TOPIC 5:
THE COMING OF DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA AND COMING TO TERMS WITH THE PAST
IEB
1
@studysmarter-stuvia
, Topic 5: IEB SAGS
How did South Africa become a democracy in the 1990s?
You must explain step-by-step how South Africa changed from Apartheid to democracy and how
different groups dealt with the past.
PART 1: How was a negotiated settlement and Government of National Unity achieved?
You need to explain how peace talks happened, who was involved, and how a new government
was formed in 1994.
Key stages to study:
1. Secret negotiations with:
o The ANC (in exile) and Nelson Mandela (while in prison)
2. 1990–1991: Important changes begin
o The ANC and other groups were unbanned
o Political prisoners, including Mandela, were released
o Negotiation meetings: Groote Schuur Minute and Pretoria Minute
o CODESA I (first big round of peace talks)
3. Breakdown of negotiations
o 1992 Whites-only referendum (white people voted to continue talks)
o Violence in the 1990s, blamed on a "Third Force" (secret groups trying to cause
conflict)
o Events to study:
Boipatong massacre
Bisho massacre
o CODESA talks break down
o Record of Understanding is signed (peace plan between ANC and NP)
o "Sunset clause" introduced (to keep old civil servants during transition)
4. Multi-party talks begin again
o Many political groups return to talks
o Chris Hani’s murder almost ruins the talks but also pushes people to vote for peace
5. More violence from left and right wings
o AWB (Afrikaner group) invades World Trade Centre
o St. James Church massacre by APLA
o Heidelberg Tavern shooting
6. Final road to 1994 democracy
o Fall of Mangope and Gqozo (old Bantustan leaders)
o Bophuthatswana shootings
o IFP march to Shell House → Shell House massacre
o Drafting the new Constitution and Bill of Rights
o IFP and Freedom Front join elections
o 27 April 1994 → First democratic elections
o Government of National Unity is formed
PART 2: How did South Africans deal with the Apartheid past?
You must explain how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) helped the country deal with
the past and how justice was handled.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
Purpose: To help people tell the truth, heal, forgive and build unity by talking openly about the crimes
of the Apartheid era.
Key concepts to study:
Restorative justice = focus on healing, truth, forgiveness
Retributive justice = focus on punishment (like Nuremberg Trials – not exam focus)
Why was TRC created? To:
o Investigate the causes and extent of human rights violations
o Offer compensation to victims
o Give amnesty to people who told the truth about political crimes
2
@studysmarter-stuvia
, TRC structure – 3 Committees:
1. Human Rights Committee – listened to stories of victims of human rights abuse
2. Amnesty Committee – decided who should be forgiven if they told the full truth and proved the
crime was politically motivated
3. Reparations & Rehabilitation Committee – focused on support for victims (money, help,
services)
Amnesty debates: Was it fair?
Some people felt justice was not served because criminals were not punished.
To get amnesty, the person had to:
o Tell the full truth
o Show the crime was politically motivated
Only 16% of people who applied for amnesty were approved
Bishop Tutu said: “What is enough punishment?”
George Bizos said: Without amnesty, we would have had civil war
Political party responses to the TRC
You must know what each party said and how they reacted to the TRC:
1. National Party (NP)
o What they submitted
o TRC findings about them
o Their response
2. Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)
o What they submitted
o TRC findings about them
o Their response
3. African National Congress (ANC)
o What they submitted
o TRC findings about them
o Their response
Final Evaluation: Was the TRC successful?
Study both positive and negative views about the TRC:
Positives:
Helped victims speak out
Helped avoid war
Encouraged national healing
Created a record of the truth
Negatives:
Some criminals escaped punishment
Some victims felt justice was not done
Some felt it focused too much on the 1980s and ignored earlier Apartheid crimes
Reparations (compensation) were small
How South Africa remembers the past (like memorials and museums) – NOT
EXAMINABLE but useful for essays
How the struggle against Apartheid is remembered, e.g. Freedom Park and Thokoza
monument (local and national)
Len Sak's cartoons 1990-1994 – Nelson Mandela Foundation
https://www.nelsonmandela.org/multimedia/entry/len-saks-cartoons-1990-1994 cartoons
for TOPIC 5
Pre-1990: Pressures Leading to Change
Before 1990, South Africa faced multiple pressures that made the continuation of apartheid
unsustainable:
Economic Pressure: International countries began stopping business with South Africa, leading
to widespread disinvestment and foreign banks ceasing to provide loans. This caused the
South African currency to lose value, gold prices to drop, and inflation to rise, making everything
expensive. The deteriorating economy forced leaders to realize that apartheid had to end to
save the country.
