THE COMING OF DEMOCRACY
IN SOUTH AFRICA
• Secret negotiations with the ANC-in exile
• Growing pressure to release Nelson Mandela
• PW Botha offered release to Mandela certain condition:
•
•
•
Nelson Mandela - to reject armed
struggle
Mandela refused offer
 PW Botha met Mandela for first time -1989-Justice
Minister, Kobie Coetzee, described the meeting as a
”courtesy meeting”
 Positive sighn-possibility of negotiations between ANC
and the NP
 Discussions were at the same time between ANC - in
exile and prominent white businessmen of SA
N E G OT I AT I O N S
WITH MANDELA
(1989-1991)
 Anglo American CEO Gavin Relly met with ANC
members in Lusaka-1985
 1987 –Frederick van Zyl Slabbert led a delegation of 52
Afrikaans-speaking South Africans to meet with ANC in
Dakar
 PW Botha had a stroke in 1989, decided to stand down
as leader -De Klerk was elected as leader of the NP
1989-1991 : UNBANNING OF
O R G A N I S AT I O N S A N D R E L A E A S E
OF POLITICAL PRISONERS
• Dramatic speech – 2 February 1990
• De Klerk announced:
• Unbanning of political parties (ANC, PAC
and SACP)
• Release of some political prisoners
• Intention of government to enter
negotiations with ANC
11 FEBRUARY
1990:
MANDELA WAS
RELEASED
FROM VICTOR
VERSTER
PRISON
The NP decision to enter negotiations with
the ANC
 NP lost many supporters-to the Conservative
Party
 Conservative Party was against NP’s decision to
enter negotiations with ANC
DEBATES AROUND
NEGOTIATIONS
ANC decision to enter negotiations with the
NP
 not all members welcomed decision
 For many ANC members the thought of
negotiating with the enemy was not an option
 Chris Hani radical ANC Leader (leader of
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) -was against
negotiations
 Questioned the government’s commitment to
negotiations
‘TALKS ABOUT TALKS”
 Government and ANC hold meetings –discussed how negotiations would go ahead
 This period (Feb 1990-Nov 1991) – period known as “Talks about Talks”
 Compromise on both sides.
 Sebokeng killings: Police opened fire on protestors-killing 14 people
 Protest was against high rents and racially segregated local facilities
 First set of talks between NP and ANC (11 April 1990 ) were cancelled
 -ANC withdrew from meeting because of the violence in Sebokeng
• NP and ANC met at the president’s residence in Groote Schuur-Cape
Town
• Discussed challenges of negotiations
• Wanted to keep good communication channels- between ANC and NP
• Both parties commit themselves to peaceful negotiations
• This agreement became known as the Groote Schuur Minute
• Pretoria Minute: (August 1990)
Further talks were held on 6 August -The Pretoria minute was signed
• Government announced: Government end the state of emergency
• Release more political prisoners ;Allow return of political exiles to SA
• ANC- suspended armed struggle
GROOTE
SCHUUR
MINUTE:
(MAY 1990)
D E B AT E S ARO UN D N E G OT IAT IONS :
CODESA 1:
 Representatives of 19 political parties met December 1991
 Formed the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA)
 PAC and CP did not attend
 Meetings at World Trade Centre in Kempton Park
 Discussed issues: new Constitution and power sharing (interim government)
 It was agreed that an interim constitution would be drawn up by representatives from a variety of political
parties
 Delegates of CODESA 1 signed- Declaration of Intent :
 -Outlined the aims of negotiations
 -peaceful, fair and free elections
“WHITES ONLY’ REFERENDUM
De Klerk was
concerned –loss of
NP supporters
NP lost three byelections to
Conservative party
De Klerk decided to
hold a referendum –
white voters
Question: Should
government continue
negotiations with
ANC?
68% of white voters
in favour of
negotiations
De Klerk continued
with the negotiations
 May 1992 talks resumed at CODESA 11
 Talks stalled – failure to reach consensus
on an interim government
 Adding to the tension at the talks was
the government’s insistence that the
ANC disband the MK and that
members hand over their weapons to
security forces
CODESA 2
 June 1992 – Boipatong massacre-46
people were killed
 The suspected perpetrators were IFP
hostel dwellers
 ANC walked out of the negotiation
process- because of government’s
involvement in causing violence against
ANC members .
 Breakdown of negotiations-The ANC
took to the streets with a program of
‘rolling mass action’.
RECORD OF UNDERSTANDING
 Major crisis of 1990’s: violence that threatened to spiral out of control
 Cyril Ramaphosa (ANC) and Roelf Meyer (NP)-important role players
 Continue to meet to keep negotiations going
 ANC and NP: 26 September 1992 –signed Record of Understanding-Shows commitment of NP and ANC
 NP agreed: -to ban the carrying of traditional weapons ;erect fences around migrant hostels;-release more
political prisoners
 ANC: agreed that all parties that received 5% or more in the elections would be part of this Government
of National Unity (GNU)
 Joe Slovo proposed the Government of National Unity-this proposal was known as the “Sunset Clause”
MURDER OF CHRIS HANI AND THE
I M PAC T O N T H E N E G OT I AT I O N
P RO C E S S
 10 April 1993: Chris Hani Secretary of SACP was assassinated
 Popular and charismatic Chief of Staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe
 Shock, horror and unrest sparked through South Africa- more than 70
people lost their lives
 Archbishop Desmond Tutu described the time after Hani’s death as
“one of the most scary moments in our country’s history”
 Mandela addressed the nation on television on 13 April 1993 - appealed
for calm
 Final turning point: renewed vigour in negotiations
 Representatives of various parties resumed discussions
 Multi-party Negotiation Forum – election date-27 April 1994
ON G O IN G V I O L E NCE -AT TE M PTS TO D E R AI L
NEG OTIATIONS
1992-1994: Ongoing violence

