CHAPTER THIRTEEN: REACTION AGAINST APARTHEID
Well as some Africans e.g. the Inkhatha freedom party co- operated with the apartheid regime, the majority resisted.
Those who resisted include the ANC leaders e.g. Albert Lithulu, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu etc.
The Pan Africa Congress under Robert Sobukwe also resisted just as the others led by Clement Kadalie also resisted.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC)
Ref. Qns:
(a) Describe the activities of ANC from 1930- 1962.
(b) How did ANC respond to apartheid between 193O- 1962?
(c) What were the achievements of the ANC in that period?
(d) What were the problems faced by ANC in the same period?
1. ANC was the largest and best known national movement in South Africa.
2. It was formed in 1912 as the South Africa Native Congress.
3. Later in 1935 it was re-named African Nation Congress.
4. Dr. Xuma was the first known elected president of A.N.C in
1940.
AIMS OF A.N.C.
1. It was formed to encourage mutual understanding among various sections of people in South Africa. among the Africans, coloreds and whites.
2. It aimed at defending the liberties and freedom of all those oppressed by Apartheid.
3. It aimed at upholding and defending the human rights of all South Africans from-'the violation of whites, e.g. Africans were being forced to move "with passes.
4. It was formed to act as one voice against the oppression of whites.
5. It was to fight for the independence of South Africa under the majority rule.
6. It was to fight the economic slavery of the Africans by raising their standards o, living.
7. It was to destroy the political monopoly of the whites Nationalist Party by involving blacks in the politics of South Africa.
8. In 1955, A.N.C allied with Indians, coloreds and some liberal whites to form the congress alliance which later adopted the freedom charter.
9. It wanted to destroy apartheid that had made Africans second rate citizens in South Africa.
Activities of A.N.C
1. By 1950, Nelson Mandela, Albert Luthuli and Robert Sobukwe had joined A.N.C leadership making it is very strong
2. Dr. Xuraa however had already injected a lot of strength into A.N.C struggle against apartheid.
3. In 1943, the youth league was formed and injected a lot of violence into A.N.C to replace words (Action not words)
4. A.N.C got more funds from donors and increased on her activities against apartheid from 1940.
5. In 1941; T.B Merks formed the mineworkers, union under A.N.C to fight for the workers, rights.
6. From 1941 the workers staged strikes which were harshly put down by the whites. This however united the African workers further
7. The youth league also strongly resisted the apartheid laws.
8. A.N.C showed the whole world that apartheid couldn't be changed constitutionally since the whites were violent.
9. A.N.C also went on a nation wide mobilisation tour against apartheid
10. In 1945 A.N.C joined with the Indian Congress to strengthen its appeal.
11. In 1955 A.N.C and the others adopted the freedom charter.
12. In 1952 A.N.C organised defiance campaigns against the apartheid regime.
13. In 1960 A.N.C organised a peaceful demonstration against pass laws.
14. A.N.C also fought for recognition form O.A.U leading to support from many African governments especially in the training of guerilla fighters.
15. It also campaigned in other international agencies e.g. UNO for support against apartheid.
16. U.N.O and O.A.U were later persuade to support A N.C by putting a lot of pressure on the whites t3 liberalize their hard stance against Africans.
17. A.N.C also managed to get arms and training facilities from Africans and Europeans.
18. Umkonto We sizwe, the spear of the Nation acted as the Military organ of A.N.C and carried out bombing and military sabotage.
19. Later A.N.C encouraged O.A.U to put an economic embargo on the whites in South Africa
20. A.N.C later spear headed attempts to reform the party into a capitalist organisation to attract the support from the West.
21. It also campaigned for the release of political prisoners e.g. Mandela
22. Because of A.N.C pressure, the international world finally prevailed on the whites and in 1994 South Africa got independence
Problems Faced By A.N.C before 1990.
