Coming of Democracy
After years of secret talks between the National Party government, on the one hand,
and the imprisoned Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress-in-exile,
on the other, on 2 February 1990 President F.W. de Klerk finally announced the
lifting of the ban on the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan Africanist
Congress (PAC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP).
This marked the beginning of a process of negotiations to bring about a new
constitution for South Africa, which would include all its people in a single
democratic political system.
A little over a week later, on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after 27
years in prison.
The process of negotiation soon began, with two meetings between the government and
the ANC at Groote Schuur in Cape Town, and in Pretoria during 1990. These were
'talks about talks', to prepare the way for full-scale negotiations.
A terribly violent period followed from the early months of 1990, as various
right-wing elements tried to prevent real talks from happening.
They did not want whites to lose political power.
Eventually, however, formal negotiations did begin at the Convention for a
Democratic South Africa (CODESA) in December 1991.
These continued in 1992, but a number of new and major outbreaks of violence,
especially at Boipatong and Bisho, caused the ANC to withdraw from the talks until a
list of demands had been addressed by the government.
Eventually talks resumed after a Record of Understanding between the government
and the ANC was signed in September 1992. Despite further incidents of violence, most
notably the murder of prominent SACP leader, Chris Hani, in April 1993, negotiations
continued until a constitutional settlement was finally reached in November 1993.
Further outbreaks of violence occurred during the early months of 1994, but national
elections did finally take place, from 26 to 29 April 1994. The ANC came to power
with a convincing 63% of the vote.
, On 10 May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first democratically
elected President of South Africa.
In order to address the gross human rights violations of the Apartheid era and to
help bring about national reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) was set up in 1995.
This option was preferred to that of Nuremberg-style trials for people suspected of
gross human rights violations. (The Nuremberg trials were held in Germany at the end of
World War II.)
Another special aspect of the TRC was that it chose conditional amnesty over blanket
amnesty.
This meant that people applying for amnesty had to have had a political motive for
their past actions, and had to tell the whole truth in order to be considered for
amnesty.
The TRC held hearings of victims, perpetrators and various institutions from April
1996.
It presented its report to President Mandela in October 1998, even though amnesty
hearings were still going on. The Final Report was handed to President Mbeki only in
March 2003.
There have been many debates around the TRC. Examples of questions often asked are:
- Should people suspected of human rights abuses have been put on trial rather
than given the option of applying for amnesty?
- Were the reparations that were eventually paid to victims of human rights
violations enough?
- Was reconciliation effectively achieved?
Secret negotiations with the ANC-in-exile and negotiations with Mandela
In 1964, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for planning to
overthrow the Apartheid government by violence.
By 1982, he had served 18 years on Robben Island, which lies about 12 km off the coast
of Cape Town. He was then suddenly transferred to Pollsmoor Prison, on the
mainland, some 20 km from the centre of Cape Town.
After years of secret talks between the National Party government, on the one hand,
and the imprisoned Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress-in-exile,
on the other, on 2 February 1990 President F.W. de Klerk finally announced the
lifting of the ban on the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan Africanist
Congress (PAC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP).
This marked the beginning of a process of negotiations to bring about a new
constitution for South Africa, which would include all its people in a single
democratic political system.
A little over a week later, on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after 27
years in prison.
The process of negotiation soon began, with two meetings between the government and
the ANC at Groote Schuur in Cape Town, and in Pretoria during 1990. These were
'talks about talks', to prepare the way for full-scale negotiations.
A terribly violent period followed from the early months of 1990, as various
right-wing elements tried to prevent real talks from happening.
They did not want whites to lose political power.
Eventually, however, formal negotiations did begin at the Convention for a
Democratic South Africa (CODESA) in December 1991.
These continued in 1992, but a number of new and major outbreaks of violence,
especially at Boipatong and Bisho, caused the ANC to withdraw from the talks until a
list of demands had been addressed by the government.
Eventually talks resumed after a Record of Understanding between the government
and the ANC was signed in September 1992. Despite further incidents of violence, most
notably the murder of prominent SACP leader, Chris Hani, in April 1993, negotiations
continued until a constitutional settlement was finally reached in November 1993.
Further outbreaks of violence occurred during the early months of 1994, but national
elections did finally take place, from 26 to 29 April 1994. The ANC came to power
with a convincing 63% of the vote.
, On 10 May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first democratically
elected President of South Africa.
In order to address the gross human rights violations of the Apartheid era and to
help bring about national reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) was set up in 1995.
This option was preferred to that of Nuremberg-style trials for people suspected of
gross human rights violations. (The Nuremberg trials were held in Germany at the end of
World War II.)
Another special aspect of the TRC was that it chose conditional amnesty over blanket
amnesty.
This meant that people applying for amnesty had to have had a political motive for
their past actions, and had to tell the whole truth in order to be considered for
amnesty.
The TRC held hearings of victims, perpetrators and various institutions from April
1996.
It presented its report to President Mandela in October 1998, even though amnesty
hearings were still going on. The Final Report was handed to President Mbeki only in
March 2003.
There have been many debates around the TRC. Examples of questions often asked are:
- Should people suspected of human rights abuses have been put on trial rather
than given the option of applying for amnesty?
- Were the reparations that were eventually paid to victims of human rights
violations enough?
- Was reconciliation effectively achieved?
Secret negotiations with the ANC-in-exile and negotiations with Mandela
In 1964, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for planning to
overthrow the Apartheid government by violence.
By 1982, he had served 18 years on Robben Island, which lies about 12 km off the coast
of Cape Town. He was then suddenly transferred to Pollsmoor Prison, on the
mainland, some 20 km from the centre of Cape Town.
