The Government and Politics of South Africa

From Apartheid to where?

Tribalism

• English

• Dutch [Boers]

• Xhosa

• Zulu

• Tswana

• Other

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

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

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

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 man’s war”• 1910 Union of South Africa set up as a

self-governing dominion• Whites-only franchise except Cape

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maps of variables explaining voting patterns in 2000

• http://www.gis.unbc.ca/projects/course_projects/geog413/2002/hallka/project.html

Challenges

• Employment

• Education

• Townships

• Boer hardliners

• PAC hardliners on land issue

• Can a proper two party sytem be created that doesn’t revert to tribalism?