1. A.N.C lacked proper funding since the majority of .the Africans were very poor.
2. Some African governments e.g. Malawi and Zaire refused to support them.
3. Many people ,were killed whenever they rebelled against the racist policies.
4. A.N.C leaders were arrested and imprisoned e.g. Luthuli.
5. Some A.N.C leaders e.g. Oliva Thambo were forced into exile.
6. It was mainly dormant before 1945 because the majority feared the reaction of the whites.
7. They lacked strong leaders especially before 1945
8. They lacked grassroots support before 1945 because of the general fear among the illiterate Africans.
9. Africans were not all united behind A.N.C as some supported INKATHA freedom party
10. Tribalism always came up championed by the Zulu.
11. The military wing lacked enough strength due to lack of support.
12. In many cases they were restricted from operating by the whites.
13. Some western countries e.g. USA and Canada supported the whites.
14. Disunity among the A.N.C leadership e.g. the youth against the old, peace against violence etc.
Role Played by
(a) OAU,
(b) Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu.
(c) Steve Biko,
(d) Giovani Mbeki,
e) Nelson Mandela,
(f) Clement Kadalie,
(g) Robert Sobukwe and
(h) Albert Luthuli
(a) What was the policy of OAU against South Africa.
(b) How did O.A.U fight the Apartheid policy.
1. O.A.U was formed on 25-05-1963 at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
2. It pressurized western powers that were selling arms to South Africa to stop.
3. O.A.U tried to weaken the military strength of South Africa by supporting rebels against her regime.
4. It also opposed the participation of African sportsmen & women in competitions with countries with sporting links with South Africa.
5. O.A.U. formed a committee of liberation based in Tanzania whose duty was also to liberate South Africa from apartheid.
6. It also issued the Mogadishu declaration (1971) and the Dar es Salaam declaration of 1975 aimed at ending racism in South Africa.
7. O.A.U opposed dialogue with South Africa and the Bantustans set up to fool the world that South Africa was free.
8. Member states of O.A.U were freely encouraged to accept A.N.C guerillas to train in their territories e.g. Uganda and Libya.
9. O.A.U pressure led South Africa to improve some conditions in South Africa for Africans and even improved on her relationship with some African countries.
10. It maintained the diplomatic isolation of South Africa.
11. Members voiced their anti apartheid feelings in International 5 Fora which also produced positive results.
12. 24 member countries in 1976 boycotted the Olympics in Newzealand because South Africa was to participate.
13. Member countries contributed a certain percentage of their G.D.P i.e, 0.4 % towards the Liberation committee.
14. Some African countries like Tanzania and Zambia contributed soldiers and money towards fighting Apartheid.
15. O.A.U leaders like Nyerere and Kaunda got diplomatic help of kicking South Africa out of the common wealth in 1960.
Nyerere
16. O.A.U supported the imposition of economic sanctions on South Africa.
17. O.A.U advised and thus prevented member countries from dealing with South Africa
18. All the above thus showed that O.A.U secretariat strongly condemned apartheid.
APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA
Resistance and the Demise Of Minority Rule
1. Black political groups, sometimes supported by small numbers of sympathetic whites, opposed apartheid using a variety of tactics. Antiapartheid groups such as the African National Congress (ANC), Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), and the United Democratic Front relied on tactics such as strikes, demonstrations, sabotage, and other forms of violence. Resistance often resulted in severe reprisals by the government. One, which is still remembered, took place at Sharpville.
2. The international community denounced apartheid. In 1961 South Africa was forced to withdraw from the British Commonwealth by member states that were critical of the apartheid system.
3. In 1974 South Africa was expelled from the United Nations General Assembly, and in 1977 the United Nations imposed an arms embargo on South Africa. In the late 1970s many countries began imposing their own sanctions against the apartheid regime.
4. In 1985 the widespread international sanctions campaign culminated with severe new sanctions imposed by the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom. Perhaps without these international influence apartheid would be there up to date.
5. The use of diplomacy. This involved sending African representatives to London and the United Nations General Assembly to protest against the racist laws.
