How Did Political Opposition Manifest Itself In South Africa?

Question 1

Trade union activity; importance of workers

Answer 1

BSA great majority of miners (extract ore for gold and uranium, coal to fuel power stations)
SA Congress of Trade Unions aligned with ANC

Question 2

Trade union activity in 70/80s

Answer 2

Significant issue
1972 PUTCO BSA strike
1973 Zulu speaking migrant workers in Durban Brick Factory strike
Spread to 150 others and include Indian female workers in textiles

Question 3

New trade unions

Answer 3

Issue of working conditions and wages, specific sectors
Fattis and Morris: 1979 union recognition and higher wages, coloured women and African men through Food and Canning Union, activists went into supermarkets and dumped pasta at checkouts and townships stopped selling

Question 4

FOSATU

Answer 4

Federation of SA TRADE

Formed and established strong identity as a non racial organisation

Question 5

Re emergence of the ANC

Answer 5

Many still committed eg Winnie Mandela: aimed to influence new generation of SA: COSAS
COSAS involved in Freedom Charter (emergence of Charterism)
Wilson Rowntree strike @ East London openly declared as charterist

Question 6

Liberal opposition

Answer 6

Largely white activists, middle class, highly educated- founded 1953 Liberal Party
1959 Separate Progressive Party set up by liberal MPs- committed to working in a whites only parliament but advocated restricted, qualified franchise for BSA

Question 7

Economic liberals belief of SA economy

Answer 7

Believed SA state intervened too much in protecting WSA jobs and thus restricted economic development

Question 8

Progressive Party

Answer 8

1978 new Progressive Party became main opposition
Helen Suzman: one of the founding members of the Progressive party- used position to highlight corruption j Gov’t and improve conditions for political prisoners- breaches of HE and police violence

Question 9

IDAF

Answer 9

Worked with Tambo
International Defence and Aid Fund
Paid for opponents of apartheid lawyers
Gave £ to families with imprisoned

Question 10

Sporting boycotts significance

Answer 10

Began to really impact SA

Following Basil D’Oliveria crisis, the issue of race and politics in sport took shape in new ‘Stop the Seventy Tour’

Question 11

‘Stop the Seventy Tour’ and ‘Halt All Racist Tours movt’

Answer 11

Disrupted tour
‘70 cricket tour cancelled and SA expelled
Halt all racist movt campaigned against visit of W whites only SA rugby team
SAs 1981 tour to NZ triggered widespread protest- cricket and rugby boycotts upset WSA
Denis Brutus major sports campaigner
Tin tacks thrown on pitch

Question 12

British Boycotts

Answer 12

Boycott goods

Disinvestment such as Barclays

Question 13

1970 British Economic Boycotts

Answer 13

Conservative govt initially withdrew from UN arms embargo of 1964

Question 14

‘C Engagement’

Answer 14

Constructive Engagement
Overseas investor should improve own employment and influence SA to improve wages/ conditions for black workers
Believe ec growth would reveal weakness of apartheid
As demand for workers expanded, controlling urbanisation would be inc difficult

Question 15

‘Sys disinvestment’

Answer 15

AAM believed in systematic disinvestment; comprehensive sanctions and international protest
Argued that continued economic engagement enabled foreign companies to make large profits on the backs of cheap black workers

Question 16

UN action

Answer 16

UN first condemn SA in 1952 and propose economic sanctions in 1962
Britain, USA, Germany and Japan had most trade but didn’t want to impose sanctions
SA had diamonds and gold, rare minerals for modern industry