The 1980s: An Introduction
The 1980s in South Africa were characterised by mass protests against the Apartheid Regime. The picture above depicts a UDF march on Polsmoor prison to demand the release of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners. The Police attacked the protesters early in the morning on the day of the march, in August 1985. Photo by Gideon Mendel, scanned from the book "Beyond the Barricades" ©.
During the 1980s, the Apartheid government came under increasing internal pressure. The National Party attempted a political solution to the crisis it faced. It created the cosmetic Tricameral Parliament, a system of governance which tampered with, but did not challenge apartheid.
The reforms had the opposite affect to what the Apartheid regime intended. Reforms provided renewed impetus for the resistance movements against Apartheid, and the 1980s was a decade which became a turning point in South African history. Popular protest by masses of ordinary South Africans against the Apartheid regime reached its height. The government responded with extreme brutality and repression.