South Africa

1
South Africa

• Country Study

2
Who lives here?

• 40 million people
• Afrikaners whites who are descendants of
  original Dutch settlers and the English
  descendants of the original British settlers

3
The Government

• Constitutional democracy
• President, Parliament and an
• independent judiciary
• 2 Houses in Parliament
• National, provincial and local governments all
  have legislative and executive authority
• "distinctive, interdependent and interrelated
• Democratic elections first held in 1994

4
History

• Prior to 1948 settled by the Dutch and English
  who naturally, ruled over the native population
• In 1948 an all-Afrikaner party (the Nationalists)
  won elections
• Government began to follow a policy of separate
  development (apartheid)

5
Separate and Not Equal

• Group Areas Act (1949)
• segregated residential areas
• No mixed marriage
• Skilled jobs reserved for whites
• Separate facilities for white and non-white
• While segregation had always existed, the
  Nationalists made it official policy of government

6
More segregation laws

• Bantu Education Act (1953)
• Bantus responsible for African education
• Only Europeans at English-speaking universities
• Separate universities for all 4 racial groups
• General Law Amendment Acts (1962)
• Forbidding ANY form of opposition
• Punishment 5 yrs. to death depending on the
  crime
• Worst offence - sabotage
• Extended govt. power to ban newspapers, orgs,
  gatherings
• No due process

7
Whites wanted to ensure their survival

• Bantu Authorities Act (1951)
• Attempt to set up tribal states
  semi-independent Bantu states (homelands)
• Homelands Program
• Divided country into 10 states 1 for whites on
  87 of the land with 17 major cities
• 70 of the population would live on 13 of the
  land
• When the homeland became independent, residents
  became citizens of that nation and lost South
  African citizenship.
• Problems with this?

8
4 of 9 Homelands Became Independent

• We cannot take the humiliations of the South
  African system any longer. We would rather face
  the difficulties of ruling a fragmented territory
  and the wrath of the outside world. It is the
  price we are prepared to pay for being masters of
  our own destiny.
• Lucas Mangope first President of the
  Bophuthatswana Republic

9
Apartheid becomes violent

• Sharpeville Massacre (1960)
• Protest to get govt. to abolish pass laws
• Police opened fire 69 blacks were killed
• Demonstrations is Cape Town
• Govt. declared state of emergency
• Many more jailed

10
Soweto Riots - 1976

• Black high school students were being required to
  take some courses in Afrikaans (language spoken
  by Afrikaners)
• Symbol of oppression
• Marked a turning point
• Young blacks saw violence as only answer
• Afrikaners began to question apartheid

11
Government Reform

• Apartheid signs removed facilities became
  integrated
• Blacks could open businesses
• Got better training for better jobs
• Could form unions
• BUT STILL
• Separate schools
• Passbooks (blacks could travel in
• white neighborhoods)
• S. African govt. recognized
• homeland as citizenship of many

12
Reaction and Riots 1977-1984

• Nation divided between radical conservatives and
  liberals
• Govt. slow to bring about great reforms
• International Security Act 1977 gave police
  greater power to detain persons whose activities
  were considered a threat
• Steven Biko
• The outlawed African National Congress (outlawed
  in 1960) began terrorist acts

13
A New Constitution?

• 1983 White voters approved new constitution
• White House of Assembly
• Colored House of Representatives
• Asian House of Deputies
• Black Still Excluded
• Result More violence
• Mostly directed at black collaborators
• Govt responded brutally and harshly

14
State of Emergency July 1985

• Police given power to enter homes, seize
  property, make arrests, detain suspects
  indefinitely, impose curfews and restrict press
• Outdoor funerals banned
• Place where large groups of blacks could gather
  and express feelings
• Some funerals attracted more than 50000 mourners

15
Limited Reforms

• South Arican govt faced growing criticism (within
  S. Africa and around the world)
• President Botha repealed
• Marriage laws
• Pass laws
• Homeland citizens could
• be citizens of S. Africa but
• not allowed to vote

16
International Response

• Disinvestment Greater push NOT to invest in
  companies that do business with S. Africa
• Many argued for US sanctions
• Reagan-constructive engagement
• Many black S. Africans wanted sanctions

17
Another State of Emergency

• Result
• More violence
• Stronger sanctions
• American businesses left
• Not only did companies not have any new
  investments but also sold investments already in
  South Africa

18
Movement Away from Apartheid

• De Klerk becomes President
• Member of Nationalist Party but many whites
  feared he would eliminate apartheid
• Mass Democratic Movement organized
• Blacks protesting for change (despite sanctions)
• De Klerk legalized MDM
• De-segregated beaches
• Released important ANC
• members from jail

19
Nelson Mandela

• Released from jail in 1990
• (in since 1962)
• As member of ANC met with
• De Klerk to improve relations
• Many apartheid laws repealed in 1990s
• Homelands program
• No apartheid in hospitals
• Land Acts
• Group Areas Act
• Blacks could be members of National Party

20
Since Mandelas release

• Proposed new Constitution in 1991
• But whites and ANC could not agree
• Dispute between ANC and Inkatha
• Inkatha is party of Zulus (largest ethnic group
  in S. Africa
• Zulus are poorly represented in ANC
• Mandela influential in negotiating peace between
  the two groups
• Referendum (1992) 68.6 of white voters wanted
  to see apartheid abolished

21
After Apartheid

• 1994 Mandela elected President
• 1999 Thabo Mbeki elected President
• 2004 Thabo Mbeki re-elected

22
Fun Facts

• Capital Pretoria (name may change to Tshwane).
  Cape Town is legislative capital
• Largest city Johannesburg
• Area 1.22 million sq km (470,693 sq miles)
• Major languages 11 official languages including
  English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and
  Zulu
• Major religion Christianity, Islam, indigenous
  beliefs
• Life expectancy 47 years (men), 51 years (women)
  
• Main exports Gold, diamonds, metals and
  minerals, cars, machinery
• GNI per capita US 4,960 (World Bank, 2006)

23
Sources

• http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_pr
  ofiles/1071886.stm
• Gellar, Harriet and Erwin M. Rosenfeld. Global
  Studies Volume 1. Hauppauge, NY Barrons
  Educational Series, 1993.