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Following its election to power in 1948, South Africa's National Party (NP)
began to construct the system of apartheid that separated the country's population into
racial groups: blacks, Coloureds, Indians, and whites. In 1961 the country gained
independence from the United Kingdom, and subsequently withdrew from the Commonwealth
because of British criticism of its racial policies. In the 1960s, South Africa became the
scene of violent turmoil that lasted for approximately three decades. The African National
Congress (ANC), formed in 1912 to fight for black rights, was banned in 1960. It then
launched, with other groups, a guerrilla campaign against the South African government.
Many ANC leaders, including Nelson Mandela, were jailed. In July 1985 a state of emergency
was declared that gave police broad powers to deal with black protesters, leading to an
increase in tension.
When Pieter Willem Botha resigned in 1989, Frederik Willem de Klerk took office and began
implementing a series of reforms. South Africa was in turmoil at this time due to a number
of international and internal pressures including economic problems, increasing pressure
from the liberation movement, and Coloured and Indian election boycotts. The NP began to
consider constitutional change. In an expression of goodwill, de Klerk set about meeting
the terms laid down by the ANC for negotiations. Hospitals and other public facilities
were desegregated; political prisoners-including Nelson Mandela-were freed; the state of
emergency was lifted; and the ANC was given legal status. When talks began, Mandela
suspended the ANC's violent campaign against the government.
Violent clashes involving rival black political groups and the police continued, however,
especially between the Zulu members of the Inkatha Freedom Party led by Chief Mangosuthu
Buthelezi (who were supported by the police), and ANC supporters. These two groups had
long been in disagreement about the course of South Africa's future and other issues.
Nearly all apartheid provisions were abolished in 1991, and trade sanctions were lifted to
welcome South Africa back into the international community. In 1992 de Klerk won a clear
victory in the referendum held to determine white voters' support for his reforms. Mandela
and de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their efforts.
After the Inkatha party had been persuaded not to boycott them-multiracial and multi-party
elections took place on schedule. Despite sporadic violence preceding the voting and
predictions of disaster, the elections were relatively peaceful. The ANC won with 62.7 per
cent of the vote and 252 seats in the National Assembly; the National party received 20.4
per cent of the vote and 82 seats in the National Assembly; and Inkatha received 10.5 per
cent of the vote and 43 seats. Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president on 10 May 1994 and
South Africa entered a new period of its history. Mandela appointed F. W. de Klerk of the
National party and Thabo Mbeki of the ANC as his two deputy presidents and Chief Buthelezi
as his home minister, asserting that the future of South Africa depended on the
cooperation of citizens of all races.
Over the next months, Mandela implemented his Masakhane (Nguni for "Let us build each
other") campaign, and gradually introduced the Reconstruction and Development Plan
(RDP). Two national anthems (one Afrikaans, one African nationalist), a new flag, new
names for old apartheid-era places, free school lunches for all children, new housing
projects, better health care, and the promotion of both white and black values all became
part of the campaign and South Africa's transformation. Black poverty, land rights, jobs,
and housing are still challenges facing the government. High crime rates are also a
serious concern.
The government created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the goal of uncovering
apartheid-era events without further polarizing the nation. Chaired by Archbishop Desmond
Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, the commission is charged with collecting and
investigating victims'accounts from 1960 to 1994, considering amnesty for those who
confess their participation in atrocities, and making recommendations for reparations. The
commission was established in the hope that it would foster healing and prevent such
crimes from happening again. Many people in South Africa, however, wanted punishment for
those responsible for the crimes, and the commission's compromises involving amnesty and
confession have been a source of controversy. Exposures of atrocities point to the highest
levels of the apartheid regime, and activities of the ANC have also come under the
scrutiny.
In July 1996 President Mandela formally announced that he would not seek another term as
president and would recommend Deputy President Mbeki to succeed him in 1999. Mbeki took
over Mandela's role as head of the ANC in December 1997. De Klerk and the NP left the
coalition government in spring 1996; the NP became a principal opposition party. De Klerk
resigned as its leader in August 1997.
After years of negotiations, a new constitution was approved in December 1996 that would
replace an interim constitution and take full effect by 1999. Baring discrimination on any
basis, including race, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, language,
religion, and physical disability, the conclusion guarantees broad freedoms of speech and
association and is considered one of the most liberal in the world.
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