The Government and Politics of South Africa

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The Government and Politics of South Africa

• From Apartheid to where?

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Tribalism

• English
• Dutch Boers
• Xhosa
• Zulu
• Tswana
• Other

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History

• Khoisan and Bantu peoples there when first
  Europeans arrived
• Portuguese created trading posts in 1550s
• 1652 Dutch East India Company set up provisioning
  station in Table Bay
• 1657 farms allocated, slaves brought from East
  Africa and E.Indies to work them
• By 1700 settlement moving into mountains.
  Smallpox decimated Khoisan

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History 2

• 1770s onwards increasing clashes with Bantu
• 1795 British occupied Cape, reoccupying it in
  1806
• Emancipation of slaves followed. These became the
  coloureds and included substantial numbers of
  Muslims E.Indies
• 1820 many British settlers in Eastern Cape a
  Plantation scheme to relieve pressure in GB
• Natal followed as place of settlement

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History 3

• Boers also expanding and in 1830s, Great Trek to
  escape British rule
• This and the British move into Natal brought
  contact with the Zulu nation
• Roots of later apartheid began in Natal with
  sugar plantation economy. Indian labour brought
  in. Gandhi began his passive resistance campaign
  in Natal

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History 4

• Mineral wealth discovered in late 19th century
• Independent Boer Republics of orange Free state
  and Transvaal had most of it
• So Brits invaded liberated?
• Boer War 1899-1902 a white mans war
• 1910 Union of South Africa set up as a
  self-governing dominion
• Whites-only franchise except Cape

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History 5

• ANC founded 1912. APO had been founded 1902
• Communist Party 1921
• Nationalist party 1914 broke away from ruling
  South Africa party
• 1934 all white parties combined to form United
  Party but NP then broke away
• 1948 NP won general election. apartheid followed

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Apartheid

• Pass laws already existed
• Racial separation enforced
• Created townships. Whites wanted blacks to do
  work but live somewhere else
• separate but equal development
• Disguised land grab.
• Black homelands developed and 4 made
  independent

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The struggle against apartheid

• 1950s non-violent struggle
• PAC broke away in 1959
• 1960 Sharpeville massacre 69 PAC demonstrators
  killed by police
• State of emergency introduced, black political
  leaders detained
• Black political organisations banned. Leadership
  went underground or into exile

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Struggle 2

• ANC military wing formed
• Mandela and others arrested 1963
• 1970s Biko and the Black Consciousness movement.
  Biko killed in jail
• 1976 and through the 80s school boycott
• United Democratic Front Mass Democratic Movement
  and COSATU emerged as legal institutions
• 1979 Inkatha and Buthelezi

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End of apartheid

• 1990 onwards release of prisoners, particularly
  Mandela
• April 1994 free and fair election. ANC won 62.
  NP 20 and won western Cape due to coloured
  votes, IFP 10 mostly in Kwa Zulu Natal. Mandela
  became President
• Truth and Reconciliation Committee under Tutu

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Govt system

• Parliament National assembly 350 -400 members
  elected by PR
• 1999 elections ANC 266, DP 38, IFP 34, NNP28
  UDM 14
• National Council of the Provinces sort of Upper
  House.
• Provinces more or less a federal system
• President elected from national assembly

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Maps of variables explaining voting patterns in
2000

• http//www.gis.unbc.ca/projects/course_projects/ge
  og413/2002/hallka/project.html

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Challenges

• Employment
• Education
• Townships
• Boer hardliners
• PAC hardliners on land issue
• Can a proper two party sytem be created that
  doesnt revert to tribalism?