Topic 4:
Civil resistance in South
Africa
Unit 4. 1: the challenge of black consciousness to the apartheid
state
ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT (AAM):
1955:
- Bandung Conference in Indonesia
- Predicted that economic sanctions would change SA attitude
- All African People’s Conference called for same
1960s:
- Before Sharpeville, Anti-Apartheid rally held in Trafalgar Square, London.
- After Sharpeville, public media turned against SA
- UN Security Council demanded an end to Apartheid
- Pass Resolution 1761 which requested a boycott of SA goods
- Not all members supported economic sanctions
- SA banned from Olympic Games (Mexico) in 1964.
- Moses Kotane (SACP) visited USSR to gain support
- USSR provided funding, education and military training to the Liberation Movement -
- 1963 – Organisation of African Unity formed (OAU)
- OAU made it more difficult to trade by banning airplanes and boats from entering
- AAM officially formed by Kader Asmal
1970s:
- Frontline States formed by Tanzania, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia in support of
democratic SA
- Allowed ANC/PAC military bases in their country
- Sweden gave ANC financial support in 1970’s
- 1977 – UN mandatory ban on weapon sales to SA
- Gleneagles Agreement – no sporting events with SA
,The nature of the apartheid state in the 1970’s and the
1980’s:
1960s:
- Little protest in South Africa during the 1960’s as a result of state repression
- African National Congress (ANC) & the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) was banned after the Sharpeville
shootings in 1960
- Government also:
→ increased state control over the media
→ gave police power to detain people for indefinite periods without trial
→ placed critics under restriction orders or house arrest
- Government became increasingly militarised:
→ huge sums of money spent on armaments
→ all young white men had to do military service
- “Separate Development” Policy was implemented in order to control urbanisation
→ Africans were confined to the homelands (called Bantustans)
1970s:
IMPLEMENTATION OF BANTUSTANS SYSTEM/HOMELANDS:
- In 1970 all Africans had to become citizens of one of the homelands instead of being accepted as South
African citizens
- Government attempted to promote self- government under homelands chiefs
- 10 homelands created in SA:
E.g. Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Venda, Gazankulu, KaNgwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, and
QwaQwa.
- Each ethnic group would have its own state with its own political system and economy, and each would
rely on its own labour force.
- Gov. declared 4 of the Bantustans “independent” → Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and the Ciskei
- However, still remained dependent on the Pretoria government
- The remaining Bantustans remained self-governing but had no independent rights.
- No foreign states recognised the independence of the homelands
- This was an attempt to counter demand for political rights within the rest of South Africa
- This denied black South Africans political rights in the rest of the country
- Bantustans became puppet states
- In the early 1970s people started to turn against the apartheid government
- 1973 world oil crisis (oil-producing countries in the Middle East raised the price of oil) caused the
economy to decline
- Bantu Education policy resulted in a lack of skilled labour in the economy
, STRIKES:
- 1973
- General dissatisfaction led to multiple strikes, mainly in Durban and East Rand
- Black trade unions were suppressed and without legal rights
- Workers strikes supported by black community & growing businesses (esp. ones with foreign investors)
- Put pressure on gov. to make changes
- In 1975 Angola and Mozambique gained independence
- Mozambique → The Frelimo Party (Mozambique Liberation Front) lead by Samora Machel came to power
- Angola → the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) gained control
- This allowed the ANC and PAC to establish bases closer to South Africa
- The liberation of the two former Portuguese colonies gave hope to many black South African that things
in South Africa could change too
- More outbreaks of protests in 1976 in Soweto and nationwide
UNBANNING OF TRADE UNIONS:
- Trade unions banned in 1956
→ No rights, no say
→ Can’t strike to get better conditions, so employer can keep employees
→ Politics controls economics
→ Workers rights interlinked with politics
→ Trade unions therefore interested in the political side – if more communism, capitalist therefore install
in economy
1979:
- Black trade unions officially recognised after Wiehahn commission
- Rapid growth of trade unions over the next year
- Alliances formed with communities and liberation movements
- Demanded an end to Apartheid
- Organised stay-aways and boycotts (300 days lost to strike activity between 1982 & 1984)
- Strikers won better wages and the first black trade unions were created
P.W. Botha:
- 1978 – 1984 → Prime Minister
- 1984 – 14 August 1989 → President
- Nicknamed “Die Groot Krokodil”
- PW Botha had been John Vorster’s defense minister
- In 1978 he succeeded Vorster as Prime Minister after the Information Scandal (Muldergate)
- The Muldergate scandal was a result of gov attempts to influence international and local public opinion
about the Apartheid government
- Once he was Prime Minister he kept the post of Minister of Defence
- He continued the process of strengthening the South African Army through forced conscription
- During this time military spending more than quadrupled
Civil resistance in South
Africa
Unit 4. 1: the challenge of black consciousness to the apartheid
state
ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT (AAM):
1955:
- Bandung Conference in Indonesia
- Predicted that economic sanctions would change SA attitude
- All African People’s Conference called for same
1960s:
- Before Sharpeville, Anti-Apartheid rally held in Trafalgar Square, London.