6. The use of Ghandism. Between 1948-1960, Africans mainly applied peaceful methods to weaken apartheid.
7. Trade Union pressure. Most of the industrial strikes were organised by the COSATU.
8. The formation of political parties. These included the ANC and later the PAC.
9. The 1952 Defiance campaign. The ANC organised a campaign to defy the racist laws in South Africa .
10. The alliance between non-whites. The alliance between races was followed by several demonstrations in 1956 and 57 but all were violently crushed.
11. The bus fare boycott. In 1959, Chief Albert Luthuli organised a boycott against the high bus fares in Alexandria township.
12. The formation of the PAC. In 1958, the youths within the ANC formed the Pan African Congress with an aim of speeding up the liberation of South Africa.
13. The use of critical writings. A number of novels magazines and newspaper articles were used to fight against apartheid.
14. The Sharpeville demonstrations and Massacres. In 1960, a joint ANC-PAC demonstration was organised to Sharpeville to protest against the passbook and other racist laws.
15. Then in 1961, the South African government banned both the ANC and PAC. Ghandism or peaceful methods had failed.
16. The turn to violence. In June 1961, the ANC led by Nelson Mandela formed the "Umkhonto We Sizwe".
17. The formation of the POQO. The PAC also formed a violent wing- the POQO (Let us go it alone).
18. The 1976 Soweto protests and massacres. When the South African government declared Afrikaans as the official language, African school children organised a protest at Soweto.
19. The growth of black consciousness: Steve Biko's ideas largely influenced the Soweto students' Representative Council (SSRC) to organise the Soweto rising.
20. After the Soweto massacres, more and more students fled to Tanzania, Angola, and Algeria etc. for military training.
21. The return of ANC guerrillas. From 1978 onwards, a number of ANC guerrillas started returning to the country and carried out a number of brave acts of Sabotage.
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF APARTHEID
Apartheid left a painful legacy in South Africa. Many analysts regard it as unlikely that South Africans, especially blacks, will be eager to forget the homes that were razed, the families divided, the children who were killed, and the many other injustices of apartheid. As we have seen in the violation of human rights.
The slain black activist Steve Biko in the picture
Apartheid also created massive social and economic inequalities along racial lines, and it is likely that it will take generations to put the races on a more equal footing.
In addition, apartheid bequeathed to all South Africans a preoccupation with race that is likely to diminish only slowly. Apartheid encouraged fears and suspicions between whites, blacks, Coloureds, and Indians, and this present a formidable barrier to constructing a new society. Where people regard themselves as brothers and sisters.
It created racial mistrust. The segregative tendencies of the whites created tension, mistrust, hatred, suspicions and fears between the different races in South Africa namely- whites, coloured, Asians and blacks,
The creation of Bantustans the Bantu self-government act of 1959 created separate states for Africans
It poisoned national unity in South Africa. This was because various tribes of South Africa were grouped differently and in this case, didn't see a need of uniting.
High illiteracy levels. Due to a poor education system, Africans not only felt inferior but the majority remained illiterate.
Loss of African land. The various land acts that were passed deprived Africans of their land.
Poverty amongst Africans. Due to loss of land, low wages at places of work, denial from participating in mining and commerce.
It bred a culture of violence in South Africa. Since all the avenues of attaining freedom peacefully had been exhausted, South African nationalist had to resort to acts of urban terrorism, guerrilla warfare etc.
It led to political instabilities throughout the South African region for example The apartheid regime decided to sponsor guerrilla activities in neighbouring states
It defranchised Africans. Africans were not allowed to vote and were not given sensitive posts in the politics of South Africa.
Economic retardation of South Africa. Due to the international economic sanctions and the acts of sabotage by ANC and POQO rebels, South Africa in general remained more economically backward than it would have been. Without apartheid, South Africa would have been amongst the G8 in the world.
