Apartheid 1980
Botha brought about 2 major strategies in the 80s, ironically these would cause a major crisis for the National
Party government and ultimately lead to the ending of Apartheid.
1) Prime Minister P.W. Botha implemented TOTAL ONSLAUGHT - TOTAL STRATEGY
TOTAL ONSLAUGHT: term the NP used to suggest that there was a total onslaught by Communists in South
Africa, underground communist entities were plotting to take over the SA government through the means of
political attacks, protests, and international criticism. These communist forces were using anti NP political
parties as their vehicle.
TOTAL STRATEGY: in order to thwart these nefarious plans, namely TO, a TS was needed to save SA. The
following measures were put in place as part of the TS:
1) Increased military strength: this was done through compulsory military conscription of all white men.
Major acquisition of weapons, the ultimate use of a State of Emergency - a situation of national danger or
disaster in which government suspends normal constitutional procedures in order to gain control. Usually,
the army takes over the control of a country.
2) Censorship: any form of media, art, literature, speech that was against the SA government was banned.
Committees were set up to oversee censorship.
3) The banning of people, political parties and organisations, and rallies. Many were incorrectly labelled as
communists in a bid to justify this action.
4) Detention without trial thus giving them the freedom to arrest anyone under the guise of protecting SA.
Thousands were thrown in jail without any recourse to proper court proceedings, access to legal
representatives or trials.
It should be noted that in order maintain some kind of relationship with the Western World, SA had t be seen
as a bulwark against communism. To the USA and UK communism was a much greater evil than apartheid.
2) Prime Minister P.W. Botha implemented the Tricameral Parliament
A new constitution was introduced in 1983 which created a tricameral (three chamber) parliament. This was
an attempt to gain Indian and coloured support but maintain white control.
Parliament was divided into 3 houses:
House of Assembly = whites
House of Representatives = coloureds
House of Delegates = Indians
The majority of seats were held by the House of Assembly and even if the Representatives and Delegates
voted together, they could still not make any laws. Their hands were tied.
The result of this new Constitution had an adverse effect, many Indians and coloureds were offended by the
patronising effort to give them a modicum of power over their own people without any recourse to actual
change. Many also felt that if blacks were given no vote, then there was little change. A new wave of mass
action took place throughout the 1980s - these involved trade unions, civic organisations, communities,
students, and church leaders.
, Resistance to Apartheid
Resistance to the Apartheid was twofold, it was both internal (from within SA) and external (international).
1) Internal resistance
1.1 Trade Unions
• Black trade unions were legally recognised for the first time in 1979 and played an instrumental role in
protests.
• After 1983 trade unions became more actively involved in wider politics. Many joined the United Democratic
Front. In 1987 COSATU adopted the Freedom Charter and aligned itself with the non-racial democratic
perspective of the UDF.
1.2 Civic Organisations
• Civic refers to the community. These organisations included parent-student organisations, women’s
organisations, youth groups and residents’ associations.
• These groups were usually more focused on issues that dealt with the quality of life of regular citizens and
focused on specific issues such as township rent and bus fare increases.
• Over time they became part of the bigger movements and joined country wide protests in the form of bus
boycotts, consumer boycotts, worker stay-away and election boycotts of local councils.
• Local councils had been put in place by the NP government. They were township administrators and those
who worked for them were seen as collaborators (those working with the Apartheid regime).
• Many councillors and black officers were forced to flee townships for fear of their lives. Some of them were
killed in gruesome deaths, most prevalent being heinous ‘necklace’ killings. This was done in front of crowds
and family members. A strong message was being sent that those who collaborated with the government
would suffer the same fate.
• ‘People’s courts’ were established in townships to deal with personal issues and was seen as an alternative
form of justice.
1.3 United Democratic Front
The UDF was a non-racial alliance launched in Mitchell’s Plain in 1983.
Compromised of trade unions, civic groups, students, women organisations, religious, sport, political
and business organisations.
They based their policies on the Freedom Charter.
By 1985 they had an estimated 3 million followers, including the ANC in exile. Other well-known
members were archbishop Desmond Tutu, reverend Allan Boesak, Albertina Sisulu and Helen Joseph.
The UDF promoted boycott of tri-cameral government elections and the election of councils in
townships. They also organised rent boycotts, school protests, worker stay-aways and consumer
boycotts.
A number of UDF leaders faced treason charges in 2 highly publicised trials. They were accused of
plotting with the banned ANC and South African Communist Party to overthrow the government.
They were highly effective in unifying and co-ordinating opposition and were thus banned by the NP in
1988.
