Revealed:
Cameron's freebie to apartheid South Africa
Tory leader admitted his party had got it wrong over sanctions when he later visited Mandela
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Independent Minds
David Cameron accepted an all-expenses paid trip to apartheid South Africa while Nelson Mandela was still in prison, an updated biography of the Tory leader reveals today.
The trip by Mr Cameron in 1989, when he was a rising star of the Conservative Research Department, was a chance for him to "see for himself" and was funded by a firm that lobbied against the imposition of sanctions on the apartheid regime.
Critics described it as a "sanctions-busting jolly" that raised questions about the character of the man who, after a week when the Government's credibility on the economy hit a new low, is now on course to be prime minister in a little more than a year's time.
Mr Cameron will portray himself as prime minister-in-waiting today when he addresses his party's spring conference in Cheltenham with a promise to introduce a "government of thrift".
The trip is revealed for the first time in a newly updated edition of Cameron: The Rise of the New Conservative, by James Hanning, the deputy editor of The Independent on Sunday, and Francis Elliott, the deputy political editor of The Times.
Mr Cameron's office insisted the visit by the 23-year-old future leader was a "fact-finding mission" that took place 20 years ago, and the Thatcher government was opposed to sanctions against South Africa at the time.
He met union leaders and black opposition politicians, including the head of the left-wing Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) during the trip, a spokesman said. The trip was organised and funded by Strategy Network International (SNI), created in 1985 specifically to lobby against the imposition of sanctions on South Africa.
Yet when asked by the authors if Mr Cameron wrote a memo or had to report back to the office about his trip, Alistair Cooke – in 1989 his boss at Central Office – said it was "simply a jolly", adding: "It was all terribly relaxed, just a little treat, a perk of the job. The Botha regime was attempting to make itself look less horrible, but I don't regard it as having been of the faintest political consequence."
In 2006, shortly after becoming Tory leader, Mr Cameron tried to make amends for his party's record on South Africa by visiting Nelson Mandela, by then President, at the same time as suggesting the party's policy from the 1980s was from another era that he did not belong to. He said at the time: "The mistakes my party made in the past with respect to relations with the African National Congress and sanctions on South Africa make it all the more important to listen now.
"The fact that there is so much to celebrate in the new South Africa is not in spite of Mandela and the ANC; it is because of them – and we Conservatives should say so clearly today."
But what was not known, and which sheds new light on the 2006 meeting with Mr Mandela, was that Mr Cameron himself paid an official visit to the country under the apartheid regime. Civil servants and advisers were told not to go on such trips, the book reveals.
Peter Hain, the former Cabinet minister and prominent anti-apartheid campaigner, said last night: "David Cameron asks us to judge a leader's character – well, Gordon Brown at this time was active in the anti-apartheid movement, while Cameron was enjoying a sanctions-busting jolly. That is a measure of character.
"This just exposes his hypocrisy because he has tried to present himself as a progressive Conservative, but just on the eve of the apartheid downfall, and Nelson Mandela's release from prison, when negotiations were taking place about a transfer of power, here he was being wined and dined on a sanctions-busting visit.
"This is the real Conservative Party, shown by the fact that his colleagues who used to wear 'Hang Nelson Mandela' badges at university are now sitting on the benches around him. Their leader at the time Margaret Thatcher described Mandela as a terrorist."
A spokeswoman for Mr Cameron said: "Yes, he did go to South Africa. He met with anti-apartheid campaigners, he met opposition politicians when he was out there, including Zeth Mothopeng, the head of the PAC.
"It was a fact-finding mission that happened 20 years ago. He met union leaders and was shown around mines. The position of the Conservative Party at that time was against sanctions."
The trip was offered to the Conservative Research Department by Derek Laud, who was employed by SNI and was later a Big Brother contestant.
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Comments
A feeble attempt to reduce Mr Cameron's huge lead over the loser, Brown
And as for Cameron; anyone who went to South Africa in 1989 should be forced publicly to atone and be driven from public life. As Mr Hain ( a future Prime Minister methinks!) so rightly says; this is a measure of character.
Many thanks to the Independent for exposing this hypocrisy.
does anybody really think that ALL those planes flew from ascension island non stop and arrived back on the smell of an oily rag with empty tanks? or did they refuel elsewhere? chile of course was mooted as a key supporter, but where else?
the planes of course could have flown from p************** air force base to and from stanley no problem.
not that thatcher has made a big song and dance about this. but if it happened... then it helped.
