The FW de Klerk Foundation has welcomed the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors. This movement has been honoured for using the testimony of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to advocate against the use of nuclear weapons ever again. Christo van der Rheede, the Executive Director of the Foundation, highlighted in an interview with Biznews that South Africa has a proud legacy of promoting peace, with Presidents Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk both receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in bringing peace to South Africa. Van der Rheede also noted that De Klerk took a significant step further by deciding to disarm South Africa, ensuring the country’s nuclear weapons were destroyed, making South Africa the first nation to take such action. He has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to be consistent in his message on peace: “Stand up and say enough is enough.” Van der Rheede argued that Ramaphosa cannot hold the Israelis accountable for events in the Middle East while remaining silent about the atrocities committed by Putin or Hamas. All those entities, he said, are out to destroy instead of engaging in dialogue, as Presidents Mandela and De Klerk had done.
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Highlights from the interview
In an interview with Linda van Tilburg, Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation, discussed the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a movement of atomic bomb survivors advocating for nuclear disarmament. Van der Rheede explained the foundation’s interest in the prize, noting FW de Klerk’s legacy as a Nobel laureate for his pivotal role in dismantling apartheid and South Africa’s nuclear weapons program. He emphasised de Klerk’s commitment to global peace, highlighting his disarmament actions and peace initiatives with Nelson Mandela.
Van der Rheede also spoke about the compelling testimony of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors, who have suffered long-term health effects from nuclear radiation. The Hibakusha movement, founded in 1956, advocates for the rights of survivors and campaigns against nuclear weapons. Van der Rheede expressed concern over the continued existence of nuclear arsenals, calling for global disarmament to avoid catastrophic consequences.
He criticised current geopolitical tensions, particularly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and stressed that conflicts fueled by power-hungry leaders lead to unnecessary suffering. He called for a shift in focus from military spending to addressing poverty, climate change, and underdevelopment. Urging a return to leadership prioritising peace, Van der Rheede advocated for a stronger commitment to international non-proliferation treaties and global cooperation for a sustainable future.
He also noted his post-retirement involvement with various foundations, advocating for policies that promote peace and improve lives independently of party politics.
Edited transcript of the interview
Linda van Tilburg (00:03.583)
The F.W. de Klerk Foundation has welcomed the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors. This movement has been honoured for using the testimony of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to show why nuclear weapons should never be used again. Joining us in the BIRS News studio is Christo van der Rheede, the Foundation’s executive director.
Linda van Tilburg (00:42.215)
Well, this is an interesting view from the F.W. de Klerk Foundation, who normally comments on events in South Africa to comment on the Nobel Peace Prize. So, why?
Christo van der Rheede (00:53.901)
As you know, FW de Klerk, along with Nelson Mandela, was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. From our perspective, he received that prize for his instrumental role in transitioning South Africa from an apartheid state to a constitutional democracy.
This transition brought our people freedom, peace, progress, and prosperity. So, it was a very important step he took when he made that announcement on 2 February 1990. But he went further. He then decided to disarm South Africa to ensure that our arsenal of nuclear weapons was destroyed.
I think we were the first country in the world to take that step, which shows their commitment to ensuring peace, not only in South Africa but also on the African continent and throughout the world. De Klerk was then, in later years, very much involved in certain peace initiatives. I can recall that Mandela they were involved in peace talks between the then Prime Minister of Israel and the leader of the Palestinian people.
Unfortunately, today, we have a completely different world, and it’s so sad because we had men of stature, such as the late President de Klerk, the late President Nelson Mandela, Gorbachev, and others who put their own interests aside and focused on what was in the interest of the people, what was in the interest of the world. That is what we need to see more of during this time of heightened conflict, especially in the Middle East between Russia and Ukraine and in other parts of the world.
Linda van Tilburg (03:16.584)
Well, so if you look at the stories of these atomic bomb survivors, what makes their story so compelling?
Christo van der Rheede (03:26.407)
Remember when those bombs were dropped in August 1945 on Nagasaki and Hiroshima; approximately 120,000 people died. It left terrible scars. It caused havoc in those two cities. But more so, the surviving people had to carry diseases and illnesses caused by exposure to nuclear radiation. They have to carry that for the rest of their lives.
So, it’s a significant movement that started around 1956, when the Japanese people decided to establish what they call the Japan Confederation of H-bomb sufferers. The people who survived, approximately 650,000, are known as the Hibakusha. This movement is the most respected, widely recognized, and widely known movement, and it has two aims: to promote and fight for the social and economic rights of the Hibakusha, the survivors of this terrible ordeal.
But more so, they have a very significant story to tell, and that’s why they are the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for advocating that countries with large stockpiles of weapons do away with them. Such a terrible ordeal should never happen again, and we should protect the world against the destructive nature of nuclear weapons. Because really, it’s not necessary to have them. What are we doing with nuclear weapons? Why do we test nuclear weapons? We’re destroying, or we’re not only putting fear into people’s hearts, ordinary people.
