steps taken by Whites to end Apartheid in South Africa

·         Steps taken by Whites to end Apartheid in South Africa

·         Right from the start, the white liberal urban workers opposed Apartheid -especially the laws against trade unions. However, their riots were crushed by the police, for instance in Johannesburg in 1914, police shelled the trade union headquarters.

·         The United Party under Smuts and Hofrneyr opposed Apartheid laws. However the death of their leaders in the 1940s weakened such opposition.

·         In 1951, the Torch Commando Organization was formed. It was made up of a number of white ex-service men led by sailor Malan- a former air force ace. However police was brutal towards the protests organized by the Torch commandos.

·         In Parliament the United Party representatives continued condemning the Apartheid laws and policy 1960-79.

·         Another party - the Liberty Party opposed Apartheid but the white liberals were harassed by the Nationalist Party government police and gave up.

·         Progressive Party's representative Helen Suzman also opposed Apartheid .

·         From 1965 onwards, Dr. H. Verwoerd (Prime Minister) introduced the policy of d’etente by which he opened up dialogue with a number of African states mainly neighbors of South Africa. However his major aim was to improve relations with other African states and get a market for South Africa's goods. Some heads of states like Dr. K. Banda of Malawi and Bokassa of Central African Republic, Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal and Houphouet - Boigny of Ivory Coast opened up talks and business with South Africa.

·         When Pieter Botha came to power in 1978, he started a positive trend towards dismantling Apartheid. His September 1979 speech was full of inspiration and hope for the ANC and PAC nationalists, as he called for an end to racial discrimination.

·         Botha allowed Africans to join trade unions and to use strikes as a mode of expressing their dissatisfaction.

·         Pieter Botha also introduced some constitutional changes whereby he set up two Presidential Councils, one for Whites, Coloured’s and Asians and the second for Blacks in Bantustans. These Presidential Councils played purely an advisory role.

·         Better housing facilities and wages were granted to urban workers.

·         Social places like theatres, restaurants and sports grounds were made open to all races in urban centres. However in rural areas the situation remained unchanged.

·         In 1985, sexual relations between peoples of various races were made free. Inter marriage were also allowed. A number of white liberals continued with their pressure for reforms throughout the 1980s.

·         The Dutch Reformed Church also called for reforms in the Apartheid policy after realizing the increasing world condemnation of the system.

·         In 1986, the passbook laws were abolished and this was a big step towards dismantling Apartheid. In the same year the USA stopped giving loans to South Africa, which weakened Apartheid.

·         Meanwhile pressure for African elites, church leaders like Bishop Desmond Tutu and artistes like Lucky Dube and ANC guerrillas continued.

·         In 1989, F.W. De' Clerk came to power with a lot of determination to end Apartheid.

·         In 1990, he released a number political prisoners including ANC's Nelson Mandela who had served imprisonment for 27years.

·         De' Clerk legalized and or unbanned the ANC and started negotiations with black nationalists.

·         He granted independence to Namibia in 1990 and this was a great step towards the black man's freedom in white Southern Africa.

·         He also dismantled all the Apartheid laws in both urban and rural areas. Henceforth Nelson Mandela called for end of ANC violence, as peace talks with government continued.

·         He made arrangements for a new multi- racial Constitution to be discussed by representative's from all races in South Africa.

·         De' Klerk also organized the 1994 Multi- racial elections, which were won by the ANC. Hence forth, a government of National unity came in place under the Presidency of Madiba Nelson Mandela.

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·         Factors that facilitated the success of the struggle against Apartheid

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·         From 1970s nationalists waged guerrilla warfare from neighboring frontline states against the racist regime in South Africa registering tremendous success.

·         Black Nationalism in South Africa was blessed with the rise of F. W. De Clerk to the office of the Prime Minister in the late 1980s. He abolished laws of Apartheid and in 1990 extended Presidential Amnesty to all political exiles and released all political prisoners.

·         Since 1948 the independent church movement and Christianity played a role against apartheid. Religious leaders like Archbishop Desmond Tutu also played a role in weakening of apartheid by calling for external sanctions on the regime to enforce dialogue.

·         From 1990, a wind of political change swept through USA and Britain, for instance in 1990 President Ronald Reagan of USA and Premier Margaret Thatcher of Britain were replaced by George Bush Senior and John Major respectively. These two managed to isolate the Pretoria regime to enforce her to dialogue.