P.S. I am no Conservative lover; I despise all political parties and their leaders in equal measure.!
"The News of the World 'hasn't done a single good thing''!
He is also co-author of the first biography of David Cameron.
How interesting that the most interesting item he can come up with after his considerable research for the book is a a research trip made by a researcher twenty years ago!
Have any UK MP's ever accepted any trips to visit Israel as 'research' where their expenses were paid by a third part?
Jane Merrick is not a guest columnist but Political editor of 'the Independent', so you are correct in expecting more than an article like this, especially at such an important time for UK politics!
And yes, co-authoring an article with someone who wrote a biography of David Cameron will not help the circulation of this paper!
I don't think much of Labour, but that doesn't mean that my enemy's enemy is my friend. Cameron is bad news and apparently lacks moral principles. You don't suddenly grow these in mid adulthood. They are either there at the start or they are not. All the rest is just an acquired patina of respectability.
CAMERON FANS: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Hang on a minute, is he Jewish? That'd really send the Lefties on here into foaming mouth orbit.
Is this really the best they can do ?
PATHETIC !
I am truly shocked if this is the best the Independent can come up with. Even more shocked if you think the nation has shuddered over its morning coffee at such a shoddy attempt to discredit a party leader at a time when we are heading to hell in a hand cart.
Get a grip!
23-years old, how disgraceful of him. At that age he should have had mature judgement.
By the way, sanctions did not work against the Nationalist government. Many great fortunes were made during that period, many South African sportsman made their living abroad - even captaining England at cricket. South Africa sold arms and fighter planes to other countries and imported oil from Iraq. In addition they perfected oil-from-coal technology which this country may have to resort to one day.
Employment ratio was about double what it is today amongst black people.
None of that excuses apartheid - just making a factual comment.
Next, can we have an article about all the free holidays that Blair enjoyed - and from whom.
The "exclusive" headline labels Cameron a rascist. Brilliant Damien, bound to sell a few papers. Obviously the result of some first class investigative reporting. After all it has taken 20 years to winkle out and bring to the British Public's attention this disgraceful episode in a potential Prime Minister's previous career.
What a scoop! This paper's determination to publish the lurid details of Cameron's disgusting activities at the earliest opportunity is an example to Worlwide journalism. Credit must be laid at the Sub-editor's door, James Hanning, for fearlessly, and immediatly, publishing the details as soon as they became known to this icon, The Independent on Sunday.
After all, Cameron was 23 at the time and should have known a lot better. With 20 years hindsight we are now able to see exactly what he was at the time. Contrast his actions with those of Peter Hain, quoted in the article, who at the time of the S.A. visit had already been convicted of criminal conspiracy.
Of course the I.o.S might never have learnt the truth were it not for a new edtion of "Cameron: The Rise of the New Conservative". The facts might never have come to the attention of the MSM were it not for the bravery of the publisher in issuing the book and the co-authours. It is to the latter, who would normally not have any facility to "get this stuff into the public domain" that we must be most grateful. They are Francis Elliott, the deputy political editor of The Times, and wait for it- James Hanning, the deputy editor of The Independent on Sunday.
Brilliant, Damien, should sell a few books.
That the facts have only emerged now is testimony to the tireless work of the I.o.S. staff in uncovering real news for real hardworking families in Britain, and has nothing to do with royalties whatsoever.
The Independent on Sunday. What a poxy rag.
The same story unfolded in chinaware, white goods, all forms of linen & clothing.
There was also strong evidence that the black community were not as downtrodden as presented by European supporters of the ANC. There were black owned and operated department stores and the Durban Police force was over 60% black manned.
The 20,000 refugees camping on the beach lawns were fed and comforted by both white and coloured ( mostly Indian ) people but were harassed by the ANC activists. In just one month more than 600 people were murdered in political actions bt the ANC & it's dominated / controlled marxist trade unions. The Zulu activists frequently retaliated in kind and battles ( the taxi wars ) between machine gun toting bus drivers of both sides accounted for most of the deaths with burning tyres applied by union activists.
Mr DeClerk made a long speech indicating the route by which his government would step down and whilst mentioning that Mandela remained in "prison" by his own choice ( his cell was open on a permenant basis and he could have departed at anytime but it was not convenient), but more importantly admitting to having Nuclear weapons which would not be available to their successors. The world should be ever gratefully for this foresight!
I just hope that the Socialists are proud of their record in Africa.