South African History Online

30 December 1991

Fellow South Africans,

A New Year is upon us. A New Year that, in the last decade of this century,
could usher in a new era of hope for all South Africans. While we have achieved
a great deal, we should not, however, mark this New Year in a spirit of self
congratulation, but rather as an occasion for calm and sober reflection. We need
to take stock of the tasks and challenges that still lie ahead. Yet it is an
index of the advances we have made that the opportunity to set South Africa
firmly on the road to democracy is with us.

1991 saw many new developments, including the formation of the Patriotic
Front. We can all justly take pride in the success of the first meeting of the
Convention for a Democratic South Africa, CODESA, which brought together the
overwhelming majority of political parties, organisations and formations in our
country. The commonly agreed objective of CODESA, subscribed to by all but two
of the participants, is the attainment of a non-racial democracy.

The tragedy of South Africa is that CODESA comes after eighty years of costly
struggles by the majority of South Africans who had been excluded from the
so-called "national convention" that took place in 1909. After the innumerable
missed opportunities of the past eight decades, CODESA represents a promising
window of opportunity for all South Africans to map out the future of our
country together.

As 1991 draws to a close, there remains the painful, fruitless and tragic
bloodshed that has been the source of so much grief in Natal and other parts of
the country. There is little merit today in attempting to determine who fired
the first shot. But it is abundantly clear that no one - other than those who
wish to preserve the apartheid order - benefits from the continuation of this
bloodletting.

During Christmas and New Year, dedicated to peace and goodwill to all, I
appeal to all the leaders of our people, be they in the civics, the mass
movement, the trade unions, womens' or youth organisations, cultural or
educational bodies, the churches or in business, to spare no effort to make the
Peace Accord work and bring peace into our lives. For the sake of our children,
for the future of our country, and to ensure that the democratic order so many
have sacrificed so much to achieve is not still-born, the killing must stop now.
Not another life should be lost in this futile violence.

As we enter the New Year, we cannot forget those of our fellow citizens whose
lot is the despair of homelessness, hunger and poverty. Millions of our people
are still denied fundamental human rights - shelter, food and the right to a
full and productive life. The future we seek to build will be seriously flawed
if it cannot address this national problem. The ANC has its own proposals to
resolve the socio-economic problems afflicting the people of our country. I
would appeal to others to give the matter the priority it deserves.

We realise that many South Africans are deeply concerned about the future,
particularly the question of creating a vibrant and growing economy. The speed
with which we can achieve this is dependent on progress made towards fundamental
change. We have proposed, and the world has endorsed, the phased lifting of
sanctions. The achievements to date have enabled us to lift people-to-people
sanctions, and the benefits are there for all to see and enjoy - in cricket and
other sports, in the cultural sphere and in tourism. The establishment of a
democratic constitution would allow for all remaining sanctions, including
financial sanctions, to be lifted and enable us to take our place with pride in
the international community. Investors are keenly interested in the progress we
make. If we accomplish these goals, the world is open to us.

This New Year will be the first that many who have engaged in struggle will
observe outside prison. I take this opportunity to renew my heartfelt, warm
welcome to these former political prisoners. I embrace these comrades, fully
confident that they will find their rightful place in the ranks of the struggle
they have served with such distinction, even while they were behind bars. The
release of the majority of political prisoners, fought for and won by the people
of South Africa, supported by millions throughout the world, is a great victory.
But it is not complete, for outstanding patriots like Robert McBride,
Mthetheleli Mncube and Mzondeleli Nondula are among the over 400 political
prisoners who still remain in jail and on death row.

The harsh reality is that irrespective of the numbers that we, through our
collective strength and efforts, can release from apartheid's jails, no one in
South Africa can be truly free as long as the racist constitutional order
remains in place. In our view, the foundations laid at CODESA make it possible
for an Interim Government of National Unity to be established to oversee the
transition process and supervise free and fair elections for a Constituent
Assembly, on the basis of one person, one vote. A democratic constitution is,
therefore, one of our priority goals to be achieved for this coming year.

1992 can be the year in which our country takes this giant step, which is
necessary to realise our goal of democracy and win international acceptance. But
all this can be achieved through our actions alone. For the sake of our country
and our future, we dare not fail!

Let us begin this New Year by resolving not to perpetuate distinct racial,
ethnic and language groups, which are the legacy of apartheid, but to act as
fellow South Africans, ready and willing to work together. Let us seize this
opportunity to make a new beginning by creatively harnessing what is best in our
past to build for the future. There is a role and place for everyone in our
country. Let us set aside narrow sectoral and party political interests to serve
the greater national interest that will guarantee a future of peace, stability
and prosperity for all.

To the extent that we all do this, 1992 can indeed become a Happy and
Prosperous New Year.

I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
President, African National Congress
30
December, 1991