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Summary SA as a Democracy
This summary provides a bullet-pointed and in-depth timeline of events which resulted in the formation of SA as a democracy after Apartheid
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Chloë van Beukering Grade 12 History SyllabusSA as a Democracy
Pressure on the Apartheid State
- By the end of the 80s, South Africa was in a crisis due to intense resistance and the state was
using increasing force as a means of keeping whites in power
- The economic crisis intensified the resistance and increased the pressure on the government
- Together they were effective in putting a reformist leader in charge of the National Party (de
Klerk) and putting South Africa on a course towards democracy
- Reformers inside South Africa joined forces with overseas organisations to put pressure on the
government for change
- Business and professional delegations met with ANC leaders in Africa and Europe
- A “Release Mandela” campaign was launched both at home and overseas
- Afrikaans businessmen and academics were also calling for the scrapping of Apartheid
- The UN described Apartheid as “a crime against humanity”
- Had called on its members to apply sanctions against SA
- Sanctions and boycotts played an important role in the ending of Apartheid
- The NP was under intense pressure from the international community for reform
- After Botha failed to promise meaningful reform in his “Crossing the Rubicon speech” of
1985, choosing instead a defiant isolationist position, a financial crisis began
- In 1985 the Chase Manhattan Bank refused to lend any more money to South Africa
- Other major banks followed suit
- This caused the Rand to collapse and the temporary closure of the Johannesburg stock
exchange
- International companies continued to withdraw investments from the country
- e.g. British Barclays
- Companies such as IBM, Kodak and Pepsi shut down their SA production
- This aggravated the economic crisis
- In 1985 the Commonwealth Accord recommended sanctions against SA (e.g. sale and export
of oil) and the following year more sanctions were suggested
- In 1986, the European Economic Community (ECC) — a precursor to the EU — imposed
financial sanctions against SA with bans on investment and loans
- The USA passed an anti-Apartheid Act to encourage US firms to take money out of SA
- US Congress banned all new investments and loans to SA and restricted the importing of SA
products
- SAA planes were not allowed to fly to the USA or Australia
- A seven member group from Commonwealth countries (The Eminent Persons Group) was sent
to SA in 1985 and issued a report outlining the need for reform in SA
- Also called for increased sanctions after Botha allowed fresh raids into Zambia, Botswana and
Zimbabwe
- Black unemployment in the townships doubled, causing more unrest in the country
- A severe drought led to poor maize harvests, forcing the state to come to the assistance of
farmers and leaving the state with huge debt
- The price of food increased
- A drop in the gold price at the start of the world-wide recession led to a reduced economic
growth rate in the country
- South Africa’s growth rate was among the worst in the world in 1987, and the inflation rate
was the 3rd highest among the industrialised nations
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, Chloë van Beukering Grade 12 History Syllabus
- The government’s foreign debt increased from 20% to 46% and became dependent on loans to
pay off old debts
- Within the southern African regions, various governments formed the Southern African
Development Co-ordinating Committee (SADCC) and these states provided a base for the
armed struggle
Effect of Sanctions
- The issue of sanctions divided South Africans, both black and white
- ANC, the Anglican Church and COSATU supported it
- Businesses, most white South Africans and Inkatha didn’t support it
- The issue brought out extremism on both sides of the political spectrum
- The poorest, the blacks, were the hardest hit in the wake of unemployment and the economic
depression in SA, and in the increasing levels of violent unrest that this would cause
- However, many argued that this was a price worth paying for freedom and the fall of the
Apartheid government (which would hopefully follow the collapse of the economy)
- Sanctions hit South Africa at a very vulnerable moment
- Historians have argued that the worst problems SA faced were not keeping the lid on the
struggle, but rather in keeping the economy stable
- The economy needed to grow at a rate of 5% per year in order to meet its debts
- This was impossible with the massive sanctions and disinvestments
- The sports boycott and the Gleneagles Agreement (which banned SA from sport with
Commonwealth countries) caused concern in South Africa
- The cultural boycott also affected the country
- e.g. the British Actors Union, Equity, wouldn’t allow its members to perform in SA
Political Pressures
- The UDF, COSATU and various civic organisations inside South Africa mounted a massive,
organised and effective resistance campaign against the Apartheid state in the 80s, forcing the
government onto the back foot of repression
- Thus, South Africa had become a police state which caused even more criticism and
opposition
- The State of Emergency, in response to the Township Uprising of 1984 saw the state using
excessive force and brutality against people
- The media was also silenced
- Many organisations such as the NECC and the ECC were banned and many UDF members
were arrested and charged with treason
- These repressive measures increased internal resistance and international opposition
- Thus, the ANC in exile had become more organised and had intensified their armed struggle
against the state
- MK launched high profile attacks on targets such as the Koeberg nuclear station in Cape Town
and the Durban dockyards
- By the late 80s MK had bases all over SA and had stepped up its attacks on police and
government offices
- Under the leadership of prominent individuals such as Mbeki, Tambo and Slovo, the ANC in
exile (in Lusaka, Zambia) had also gained the respect of the international community, as well as
many SA political and business leaders, who were applying pressure on the SA government
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