Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"In the years that Nelson Mandela spent in prison on Robben Island, South Africa became a fortress of white power and prosperity. . . . Though prosperous, white society under National Party rule became increasingly insular and inbred, isolated from the views and lifestyle of the modern world as well as from the majority of the population. . . . A new generation of white South Africans disliked being treated as pariahs by the rest of the world, subjected to sports boycotts, travel bans, trade sanctions and hostile comments. . . . De Klerk took the plunge. In a calm, confident manner in parliament in Cape Town on 2 February 1990, he announced that he was lifting the ban on the ANC and releasing Mandela. ‘It is time for us to break out of the cycle of violence and break through to peace and reconciliation,’ . . . [Mandela's] generosity of spirit also had a profound impact on his white adversaries, earning him measures of trust and confidence that laid the foundations for a political settlement. . . . ‘This is for all South Africans an unforgettable occasion,’ he said. ‘We are moving from an era of resistance, division, oppression, turmoil and conflict and starting a new era of hope, reconciliation and nation-building.’" [The Fate of Africa, p. 412-40]