Dismantling Apartheid 1990-94

Question 1

How did de Klerk reform apartheid

Answer 1

• Became president after P.W. Botha had a stroke in 1989
• Announced the legalisation of the ANC, PAC and the SACP and the release of hundreds of political prisoners, including Mandela and Sisulu
• Went further and declared his readiness to work with all the political group to create a new constitution that would give equal rights to every SAn
• Began taking down apartheid laws: pass laws, population registration act and the group areas act

Question 2

Why did de Klerk reform apartheid

Answer 2

• Under massive international pressure, by this time South Africa was globally isolated with sanctions, banned trade, and ended investment placed on it
• Inside South Africa resistance was uncontrollable, with mass protests, strikes, and school boycotts, apartheid became too expensive and violent to maintain
• Apartheid system drained money, the army, policing and education was expensive and skilled jobs were needed but apartheid denied education to black Americans
• Government realised it couldn’t defeat the resistance and De Klerk saw that negotiation was the only option

Question 3

Impact of De Klerk’s reforms

Answer 3

• Allowed negotiations to begin after unbanning liberation movements, ANC, PAC
• Release of Nelson Mandela became a symbol of change and hope for many South Africans
• Start of the end with the abolition of apartheid laws
• Violence and instability as some saw reforms as too slow and SA was on the brink of a civil war
• Allowed CODESA to start
• Opened the door to democracy as he agreed to a multiracial election

Question 4

Importance of individuals in the end of apartheid

Answer 4

• F.W. De Klerk - started the abolition of the apartheid regime
• Nelson Mandela - ANC leader and a symbol of resistance
• Chris Hani - Leader of the SACP and chief of staff of MK, very popular with the youth and later assassinated
• Joe Slovo - General Secretary of the SACP, founding commander of MK, encourage the ANC to stay at the table and promoted peaceful negotiations, proposed the ‘sunset clause’ where after the first election every racial group would still have political power, de Klerk became vice president. GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY (GNU) IMPORTANT
• Cyril Ramphosa - Head of ANC negotiating team
• Roelf Meyer - Head of NP negotiating team, good relationship with Ramphosa

Question 5

CODESA - Convention for a Democratic South Africa

Answer 5

• Negotiating meeting where ANC would try to get democratic rights to all citizens
• National Party wanted to give political power to other races but whites to remain in control whilst the ANC wanted a one-man on-vote democracy

Question 6

Violence during CODESA

Answer 6

• Civil war seemed nigh
• Zulu group killed 39 and seemed to be directed by white police, when de Klerk paid a sympathy visit he was faced with an angry crowned and in confrontation between the crowd and the police 3 were shot and killed by police
• Chris Hani was assassinated, hero of the young people for anti-apartheid , took all of Mandela’s authority to prevent major unrest

Question 7

Election of 1994

Answer 7

• ANC won with F.W. De Klerk as deputy president of South Africa in the Government of National Unity (GNU)
• 19 million South Africans voted, 91% of registered voters
• ANC overwhelmingly won apart from one area
• ANC failed to get 66% of the vote needed to change the temporary power sharing constitution