International Changes:
3
@studysmarter-stuvia
THE COMING OF DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA AND COMING TO TERMS WITH THE PAST
IEB
1
@studysmarter-stuvia
, Topic 5: IEB SAGS
How did South Africa become a democracy in the 1990s?
You must explain step-by-step how South Africa changed from Apartheid to democracy and how
different groups dealt with the past.
PART 1: How was a negotiated settlement and Government of National Unity achieved?
You need to explain how peace talks happened, who was involved, and how a new government
was formed in 1994.
Key stages to study:
1. Secret negotiations with:
o The ANC (in exile) and Nelson Mandela (while in prison)
2. 1990–1991: Important changes begin
o The ANC and other groups were unbanned
o Political prisoners, including Mandela, were released
o Negotiation meetings: Groote Schuur Minute and Pretoria Minute
o CODESA I (first big round of peace talks)
3. Breakdown of negotiations
o 1992 Whites-only referendum (white people voted to continue talks)
o Violence in the 1990s, blamed on a "Third Force" (secret groups trying to cause
conflict)
o Events to study:
Boipatong massacre
Bisho massacre
o CODESA talks break down
o Record of Understanding is signed (peace plan between ANC and NP)
o "Sunset clause" introduced (to keep old civil servants during transition)
4. Multi-party talks begin again
o Many political groups return to talks
o Chris Hani’s murder almost ruins the talks but also pushes people to vote for peace
5. More violence from left and right wings
o AWB (Afrikaner group) invades World Trade Centre
o St. James Church massacre by APLA
o Heidelberg Tavern shooting
6. Final road to 1994 democracy
o Fall of Mangope and Gqozo (old Bantustan leaders)
o Bophuthatswana shootings
o IFP march to Shell House → Shell House massacre
o Drafting the new Constitution and Bill of Rights
o IFP and Freedom Front join elections
o 27 April 1994 → First democratic elections
o Government of National Unity is formed
PART 2: How did South Africans deal with the Apartheid past?
You must explain how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) helped the country deal with
the past and how justice was handled.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
Purpose: To help people tell the truth, heal, forgive and build unity by talking openly about the crimes
of the Apartheid era.
Key concepts to study:
Restorative justice = focus on healing, truth, forgiveness
Retributive justice = focus on punishment (like Nuremberg Trials – not exam focus)
Why was TRC created? To:
o Investigate the causes and extent of human rights violations
o Offer compensation to victims
o Give amnesty to people who told the truth about political crimes
2
@studysmarter-stuvia
, TRC structure – 3 Committees:
1. Human Rights Committee – listened to stories of victims of human rights abuse
2. Amnesty Committee – decided who should be forgiven if they told the full truth and proved the
crime was politically motivated
3. Reparations & Rehabilitation Committee – focused on support for victims (money, help,
services)
Amnesty debates: Was it fair?
Some people felt justice was not served because criminals were not punished.
To get amnesty, the person had to:
o Tell the full truth
o Show the crime was politically motivated
Only 16% of people who applied for amnesty were approved
Bishop Tutu said: “What is enough punishment?”
George Bizos said: Without amnesty, we would have had civil war
Political party responses to the TRC
You must know what each party said and how they reacted to the TRC:
1. National Party (NP)
o What they submitted
o TRC findings about them
o Their response
2. Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)
o What they submitted
o TRC findings about them
o Their response
3. African National Congress (ANC)
o What they submitted
o TRC findings about them
o Their response
Final Evaluation: Was the TRC successful?
Study both positive and negative views about the TRC:
Positives:
Helped victims speak out
Helped avoid war
Encouraged national healing
Created a record of the truth
Negatives:
Some criminals escaped punishment
Some victims felt justice was not done
Some felt it focused too much on the 1980s and ignored earlier Apartheid crimes
Reparations (compensation) were small
How South Africa remembers the past (like memorials and museums) – NOT
EXAMINABLE but useful for essays
How the struggle against Apartheid is remembered, e.g. Freedom Park and Thokoza
monument (local and national)
Len Sak's cartoons 1990-1994 – Nelson Mandela Foundation
https://www.nelsonmandela.org/multimedia/entry/len-saks-cartoons-1990-1994 cartoons
for TOPIC 5
Pre-1990: Pressures Leading to Change
Before 1990, South Africa faced multiple pressures that made the continuation of apartheid
unsustainable:
Economic Pressure: International countries began stopping business with South Africa, leading
to widespread disinvestment and foreign banks ceasing to provide loans. This caused the
South African currency to lose value, gold prices to drop, and inflation to rise, making everything
expensive. The deteriorating economy forced leaders to realize that apartheid had to end to
save the country.
International Changes:
3
@studysmarter-stuvia
