The
Move to Democracy
Threats
to negotiations
| GRADE LEVEL | THEME | TOPIC | DURATION |
| 12 | SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY | THE MOVE TO DEMOCRACY 1990 - 1994 | 5 x LESSONS |
The
Move to Democracy |
Conflict between the ANC and IFP The conflict between the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) goes back to the early 1980s with the formation of the United Democratic Front (UDF). Although the UDF drew its members from a number of organisations, it was strongly associated with the banned ANC. While the UDF challenged the government it also challenged the black conservative movements. Until the UDF was formed, these conservative groups had been able to maintain some support and authority but rising popular resistance made them uncomfortable. They were criticised for their ideological stand and for ‘selling out’ the majority of black people. There were a number of such black conservative organisations, but the most influential around this time was the Zulu based Inkatha, led by Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Inkatha originated as a cultural movement formed by King Solomon Dinuzulu in 1928. When it became a political player the name was changed to the Inkatha Freedom Party. Work stoppages and school and consumer boycotts remained at the centre of the UDFs strategy. Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi grew nervous of the surrounding uncertainty and the potential threat they presented to his own ambitions for power within the reform dispensation of the government. Hostility between the organisations and their members turned violent especially as the state increased its secret support of Inkatha to crush opposition. In 1985, Inkatha launched the United Workers’ Union of South Africa (UWUSA) so challenging the UDF’s Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and making the workplace a site of hostilities. Political violence and instability These clashes grew so widespread and severe that by the 1990s, they pointed to the possibility of civil war. Areas most affected were the KwaZulu, Natal midlands and the PWV regions. Thousands of people were killed and whole communities destroyed. As the two sides confronted each other sections of townships were declared "no go" zones for the enemy as was the case in Thokoza. 688 lives were lost in the IFP/ANC street battles begun in the 1980s. In an attempt to restore peace in Thokoza, a monument was erected in 1999 on Buthelezi Street, a former dividing line for the IFP and the ANC. The Inkathagate scandal and the National Peace Accord Before the start of negotiations, a public revelation of the government’s role in fuelling the ANC/IFP rivalry created a scandal. Known as the Inkathagate scandal, it referred to the government’s covert military operation to fund and train IFP supporters. Although F.W. De Klerk denied knowledge of the operation, Defence Minister Magnus Malan admitted to knowing about it. The ANC therfore decided to call for his removal along with Adrian Vlok. The ANC argued that the government could not be trusted to act fairly as it had its own interests to pursue. In view of the violence that was sweeping the country, a consultative business movement representing South African businesses and churches, began an initiative to restore peace and create the context for negotiations. On 14 September 1991, political parties signed a National Peace Accord pledging themselves to greater tolerance towards each other. The police were reminded of their duty to protect the people of South Africa irrespective of race, religion, political affiliation and gender. The Boipatong attacks and Bisho massacre Despite the National Peace Accord, violence in black townships, on trains and on taxis continued. Two major incidents followed the peace accord ie. the Boipatong attack and the Bisho massacre. Armed members of the Inkatha Freedom Party residing at Kwa Madala hostel, with the assistance of the police attacked the residents of Boipatong killing about 45 people.
A
mother sitting next to the a dead body of a loved one, after the
Later that year on September 7 1992, 28 people were killed at Bisho
in the Eastern Cape by Ciskei troops and the South African Defence
Force. A crowd of about 70 000 people had gathered to protest against
the homeland government of Brigadier Oupa Gqozo. Today, a monument
with the names of the people who died on that day stands erected in
Bisho.
Ronnie Kasrils, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, unveiled
the monument and recalled the event. After Boipatong and Bisho, a commission of inquiry was set up to investigate the violence. The Goldstone Commission found that the clashes were not only between the ANC and the IFP but that the government had played a role in the form of the covert operation of the Third Force. The commission also found that the South African Police was responsible for the violence. Right Wing Resistance Apart from the ‘black on black’ violence, another risk to negotiations was right wing resistance. The right-wing was demanding an independent Afrikaner province or volkstaat and the recognition of Afrikaans as the main official language. An impending change of Government raised fears that the minority Afrikaner identity, social standing and way of life would be lost within a racially integrated state. The AWB, the CP and the VF launched a number of protests and threatened war. In 1991, a gun battle ensued between the police and the extremist AWB when its members tried to prevent F.W. De Klerk from addressing a National Party meeting at Ventersdorp. Learning Outcomes 1: The learner will be expected to demonstrate an ability to work independently, formulating enquiry questions and gathering, analysing, interpreting and evaluating relevant evidence to answer the questions.
Learning Outcome 3: Knowledge construction and communication.Learners will be expected to synthesise information about the past to develop, sustain and defend an independent line of historical argument. They will be expected to communicate and present information reliably and accurately in writing and verbally.
Oral
History
|
Activity
11