It destabilized African families. This was not only due to migrant labour but also due to the fleeing of the youths and husbands into the bush to join the ANC and PAC guerrillas.
It created a class of social delinquents. These were especially the youths whose life experiences were characterised by strikes, war, sufferings and killings right from childhood. They took to drug abuse, acts of terrorism etc.
It led the formation of the SADCC- the South African Development Co-ordination Council that was an economic union of the South African states to blockade the trade of the racist South Africa.
It led to the formation of the front line states, which included Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and Mozambique.
It exposed the double standards of some African states for example Malawi and Zambia which despised and abrogated the sanctions against South Africa.
It exposed the UNO's double standards. This was because the UNO never put in place measures to punish countries that despised the economic sanctions against South Africa.
It strengthened the Afro-Arab solidarity. This was because the Arabs continued giving aid to the rebels against the apartheid regime.
It accelerated the cold war. This was so because the communist block continued training and arming the ANC and PAC guerrillas operating in Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania etc.
ROLE-PLAYED BY THE OAU IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID.
It formed the OAU liberation committee and all the OAU member states were active members.
Each member state contributed some money and gave financial support to the fighters. This contribution depended on the country's income.
Some OAU member states provided training grounds and even trained fighters to liberate South Africa. Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Uganda played a major role in this.
It laid economic sanctions against the Apartheid regime in terms of trade, transport and air links.
It opposed the establishment of diplomatic and sporting links with South Africa. The supreme council for sport in Africa was opposed to the participation of African sportsmen in competitions with countries, which had sporting links with South Africa.
The OAU appealed for international support from other international organisations like the UN.
Some member states provided military support and ammunition for the freedom fighters.
It strongly condemned the Apartheid policies in conferences and passed many resolutions against apartheid.
It recognised the works of genuine liberation movements in the European dominated countries. These movements were ANC in South Africa, Frelimo in Mozambique, ZAPU in Zimbabwe, Swapo in Namibia.
The OAU secretariat in Addis-Ababa branded apartheid as an evil against mankind and wrote extensively against it. This helped to arouse world opinion against it.
The OAU secretariat passed a number of resolutions against apartheid.
The OAU setup a liberation committee with its Headquarters in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. This became a base for nationalists struggling against apartheid.
The OAU sent a diplomatic delegation to South Africa and Namibia to negotiate for the independence of those countries . However, the white minority regimes didn't respect the proposals of the OAU liberation committee. This made the committee to recommend the use of violence.
The OAU presented the South African question before the United Nations Organisation. This influenced the UNO to call for international sanctions against the South African apartheid regime.
0AU member states also provided sate havens (political asylum) to the political fugitives from South Africa,
OAU member states also paid their annual subscriptions to the OAU Headquarters and from these, a percentage was sent to help South African Nationalists.
The OAU condemned the brutality of the apartheid regime in South Africa for example It condemned the 1960 Sharpeville massacres, the unfair trials of Rivonia in July 1963, the 1976 Soweto massacres of unarmed students, the 21111 Soweto massacres of 1986 etc.
It condemned the unpopular passbook laws and labour injustices. This helped to exert pressure on the racist regime of South Africa.
It demanded for the release of political prisoners in South Africa and this finally saw the release of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Thabo Mbeki and others.
The OAU called for unity between ANC, PAC and the Inkatha Freedom Party.
The OAU provided South African students with quality education within OAU member states. This helped to produce a body of elites who joined the diplomatic and military struggle against apartheid.
In 1968, the OAU- together with Asian countries pressurised the international bodies for example ILO, the WHO, FAO, FIFA to dismember South Africa. This was subsequently done.
It mobilized the OAU member states to protest against the 1974 tour of South Africa by the British Rugby team.
Why O.A.U Failed To Achieve Her Objectives.
