UN General Assembly
1990

However, we cannot ignore the fact that the principal pillars of apartheid are still intact. Neither can we ignore the fact that the majority of the oppressed people of South Africa are still deprived of exercising their democratic right to vote. Furthermore, the much-publicized talks about talks have yet to reach the stage of serious, purposeful and substantive negotiations aimed at finding a democratic and non-racial constitutional transformation in South Africa. Moreover, we are deeply saddened by the recent spate of violence and the resulting loss of life and destruction of property. These unfortunate developments, if not controlled, are likely to derail the promising efforts currently under way towards finding a peaceful solution. In this connection my Government joins the entire international community in calling upon all the participants in the process to practise restraint and extreme caution. We should like to reaffirm that it is, in the first instance, the responsibility of President De Klerk's Government to arrest the violence and to put an end to it.