Mandela and De Klerk warn of SA fault lines

President Nelson Mandela and his predecessor, FW de Klerk, who shared a Nobel prize for bringing democracy to South Africa, yesterday warned that their country's post-apartheid unity was cracking.

"We are burdened with the legacy of decades, indeed centuries, of deliberate division, conflict and hostility. It would be a mighty error to imagine that three years could eradicate all trace of what kept us apart for so long. Today, in some ways, the old fault lines in our society are showing more sharply," Mr Mandela told parliament.

Mr de Klerk appeared to agree. "Reconciliation, co-operation and nation-building have become central themes of your presidency. Unfortunately ... objective analysis shows that we are slipping downwards, that we are beginning to lose out," he said.