In KwaZulu Natal and Witwatersrand

Between ANC and IFP supporters

The AWB and the PAC’s armed wing (APLA) attempted to disrupt the negotiations
through violence

Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) –leader Eugene ‘Terra’Blanche
 25 June the AWB , led by Eugene ‘Terra’Blanche, launched an attack on the World Trade Centre in Kempton Park

Drove the armoured vehicle into reception area of the building

Took delegates of the Multi-Party Negotiation Forum hostage

AWB failed to end the negotiations
Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA):
 26 July 1993- APLA attacked the St. James
Church in Kenilworth, Cape Town
 Using grenades and AK-47s
VIOLENCE
 11 members of Congregation were killed, 58
wounded
• Known as the St James Massacre
• Heidelberg Tavern Massacre
 An attack on the Heidelberg Tavern - Observatory,
Cape Town - December 1993
 4 people were killed
FINAL ROAD TO DEMOCRACY-1994
Fall of Lucas Mangope, Oupa Gqozo and Bophuthatswana shootings
 March 1994 AWB members went to the assistance of Bophuthatswana leader, Lucas Mangope
 Mangope was against Bophuthatswana’s reincorporation into SA
 Mangope’s own army had risen against him
 AWB were unsuccessful and Mangope was deposed as leader of Bophuthatswana
 Oupa Gqozo, leader of Ciskei, seeing Mangope’s removal from power, resigned a few days later
Inkatha Freedom Party march to Shell House
 20000 IFP supporters-march to ANC ‘s headquarters
 ANC security opened fire-killing 19
 Many South Africans did not believe peaceful elections would be possible
THE CONSTITUTION AND THE BILL
OF RIGHTS
 After months of tense negotiations – Interim Constitution was approved in December 1993
 The Interim Constitution allowed considerable powers the provinces
 The Interim Constitution was approved by the Constitutional Assembly in May 1996
 Constitutional Court shocked South Africa by rejecting the new Constitution -8 clauses clashed with the
constitutional principles
 The new Constitution was sent back to the Constitutional Assembly
 0n 4 December 1996 -new constitution was approved -objections from DP, IFP and other parties were
dismissed
 Nelson Mandele signed the Constitution of South Africa - 10 December 1996 in Sharpeville
 New constitution came into force on 4 February 1997 –took 5 years -500 people were involved
 One of the most important parts of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights
March 1994- IFP and Freedom Front –it appeared both
parties would not contest in the elections
Mr Mandela met with both leaders
Freedom Front agreed to participate
4 days before election: IFP decided to take part
Stickers bearing the IFP logo and Buthelezi’s photograph
had to be added to over 40 million ballot papers
Elections began on 27 April 1994-three days
20 million people voted
27 April is now celebrated as “Freedom Day”
GOVERNMENT OF
NATIONAL UNITY
• Formed on 10 May 1994-in spirit of reconciliation
• Political parties work together – stability
• Nelson Mandela: first black president
• Thabo Mbeki -First Deputy President
• F.W. de Klerk : Second Deputy President