1. Ideological differences among member states (socialists Vs capitalists) divided the members further.
2. Many member states failed to contribute towards the liberation committee and even to O.A.U itself.
3. Many member states had internal problems to worry about.
4. South Africa was militarily stronger than all the African governments.
5. South Africa was very rich economically and could the manage financing all her fights ably
6. Military coups in member countries distorted the continuity and flow of the Anti - apartheid struggle.
7. Besides member countries always conflicted with one another diverting resources and concentration
8. Not all O.A.U members were committed towards the struggle.
9. Some opportunistic members like Malawi and Zaire collaborated with South Africa.
10. European countries like Britain and France continued strongly supporting South Africa.
11. Even in the^ UN the stronger members like Britain ensured that the sanctions against South Africa were not properly implemented.
12. O.A.U lacked an army and thus a high command to enforce her resolutions.
13. The Africans in South Africa were also divided i.e. Inkatha was somehow sympathetic to the whites.
14. The South African whites repeatedly invaded the Frontline states and thus weakened them.
15. South Africa also killed her great opponents both within and outside like Samora Macheal. hot?
16. The frontline states like Mozambique and Angola had their internal opponents (RENAMO & UNITA) supported by South Africa
In the struggle to fight Apartheid, OAU met the following problems:
1. Financial incapacitation due to failure by some OAU member states to remit their annual contributions.
2. Differences in approach whereby some African states preferred dialogue with the South African racist regime while the majority preferred the use of violence.
3. The refusal by some OAU member states to cut off ties with South Africa for example Malawi, Swaziland and Lesotho which argued that most of their revenue was derived from the trade with South Africa.
4. The OAU operated without a high military command. This meant that force against the South African racist government wasn't well co-ordinated.
5. The economic strength of South Africa made the OAU sanctions against her irrelevant. She could fly her locally manufactured goods to Mauritius and Madagascar and then- pack them. These found market in almost all African countries.
6. Gradually however, the OAU managed to internationalize the South African case and this saw the independence of South Africa in 1994 when a government of national unity was formed under Nelson Mandela of the ANC.
7. The OAU ceased to exist on July 10th, 2002 at a meeting in Durban in South Africa. The African Union replaced it. The African Union is supposed to work like the European Union, with the same armed Front and national assembly.
(c) What were the achievements of O.A.U against the Apartheid regime.
1. OAU activities had a big influence on South Africa.
2. Member states allowed anti apartheid fighters to use their land e.g. Angola and Uganda
3. South Africa was forced to improve upon her relationship with African leaders and countries.
4. 24 African countries boycotted the Olympics against Newzeland and South Africa's participation in 1976.
5. Many member countries opposed the dialogue talks with South Africa.
6. A diplomatic isolation against South Africa was successful,
7. Member countries denied travel documents to their citizens wishing to travel to South Africa.
8. The UN was convinced later to slap sanctions against South Africa.
9. Cuba sent troops Namibia to strength the fight against apartheid.
10. South African economy declined and by 1990 investments were at their lowest.
11. South Africa was forced to effect political reforms by freeing political parties.
12. Political prisoner were released in 1990 and Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu were among the most prominent.
13. Free and fair elections were held in 1994 leading the ANC victory and Mandela.
14. South Africa is today a fee country under the majority rule of the Africans.
ALBERT LUTHULI (1898-1967)
1. He was born in 1898 and first served as a Zulu chief before joining ANC. Before becoming a chief he was a teacher.
2. Joined ANC in 1945 but in 1952 he replaced Dr.Moroka as ANC president.
3. He made it clear that the Africans would not compromise with their democratic rights i.e. demanded for adult suffrage and the right to stand for elections
4. He demanded for equal opportunities in education and worked for the closure of the racial Universities.
5. He believed in Non - violence a policy adopted from Ghandi.
6. He fought for the equality of all people not the domination of South Africa by the blacks
7. Because his activities disrupted whites' peace, Luthuri was banned twice between 1953 - 56 from public movement.
8. At the end of his public banishment Luthuri organised the potato boycott against the ruthless treatment of Africans working on white owned farms and conditions were later improved.