We have narcissistic politicians and egotistical politicians, but we also destroy the environment. If you think about the impact of those bombs deep under the sea, in the desert, deep underground where they are tested, there is no logic behind this.
Yes, there are certain positives. Nuclear energy and tools are used in medicine. As long as they are used to advance humankind’s cause and bring nations together to create a better world, there is nothing wrong with them. But if they are used to threaten each other and to use them against another country, you can imagine if the countries with large stockpiles, such as the USA, France, Russia, China, and Iran, decide to use their nuclear weapons against each other, then we might as well switch off the light of Mother Earth, close the curtain, and move to another planet because we will destroy this entire planet just to satisfy our personal political egos. That’s the sad part of this.
Linda van Tilburg (07:49.902)
Well, with the spectre of nuclear conflict looming due to the current geopolitical tensions, what proactive measures can be taken to steer the world away from such a devastating path, do you think?
Christo van der Rheede (08:02.274)
I’m very honest when I say that if you look at the current conflicts in the world, those conflicts are unnecessary. It’s beyond my grasp to understand why Russia decided one morning to enter Ukraine and start a war there. What was the reason for that? There might be geopolitical reasons, but it was not necessary. If you look at other parts of the world, where conflict reigns, it can all be traced back to power-hungry people, people who seek to destroy each other, people who don’t care about each other, people who want to promote their narrow-minded ideologies at the expense of others.
Why is that necessary? It’s really beyond anyone’s understanding. The important thing is that we live in a world that is becoming increasingly unsafe. It’s a world impacted by climate change, hunger, and underdevelopment. We’ve seen massive migration from certain parts of the world to other parts of the world.
If you ask yourself, can’t we use all the energy and talent we invest in making nuclear bombs? Can’t we spend that money to create a better future in those countries where conflict reigns, where there’s poverty, where there’s hunger? That’s the kind of world we should yearn for.
World leaders who yearn for peace shouldn’t pussyfoot around these issues. I would like President Ramaphosa to stand up and say enough is enough and be consistent in his message of peace.
You cannot hold the Israelis responsible for what’s happening in the Middle East while saying nothing about the atrocities of Putin or Hamas. All of these entities are out to destroy instead of coming and sitting around the table like President Mandela did, like President de Klerk did, to say, how do we create a better South Africa?
We’ve seen the result of people deviating from the constitution, from the Bill of Rights, a country beset with socio-economic ills such as corruption, conflict, and crime. We have the blueprint, and it’s the kind of blueprint that we have shared with the rest of the world. We yearn for a time when we had world leaders with backbone who put the world’s interests first, as opposed to their narrow ideological and egotistical aspirations.
First and foremost, we need the non-proliferation treaty to be respected, implemented, and rolled out. We need disarmament on a large scale. We need a commitment from political leaders and countries that are always at loggerheads with each other to work towards peace and the improvement of the world because, at the rate we are going, we’re going to have nothing left within the next hundred years. If we have a full-scale nuclear war, it will be even less than 10 years.
So, it’s important that we have a long-term vision for Mother Earth and for our people, and we need to…
Christo van der Rheede (12:53.577)
It’s important that we have a long-term vision for Mother Earth and our people. We need to come together as a collective to create a new world order that puts the interests of all people first. Some people dream about a colony on Mars. Why do you want to go to Mars when you have Mother Earth?
If we develop all of our people, we can reduce poverty. We will be able to reduce uncontrolled birth rates, improve the quality of life of all people, and, at the same time, take care of our environment because, for me, the environment is critical. I live along the beach and see how many seals lie dead there. I see how many sea creatures lie dead, penguins, whales, and things like that, and it tells me there’s something wrong. I don’t want to even mention the way we pollute our river systems, the sky, the ground with oil spills, irresponsible mining, etc.
So, somehow, we need new leadership that can say enough is enough, draw the line in the sand, and say, “This is the direction we need to go.” We need to stop trying to seek favour with people who we know do not really care about anyone else but themselves.
Linda van Tilburg (14:37.562)
So, Christo, you retired from Agri-South Africa. Is this what retirement looks like?
Christo van der Rheede (14:46.459)
Indeed, I’m trying to stay away from party politics, and that’s why I’m involved with the Foundation. We also work very closely with other foundations, the Mbeki Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Helen Suzman Foundation, the Albert Luthuli Foundation, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, and the Bishop Tutu Foundation, because I believe these foundations have a moral voice and authority. We must use the stature we have to influence policy-making and help shape a better world for all our people. Because I don’t have to lean towards the dictates of a party political leader or a cabinet minister, etc. We are completely independent. Yes, we work towards a better future for all of our people.
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