The Belfast Agreement was major step forward and the South African government wanted to applaud those who had achieved it, the ANC former chief negotiator, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, said in Belfast last night.
Mr Ramaphosa joined Sinn Fein leaders Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness in the Ulster Hall in Belfast to address several hundred republicans. He said it had not been easy to sit down "eyeball to eyeball" with people who hated black people and who were responsible for torture, murder and massacres.
"There were times when people thought it would be better to go back to the armed struggle. But even as they went through all these emotions and doubts, we knew that there was no alternative to negotiations."
Mr Ramaphosa said the ANC struggle was "completely different" to the situation in Northern Ireland, but there might well be similarities and lessons that could be learned.
In South Africa the visit to Ireland of the ANC delegation at Sinn Fein's invitation has drawn criticism from the National and Democratic Parties, Patrick Laurence writes from Johannesburg.
The parties question the ANC's judgment in accepting an invitation from just one of the parties to the Belfast Agreement. They fear it may give the ANC a distinctive political leaning which will jeopardise its hopes of playing a constructive role in the peace process.