What happened then?
That was when everyone got the right to vote. There was also a sense of belonging ... without fighting ... the sense that we all have to live together peacefully. We have heard that millions of black South Africans do not have proper houses. What has been done to help them. Close to 700,000 new houses have been built. These houses have been built for people who did not have a house before. And if you say that, for example, four people live in each house, then you can see how many people have been helped in the past few years.

We have heard that there has been a ‘crime explosion’ in South Africa — in the cities at least. Is this true in your opinion?
It is something that is happening. There are many reasons for it. One reason is that people are ‘free’ now — but they don’t have anything to put in their stomachs. There is also lots of unemployment here too. And another reason is our open borders. People from all over Africa can just come into the country. Many of them think that the streets here are ‘paved with gold’ — but it’s not like that. We hope that the crime problem will go away as the country changes and people have the chance to find work. And people have to learn to trust the police and work with them — the police do not have a good record in this country.

Do South Africans have a new sense of national identity now? A new sense of who they are?
I think so. When a national [sports] team goes out and plays you support it now because it is the national team. In the past you didn’t give a damn if the rugby team was going to play, or the cricket team or the soccer team.

Are things different now because sports teams are not just made up of whites?
It’s partly that, but the national cricket team is still 99.9 per cent white — yet people will cheer for them. The rugby team too is still 99.9 per cent white but people see it as the South African team, carrying the South African flag — so it belongs to them.

There have been many years of trouble and civil war. What has been done to help bring black and white South Africans together?
The Truth Committee has helped.

Could you tell us a little more about that committee?
The ‘Truth and Reconciliation Committee’ was set up help bring about reconciliation. It has brought many things that were hidden into the open. For example, people now know what happened to their family members who were killed or who ‘disappeared’ in the past. Not everyone is happy with this committee but people have found out where their loved ones were killed or where they are buried … you see reconciliation is not an ‘event’, it is a process. In other words, it’s not going to happen overnight, it will take a long time. But the most important thing is that people are not fighting as they did before.

When people heard the truth about the past did it not create a sense of revenge?
I don’t think so. It brought a lot of tears but people did not go out and look for revenge against whites.

How do you think Nelson Mandela will be remembered?
I think generations of people will remember him as a statesman. He’ll be remembered as the one who brought peace here. If he wasn’t around I don’t know what South Africa would be like today.

What will happen when Mandela steps down?
Well, he has already stepped down as leader of the ANC [African National Congress]. They have a new leader now. And as you know there will be an election in June to choose a new president of South Africa. But Mandela cannot be replaced’ — there is only one Nelson Mandela.

Herbert, Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us.
Thank you.