The End of Apartheid and the Creation of the 'Rainbow Nation' - Topic 4.1 Flashcards
The reasons for the Townships Revolt
How did Botha attempt to win non-white politicians and leaders over?
- He attempted to draw Coloured and Indian politicians through the tricameral parliament
- He worked with leaders such as Allan Hendrickse of the Labour Party who were prepared to work within the system for now
- He gave greater responsibility and local power to black allies
- He offered new urban black councils
How did black South African communities viewed those who took up councillor positions?
Councillors were often seen as ‘sell-outs’ and among the politicised youth, they thought they were betraying their communities by doing the government’s dirty work.
How did the United Democratic Front help cause the Townships Revolt?
The UDF held a rally in one of Cape Town’s largely Coloured townships to represent the united nature of the new movement. The UDF incorporated many ex-ANC leaders and notable figures and had a large coalition of churches and black consciousness activists. The UDF adopted the Freedom Charter but was unsupported of armed struggle, resulting in increasing support. The UDF were vital in organising boycotts of the Coloured and Indian parliaments.
How did grassroots organisations help cause the Townships Revolt?
COSAS aligned with the UDF and became its largest national affiliate. COSAS then also canvassed for the movement in Transvaal townships. Church groups, trade unions, student organisations, community groups and residents associations all came unified under the UDF banner, all supportive of the Freedom Charter.
How did protest strategies shift to violence after 1984?
The Vaal Civic Association, a member of the UDF, led protests in the Vaal Triangle but lost control of the crowd and redrew, allowing angry youths to push the boundaries of legitimate protest. Councillors were killed in Sharpeville and Sebokeng. After this event, this type of violence became engrained in new forms of political protest, especially for the younger generation.
How did protest strategies shift towards students after 1984?
The Congress of South African Students (COSAS), along with newspapers, called for the release of Mandela and a renewed school boycott - ‘liberation before education’. COSAS was involved in organisation of protests with trade unions and stayaways.
How did the ANC help propogate violence in South Africa?
In 1985, the ANC called for a people’s war and performed more incursions with MK. Armed struggle was no longer restricted to sabotage. 137 MK attacks were recorded in 1985. Youths living in South Africa saw themselves as ‘comrades’ furthering armed struggle despite UDF measures to not call for such tactics. Popular mobilisation had largely left black consciousness behind and the American influence on thinking and strategy had dwindled.
How did Winnie Mandela help influence changes in protest?
She identified strongly with the new insurrectionary impulses of the comtsotsis (comrade youth gangs) and was accused of using necklacing on police informants, and the kidnapping, torture and murder of a 14-year-old boy. She echoed the call by Tambo for revolutionary violence and also the ANC commitment to armed struggle.
How did the government respond to the beginning of the Townships Revolt?
June 1985
Botha declared a state of emergency and sent the troops into the townships. Retaliation in the township of Alexandra in Joburg was particularly brutual. Another state of emergency was declared in the same month and resulted in the arrest of 25,000 people over the next year.
How did Inkatha develop their strategy during the Revolt?
Inkatha became increasingly hostile to radical protest policies. Chief Buthelezi suppressed school boycotts. Buthelezi aimed to build an alliance outside of the UDF or ANC that would protect regional identities and power and espouse free market values.
How did conflict in the homelands develop during the Revolt?
Conflicts between the Inkatha-linked vigilantes and Transkeians identifying with the UDF began in the mid-1980s. A local Zulu chief, south of Durban, resented the informal shack settlements on local lands. 4,000 were killed over three years of in-fighting.
Kaiser Matanzima in Transkei arrested opposition leaders in the 70s and gave himself almost unlimited powers and ordered show trials. However, Matanzima was ousted in a coup reversing many policies and was a major anti-apartheid event. The ANC and the PAC were unbanned in 1989 in Transkei.
