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South Africa

South Africa. March 2. Overview. The struggle against apartheid The transition to democracy and the election of the African National Congress, 1994 Assessing post-apartheid South Africa . Documentary on the Anti-apartheid struggle. In the Name of Mandela: War and Peace 56 minutes

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South Africa

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  1. South Africa March 2

  2. Overview • The struggle against apartheid • The transition to democracy and the election of the African National Congress, 1994 • Assessing post-apartheid South Africa

  3. Documentary on the Anti-apartheid struggle In the Name of Mandela: War and Peace 56 minutes Available from York Library.

  4. The struggle against apartheid • The African National Congress (ANC) was formed in 1912, it became a mass membership organization in the 1940s. • By the 1950s it was launching civil disobedience actions to protest against the apartheid regime. • The ANC and allies drafted “The Freedom Charter” in 1955 calling for a democratic, multi-racial South Africa.

  5. The struggle against apartheid • Pan-Africanist Congress created, 1959 • Sharpeville Massacre, 1960 • Banning of African National Congress and Pan-Africanist Congress, 1960 • Forced underground and facing a violent police state, the ANC turned to armed resistance and sabotage. Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) formed 1961. • Nelson Mandela imprisoned, 1962

  6. The struggle against apartheid • Black Consciousness Movement emerged in the late 60s and into the 1970s. • From 1973 onward, black trade union activism and strikes became a crucial aspect of anti-apartheid struggle. • Soweto Uprising, 1976 • Steve Biko killed in police custody, 1977

  7. International Solidarity and Sanctions • Gerald Caplan, “Canada and Nelson Mandela: The Story Behind the Myth,” Globe and Mail. Feb. 26, 2010. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-and-mandela-the-story-behind-the-myth/article1483186/#

  8. International Solidarity and Sanctions • South Africa leaves the Commonwealth, 1961 • In 1962, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution critical of apartheid. • South Africa faced international criticism, but economic relations were largely maintained through the 60s and 70s. • In the Cold War context, the racist South African regime was an ally of the US (and NATO) and the ANC was seen as a dangerous “terrorist organization”.

  9. International Solidarity and Sanctions • Mozambique, Angola and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) gained independence in the 1970s, leaving the white settler state of South Africa more isolated. • By the mid-80s, pressure on western governments was successfully pushing them toward economic sanctions against South Africa. http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/international_politics/clips/4144/

  10. The struggle against apartheid • In the 1980s, the United Democratic Front was a a multi-racial coalition of community-based groups, trade unions, church groups, students, that launched a grassroots struggle against apartheid. • In 1985, the Congress of South African Trade Unions was formed (COSATU).

  11. The struggle against apartheid • Meanwhile, violence in South Africa escalated. “Between 1984 and 1994, politically motivated killings claimed 25,000 lives” (Lodge, 2009: 322).

  12. The transition to democracy • 1986 repeal of pass laws and influx control. • Feb 2, 1990: F.W. de Klerk announced that Mandela would be released and prohibitions against the ANC and other organizations would be removed. http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/international_politics/clips/4145/ • Feb 11, 1990: Mandela released http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/international_politics/clips/4125/ • 1992, whites-only referendum supports process of negotiating a new constitution

  13. The transition to democracy • Elections 1994: ANC receives over 62% of the votes. • May, 1994: a Government of National Unity (GNU) took office, with Mandela as president and including representatives of the ANC, the National Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party.

  14. Political institutions in Post-apartheid South Africa Centralized political power • Semi-presidential system • Quasi-federal Political Parties • ANC dominance (winning between 60 and 70 percent of the vote)

  15. Economic and Social Policy in post-apartheid South Africa • ANC drops nationalization, 1992 • Transitional govt agrees to repay apartheid-era foreign debt, 1993 • Agreement with IMF, 1993 • Central bank made independent, 1993 • South Africa joins GATT, 1994 • Reconstruction and Development Program, 1994 • Privatization begins, 1995 • Financial liberalization, 1995 • Growth, Employment and Redistribution Policy (GEAR), 1996

  16. Assessing post-apartheid South Africa • From racial to class apartheid? • One-party dominance • AIDS crisis • Crime and violence

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