9. The Alexandra town ship Bus boycott was also organised by him to protest an increase in bus fares.
10. Africans walked for three months until government reduced the fares.
11. He organised the Congress of the people which brought together coloureds, whites and Blacks.
12. The freedom charter that came from the congress of the people confirmed that all people were equal.
13. Albert was also involved in organising the anti pass protests which led to the sharpville massacre of 1960.
14. The whites responded also by imprisoning Albert Luthulis followers forcing PAC to be formed from ANC. PAC was fed up Luthulis peaceful ways and wanted violence against whites.
15. Due to old age and his poor health Luthuli had by 1961 given Up the ANC leadership to Mandela.
16. In 1967 Luthuli died in Prison when he was 70 years of age.
CLEMENT KADALIE:
1. He was born in Malawi in 1896.
2. He got his education in the Livingstonia mission and in Rhodesia.
3. He worked briefly at the Livingstonia mission before working in
4. Rhodesia and Mozambique as a clerk.
5. In 1919 he went to Cape Town in South Africa where he got employment and settled for the rest of his life.
6. The coloured workers trade unions motivated him to found the industrial and commercial workers' union ICWU.
7. The ICWU was both a trade union and a political organisation i.e. protested against all forms of oppression.
8. ICWU welcomed all Africans and as such got a lot of support from many Africans.-
9. Kadalie organised a number of impressive strikes together with A.W.G Champion.
10. In 1972 around 71,000 went on strike in the Rands it
11. By 1923 Kadalie's ICWU had spread to almost all the provinces with many black workers.
12. In Natal ICWU was led by A.W.G Champion. Even Durban was not spared.
13. ICWU was the first largest movement of its kind to demand for political parties.
14. Kadalie increased the membership of the ICWU to 86.000 and at its peak they were over 200.000 (i.e in 1928)
15. Kadalie became popular among many Africans though the whites detested him
16. When Kadalie applied for membership of the international federation of trade unions in 1923. The South African government opposed it and even started blocking its activities.
17. Also in 1920 a large strike was organised by him in Port Elizabeth where 24 protesters were shot dead.
18. In 1930 he organised another strike in Eastern London.
19. Later Kadalie and champion started quarreling over finances of ICU and this marked the beginning of the weakening.
20. Champion was later to break away and form the Natal Union.
21. Kadalie had asked for a financial advisor from the British trade union Congress before they split with champion.
22. Ballinger William was sent and strongly disagreed with Kadalie and he was supported by Champion. ,
23. Kadalie in 1929 resigned as leader of ICWU and left Ballinger as the leader.
24. In 1931 due to poor organisation, lack of vision, unclear agenda and lack of funds the union started weakening seriously.
25. The-final blow was when in 1937 the whites passed an act preventing all Africans from belonging to any registered trade union.
Nelson Mandela The Black Pimpernel"
1. He was another interesting personality in the freedom struggle of South Africa.
2. He was born 1918 at Umtata in Transkei, to Mr. Henry Mandela a minor chief of the Thembu. c
3. He studied law at the Witwatersrand before working as a lawyer in Johannesburg..
4. In 1930 his father died and he replaced him as chief of the Thembu.
5. Though a born leader Nelson was not contented to rule a people who were so unhappy because of Apartheid.
6. He thus joined ANC and vowed to liberate his people from Apartheid.
7. His first mission of the mass liberation of South Africa started when he was a youth winger of ANC.
8. In Feb 1952 Mandela became a member of the National executive of ANC.
9. On 18th Sept- 1952 he led the defiance Campaign against the pass laws and other apartheid evils.
10. As a result he was arrested and imprisoned with a few of the ANC members. '
11. He was released in December 1952 and banned from attending any public gathering. He was also not to leave Johannesburg.
12. He greatly contributed to the Freedom charter - a document authored by Africans, coloreds and whites against apartheid.
