Lensak – Overview

Following FW de Klerk’s February 2, 1990 speech, the speed and consequences of political events, and the dire threats to the dawn of a South African democratic transition, it became necessary to adapt my cartoon style to try to interact with rapidly evolving circumstances.

I decided that the formula best suited to my role as an editorial cartoonist would be to literally illustrate important facets of editorial column statements and opinions whenever possible.

The utter urgency of giving additional stress and impact to critical editorial statements and views on vital issues made this technique, I believe, more appropriate and decidedly preferable to seeking “clever”, entertaining, cartoon metaphors and interpretations.

While reaching out to a vast daily readership, I hoped to also be sending important, inescapably strong messages to government and business leaders in support of the speediest possible moves into the new South African democratic society.

Happily, Sowetan editor-in-chief, Aggrey Klaaste, maintained the same tolerant policy as his predecessors and accorded me complete autonomy in my work for the paper.

And so, the accompanying cartoons are a very personal selection from the working day during that epic time in our history.