- After Sharpeville, public media turned against SA
- UN Security Council demanded an end to Apartheid
- Pass Resolution 1761 which requested a boycott of SA goods
- Not all members supported economic sanctions
- SA banned from Olympic Games (Mexico) in 1964.
- Moses Kotane (SACP) visited USSR to gain support
- USSR provided funding, education and military training to the Liberation Movement -
- 1963 – Organisation of African Unity formed (OAU)
- OAU made it more difficult to trade by banning airplanes and boats from entering
- AAM officially formed by Kader Asmal
1970s:
- Frontline States formed by Tanzania, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia in support of
democratic SA
- Allowed ANC/PAC military bases in their country
- Sweden gave ANC financial support in 1970’s
- 1977 – UN mandatory ban on weapon sales to SA
- Gleneagles Agreement – no sporting events with SA
,The nature of the apartheid state in the 1970’s and the
1980’s:
1960s:
- Little protest in South Africa during the 1960’s as a result of state repression
- African National Congress (ANC) & the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) was banned after the Sharpeville
shootings in 1960
- Government also:
→ increased state control over the media
→ gave police power to detain people for indefinite periods without trial
→ placed critics under restriction orders or house arrest
- Government became increasingly militarised:
→ huge sums of money spent on armaments
→ all young white men had to do military service
- “Separate Development” Policy was implemented in order to control urbanisation
→ Africans were confined to the homelands (called Bantustans)
1970s:
IMPLEMENTATION OF BANTUSTANS SYSTEM/HOMELANDS:
- In 1970 all Africans had to become citizens of one of the homelands instead of being accepted as South
African citizens
- Government attempted to promote self- government under homelands chiefs
- 10 homelands created in SA:
E.g. Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Venda, Gazankulu, KaNgwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, and
QwaQwa.
- Each ethnic group would have its own state with its own political system and economy, and each would
rely on its own labour force.
- Gov. declared 4 of the Bantustans “independent” → Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and the Ciskei
- However, still remained dependent on the Pretoria government
- The remaining Bantustans remained self-governing but had no independent rights.
- No foreign states recognised the independence of the homelands
- This was an attempt to counter demand for political rights within the rest of South Africa
- This denied black South Africans political rights in the rest of the country
- Bantustans became puppet states
- In the early 1970s people started to turn against the apartheid government
- 1973 world oil crisis (oil-producing countries in the Middle East raised the price of oil) caused the
economy to decline
- Bantu Education policy resulted in a lack of skilled labour in the economy
, STRIKES:
- 1973
- General dissatisfaction led to multiple strikes, mainly in Durban and East Rand
- Black trade unions were suppressed and without legal rights
- Workers strikes supported by black community & growing businesses (esp. ones with foreign investors)
- Put pressure on gov. to make changes
- In 1975 Angola and Mozambique gained independence
- Mozambique → The Frelimo Party (Mozambique Liberation Front) lead by Samora Machel came to power
- Angola → the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) gained control
- This allowed the ANC and PAC to establish bases closer to South Africa
- The liberation of the two former Portuguese colonies gave hope to many black South African that things
in South Africa could change too
- More outbreaks of protests in 1976 in Soweto and nationwide
UNBANNING OF TRADE UNIONS:
- Trade unions banned in 1956
→ No rights, no say
→ Can’t strike to get better conditions, so employer can keep employees
→ Politics controls economics
→ Workers rights interlinked with politics
→ Trade unions therefore interested in the political side – if more communism, capitalist therefore install
in economy
1979:
- Black trade unions officially recognised after Wiehahn commission
- Rapid growth of trade unions over the next year
- Alliances formed with communities and liberation movements
- Demanded an end to Apartheid
- Organised stay-aways and boycotts (300 days lost to strike activity between 1982 & 1984)
- Strikers won better wages and the first black trade unions were created
P.W. Botha:
- 1978 – 1984 → Prime Minister
- 1984 – 14 August 1989 → President
- Nicknamed “Die Groot Krokodil”
- PW Botha had been John Vorster’s defense minister
- In 1978 he succeeded Vorster as Prime Minister after the Information Scandal (Muldergate)
- The Muldergate scandal was a result of gov attempts to influence international and local public opinion
about the Apartheid government
- Once he was Prime Minister he kept the post of Minister of Defence
- He continued the process of strengthening the South African Army through forced conscription
- During this time military spending more than quadrupled