13. On 5th December 1956 he was re-arrested from his home at Orlando together with Luthuli, Sisulu and Oliver Thambo.
Oliver
Thambo
14. They were charged with treason but Nelson continued inciting defiance through his publications from prison.
15. In 1960 he took over A.NC leadership from Albert Luthuli this was after his bail.
16. In 1$6 1 together with Thambo, Sisulu they formed UMKHONTHO. WE SIZWE (Spear of nation) as a military wing of ANC to violently participate in the ending of apartheid.
17. Mandela however had believed in peaceful means of resistance i.e. boycotts, strikes and demonstrations. It was the brutal response that turned him violent. .
18. He also formed the youth league as one of the wings of ANC to mobilise the Youth behind the struggle.
19. The spear of nation chose sabotage and started attacking economic plants of the whites.
20. In January 1962 he also secretly went and addressed the Pan African Congress in Ethiopia where he requested for help.
21. On 5th Aug 1962 he was re-arrested but he continued operating because the government was still compiling evidence.
22. On 7th Nov 1962 he was tried and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.
23. On 12th June 1964 new charges of terrorism were opened against him and he was sentenced for life imprisonment.
24. World pressure forced the whites to release him in 1990.
25. He led ANC in an all race elections after the fall of Apartheid.
26. He became the first black president of South Africa for 5 years until he resigned as president of ANC.
25. He led ANC in an all race elections after the fall of Apartheid.
26. He became the first black president of South Africa for 5 years until he resigned as president of ANC.
Refining democracy
In 1999, South Africa held its second universal-suffrage elections. In 1997, Mandela had handed over leadership of the ANC to his deputy, Thabo Mbeki, and speculation grew that the ANC vote might therefore drop. In fact, it increased, putting the party within one seat of the two-thirds majority that would allow it to alter the constitution.
The NP, restyled as the New National Party (NNP), lost two-thirds of its seats, as well as official opposition status to the Democratic Party (DP). The DP had traditionally functioned as a stronghold of liberal whites, and now gained new support from conservatives disenchanted with the NP, and from some middle-class blacks. Just behind the DP came the KwaZulu-Natal Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), historically the voice of Zulu nationalism. While the IFP lost some support, its leader, Chief Buthelezi, continued to exercise power as the national Home Affairs minister.
Into the future
While the ANC grassroots hold Mbeki in far less affection than the beloved "Madiba" (Mandela), he has proven himself a shrewd politician, maintaining his political pre-eminence by isolating or co-opting opposition parties. In 2003, Mbeki manoeuvred the ANC to a two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time.
Yet not everything has gone the ANC's way. In the early days of his presidency, Mbeki's effective denial of the HIV crisis invited global criticism, and his conspicuous failure to condemn the forced reclamation of white-owned farms in neighbouring Zimbabwe unnerved both South African landowners and foreign investors.
Non-political crime has increased dramatically since the end of apartheid. According to a report by Sibusiso Masuku, in the seven years between 1994 and 2001, "violent crime increased by 33%".[2] The Economist reports the killing of approximately 1,500 white farmers in non-political attacks since 1991. Interpol figures showed that, in 2002, South Africa experienced 114.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, the world's highest murder-rate and around five times higher than that of the second-highest country, Brazil. As of 1998, South Africa led the world, although by a smaller margin, in reported murders and robberies. A 2001 report by the Institute for Security Studies concluded that "South Africa has high but manageable levels of property crime but an extraordinary high level of violent crime. It is South Africa's high level of violent crime which sets the country apart from other crime ridden societies."[3]
In 2004 the government of South Africa published statistics showing a decrease in crime, although some observers cast doubt on their veracity.[4] In 2003, Interpol reported murder levels nearly double those given in government statistics.[5] Mbeki has accused his critics in this regard of racism. Others note that varying rates of crime-reporting by victims and the difficulties in interpreting crime data for nations involved in active military conflicts may explain variant statistics.[6]
According to The Economist, an estimated 250,000 white South Africans have emigrated since 1994. .[7]