1.4 Women’s organisations
Botha brought about 2 major strategies in the 80s, ironically these would cause a major crisis for the National
Party government and ultimately lead to the ending of Apartheid.
1) Prime Minister P.W. Botha implemented TOTAL ONSLAUGHT - TOTAL STRATEGY
TOTAL ONSLAUGHT: term the NP used to suggest that there was a total onslaught by Communists in South
Africa, underground communist entities were plotting to take over the SA government through the means of
political attacks, protests, and international criticism. These communist forces were using anti NP political
parties as their vehicle.
TOTAL STRATEGY: in order to thwart these nefarious plans, namely TO, a TS was needed to save SA. The
following measures were put in place as part of the TS:
1) Increased military strength: this was done through compulsory military conscription of all white men.
Major acquisition of weapons, the ultimate use of a State of Emergency - a situation of national danger or
disaster in which government suspends normal constitutional procedures in order to gain control. Usually,
the army takes over the control of a country.
2) Censorship: any form of media, art, literature, speech that was against the SA government was banned.
Committees were set up to oversee censorship.
3) The banning of people, political parties and organisations, and rallies. Many were incorrectly labelled as
communists in a bid to justify this action.
4) Detention without trial thus giving them the freedom to arrest anyone under the guise of protecting SA.
Thousands were thrown in jail without any recourse to proper court proceedings, access to legal
representatives or trials.
It should be noted that in order maintain some kind of relationship with the Western World, SA had t be seen
as a bulwark against communism. To the USA and UK communism was a much greater evil than apartheid.
2) Prime Minister P.W. Botha implemented the Tricameral Parliament
A new constitution was introduced in 1983 which created a tricameral (three chamber) parliament. This was
an attempt to gain Indian and coloured support but maintain white control.
Parliament was divided into 3 houses:
House of Assembly = whites
House of Representatives = coloureds
House of Delegates = Indians
The majority of seats were held by the House of Assembly and even if the Representatives and Delegates
voted together, they could still not make any laws. Their hands were tied.
The result of this new Constitution had an adverse effect, many Indians and coloureds were offended by the
patronising effort to give them a modicum of power over their own people without any recourse to actual
change. Many also felt that if blacks were given no vote, then there was little change. A new wave of mass
action took place throughout the 1980s - these involved trade unions, civic organisations, communities,
students, and church leaders.
, Resistance to Apartheid
Resistance to the Apartheid was twofold, it was both internal (from within SA) and external (international).
1) Internal resistance
1.1 Trade Unions
• Black trade unions were legally recognised for the first time in 1979 and played an instrumental role in
protests.
• After 1983 trade unions became more actively involved in wider politics. Many joined the United Democratic
Front. In 1987 COSATU adopted the Freedom Charter and aligned itself with the non-racial democratic
perspective of the UDF.
1.2 Civic Organisations
• Civic refers to the community. These organisations included parent-student organisations, women’s
organisations, youth groups and residents’ associations.
• These groups were usually more focused on issues that dealt with the quality of life of regular citizens and
focused on specific issues such as township rent and bus fare increases.
• Over time they became part of the bigger movements and joined country wide protests in the form of bus
boycotts, consumer boycotts, worker stay-away and election boycotts of local councils.
• Local councils had been put in place by the NP government. They were township administrators and those
who worked for them were seen as collaborators (those working with the Apartheid regime).
• Many councillors and black officers were forced to flee townships for fear of their lives. Some of them were
killed in gruesome deaths, most prevalent being heinous ‘necklace’ killings. This was done in front of crowds
and family members. A strong message was being sent that those who collaborated with the government
would suffer the same fate.
• ‘People’s courts’ were established in townships to deal with personal issues and was seen as an alternative
form of justice.
1.3 United Democratic Front
The UDF was a non-racial alliance launched in Mitchell’s Plain in 1983.
Compromised of trade unions, civic groups, students, women organisations, religious, sport, political
and business organisations.
They based their policies on the Freedom Charter.
By 1985 they had an estimated 3 million followers, including the ANC in exile. Other well-known
members were archbishop Desmond Tutu, reverend Allan Boesak, Albertina Sisulu and Helen Joseph.
The UDF promoted boycott of tri-cameral government elections and the election of councils in
townships. They also organised rent boycotts, school protests, worker stay-aways and consumer
boycotts.
A number of UDF leaders faced treason charges in 2 highly publicised trials. They were accused of
plotting with the banned ANC and South African Communist Party to overthrow the government.
They were highly effective in unifying and co-ordinating opposition and were thus banned by the NP in
1988.
1.4 Women’s organisations
