral is likely to take place next week. As a former president, Mr. Botha is entitled to a state funeral, but his family have indicated a preference for a private burial.

1 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 nominal   

adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的

参考例句：

• The king was only the nominal head of the state. 国王只是这个国家名义上的元首。
• The charge of the box lunch was nominal.午餐盒饭收费很少。

7 tentacles   

n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛

参考例句：

• Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。
• Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

11 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

12 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 deviated   

v.偏离，越轨( deviate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• On this occasion the plane deviated from its usual flight path. 这一次那架飞机偏离了正常的航线。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His statements sometimes deviated from the truth. 他的陈述有时偏离事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 arable   

adj.可耕的，适合种植的

参考例句：

• The terrain changed quickly from arable land to desert.那个地带很快就从耕地变成了沙漠。
• Do you know how much arable land has been desolated?你知道什么每年有多少土地荒漠化吗？

16 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

17 abdication   

n.辞职；退位

参考例句：

• The officers took over and forced his abdication in 1947.1947年军官们接管了政权并迫使他退了位。
• Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor.因为没有可能的继承人，让位无法实现。

18 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

19 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

20 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

21 relinquished   

交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃

参考例句：

• She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward. 她把职位让给了表弟爱德华爵士。
• The small dog relinquished his bone to the big dog. 小狗把它的骨头让给那只大狗。

22 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

23 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

24 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

25 subpoena   

n.（法律）传票；v.传讯

参考例句：

• He was brought up to court with a subpoena.他接到传讯，来到法庭上。
• Select committees have the power to subpoena witnesses.特别委员会有权传唤证人。

26 redeem   

v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）

参考例句：

• He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。
• The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。

27 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

28 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

29 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

30 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

31 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

32 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。