·         By 1970 international organizations like UNO, OAU, Common Wealth, International Olympic Committee, etc completely isolated the Pretoria regime with sanctions ranging from economic embargo, arms embargo to sanctions, games and sports.

·         The triamuvulate or an alliance of the three formed between Premier Bortha of South Africa, Ian Smith of Zimbabwe and Don SaJazaar of Portugal had colJapsed thus by 1990 De'Klerk had no allies to support his Apartheid policy.

·         Support of the OAU, which declared economic sanctions on south Africa and called upon all member states to cut off any form of diplomatic relations with the racist regime. It united the liberation movements, set up the liberation committee, which included many member states.

·         South African liberation struggle became a success due to charismatic foresighted and good leadership of liberation movements and organizations like trade unions, political parties and armed wings, and leaders like Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Robert Sobukwe, Albert Luthuli, Chris Hani, among others.

·         By 1990 USSR had disintegrated which lessened tension between the east and west blocs. USA also started to act on principles than over capitalist - communist sentiments. Thus the end of cold war politics led South African racist regime to undertake democratic principles, which lead to the abolition of Apartheid in 1994.

·         The release of political prisoners by Prime Minister F. W. De'Klerk helped to terminate Apartheid rule. Largely due to internal pressure De'Klerk entered into recognitions with political groups in South Africa leading to the 1994 general elections and apartheid was gone.

·         The part played by south African neighboring or the front line states - Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana; who provided guerrilla bases to armed wings, provided space for refugees from south Africa, provided education to South African youth with skills. Without them, South Africa would have got rid of Apartheid, later.

·         The influence of south African musical arts, dance and drama, which exposed the evils of Apartheid through people like Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Chico Chimora, Lucky Dube, Pat Shange, etc.

·         The part played by the United Nations Organization (UNO).

·         The all multi-racial 1994 general elections where the majority South African masses cast votes in favor of Mandela's ANC against the Zulu Inkatha Freedom Party and the Nationalist Party. This official1y marked the end of Apartheid and the birth of freedom.

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·         Impact of the policy of Apartheid on the non-whites in South Africa 1948 - 94

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·         The impact was positive and negative.

·         Africans were overcrowded or congested into Bantustans for instance over 7 million blacks would be squeezed into an area fit for only 2 million.

·         Apartheid interfered with African family life and societal settings, as many blacks were forcefully separated from their family life setting or relatives in order to be resettled in gazetted reserves.

·         In an attempt to fight Apartheid, African nationalists carried out demonstrations of defiance and the result was massacre of innocent people like in 1960 at Sharpsville, June 1976 African students uprising in Soweto, 1977 Steve Biko was murdered in prison.

·         The racist South African regime allied with the capitalist super powers in order to silence international opposition against Apartheid. These states included USA and Britain.

·         Apartheid set in numerous economic hardships for black African people, for example the Bantustans experienced low levels of industrial development due to inadequate services like power supply, poor roads, communication, scarcity of water, etc.

·         Unemployment was at its highest among blacks worsened by such laws that prohibited employment of Africans in jobs which required skilled labor. Agricultural activities declined because of land alienation, which led to persistent famine, starvation and malnutrition among the black race.

·         The African race who comprised 70% only occupied 13% of the total land, as other means of production like - land, industries, mines, urban centres, farms and commercial activities were all exploited.

·         Many African nationalists were imprisoned without court orders, for example in 1960 at Sharpeville demonstration, in 1962 Nelson Mandela was arrested accused of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour, his wife was arrested on fabricated crimes, Steve Biko was detained and tortured by police.

·         The rule of apartheid inspired the rise of African liberation movements to struggle for freedom, for instance ANC which had been formed in 1912 consolidated its positions. Trade unions, Inkatha Freedom Party, PAC and the Black Conscious Movement (BCM) all mobilized.

·         From 1960 armed struggle was chosen as the best way to bring change in South Africa up to 1994.

·         Apartheid increased ethnic tension in the largely Bantu inhabited South Africa through Bantu education; some political parties were formed on tribal lines. Even after Apartheid tribal clashes between the Zulu and other societies continued.

·         Africans were greatly segregated by the whites led parliament. Different acts were passed to influence the entrenchment of Apartheid.

·         The South African Apartheid regime conflicted with neighboring countries or the frontline states, like Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe especially with the intensification of armed struggle.