The next turning point was when Mandela persuaded the ANC and its allies to accept the formation of a military organisation. The organisation was called ‘Spear of the people’ or ‘MK’ for short. It used a policy of sabotage in order to put pressure on the government to bring about change but not to harm anyone or undermine support for the ANC. This was a significant turning point because it was the start of a new type of resistance and a change within the ANC.
The final most significant turning point in Mandela’s life was when he was appointed president of South Africa on the 27th April 1994. This signified the final end of apartheid and minority rule and was the beginning of freedom in South Africa.
- External pressure played a very important part in bringing about the end of the apartheid. It was the mid 1980’s when the sanctions began to take effect. Financial sanctions had a much greater impact on the South African economy than the political sanctions imposed. Financial sanctions involved the withdrawal of loans, a major prop for the South African economy. The most damages were caused when the Chase Manhattan Bank withdrew from South Africa. This caused the South African stock market to plummet and the rand to drop significantly in value. However, it is ironic that the withdrawal helped to bring about the end of apartheid as the withdrawal was not due to disapproval of apartheid. It was in fact because South Africa was seen as a risky nation to invest in.
The withdrawal of funds had an immediate effect. The South African government was forced to declare bankruptcy. The countries debts were also rescheduled; this caused South Africa to be shunned economically, financially and diplomatically. In August 1986, US Congress enacted the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act. This placed a ban on new US investment and loans, landing rights, imports (Coal, Uranium, Iron, Steel), on South Africa. The Commonwealth and European Community also imposed various other sanctions on South Africa.
As a result of the sanctions, the government no longer had the money to support PW Botha’s plans for ‘Total Reform’. The sanctions were also having an effect on the morale of white South Africans. They felt disliked throughout the world; they wanted their national pride restored. The sanctions meant that Pretoria had less money to spend on keeping the whites in their luxurious lifestyles. The consequences of the Rubicon speech on the economy were finally beginning to show an end to the possible future of apartheid.
Despite the imposed sanctions, South African businessmen were finding ways to get passed the trading sanctions. Trade dropped initially while exporters looked for new markets. Once they had found the new markets, export volumes in South Africa rose by 26% between 1985 and 1989. Disinvesting companies within South Africa simply sold off their assets cheaply to the local white businessmen.
Sporting and Cultural boycotts also affected the country as it was damaged the morale of South Africans. South Africa was first suspended and later expelled from the International Olympic Committee. Protestors against apartheid disrupted the last South African Springboks tour of the UK. These restrictions caused white South Africans to realise just how isolated they had become due to apartheid. This was the beginning of the public disagreement with apartheid and minority rule. Only a few extremists stayed true to the idea of minority rule and white supremacy.
- I believe that Nelson Mandela was more important that FW de Klerk in bringing about the end apartheid and minority rule in South Africa, but both men played a significant role. Nelson Mandela was involved in the main resistance against apartheid, the African National Congress, or ANC for short. This large political group in South Africa was involved in many protests against apartheid since its formation in 1912. Mandela joined the Youth League of the ANC in 1944 but had doubts about his commitment to the party. In 1948 the Youth League elected a new ANC president in response to the victory of the National Party in the 1948 election. The ANC decided to adopt more revolutionary tactics against apartheid – strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience and non-cooperation with the government.
The next act against apartheid was the ANC’s demand in 1951 that the government repeal the apartheid laws that had been put in place in 1950. The government responded to this by convicting ANC and SAIC (South African Indian Congress) leaders of being ‘statutory communists’. They were sentenced to 9 months imprisonment and a 2 years suspension from politics.
In 1953 to 1955 the ANC ran a protest campaign against the removal of blacks from Sophiatown, a black township next to the white areas of Johannesburg. The ANC refused to contemplate armed resistance, and in February 1955 4,000 police and military troops blocked off the township while municipal workers razed the houses to the ground. Mandela then learnt that the ANC’s peaceful protests would not match the armed resistance of the National party government.
In March 1960 the ANC inspired protests resulted in rioting in many areas of South Africa forcing the government to declare a state of emergency. In April 1960 the ANC was classed as an illegal organisation under the Suppression of Communism Act.
The next major anti-apartheid act was the formation of the MK, the military organisation of the ANC, inspired by Nelson Mandela. The adopted an armed resistance against apartheid in the form of sabotage on government buildings. The police arrested Mandela on the 5th of August 1962. At his trial he defended the ANC’s use of a more violent approach to apartheid explaining how the government had responded violently to the ANC’s previous non-violent protests. After the Rivonia trial things became very difficult for the ANC, the majority of their senior leaders were either in jail or in exile.
On February 10th 1990 Mandela was released from jail by the new president, FW de Klerk. This allowed Mandela try and recover the ANC and restart its struggle against apartheid. On the day of his release he spoke of continuing the ANC’s armed struggle against apartheid until the government stopped the violence against the ANC. He also spoke that the ANC wanted a non-racial South Africa. In July 1991 the ANC held its first conference inside South Africa since its ban 30 years earlier and Mandela was elected president of the ANC.
After the CODESA talks between the Mandela and de Klerk, the ANC adopted a policy of ‘mass action’ – wide scale boycotts, strikes and demonstrations to start on the 16th of June 1992. After the government said nothing about the Boipatong massacre of 46 ANC members by members of the Inkatha party on the 17th of June 1992, the ANC suspended direct dealings with the governments. FW de Klerk responded by announcing that if the ANC made South Africa ungovernable, the government might have to respond with unpleasant means.
On 3rd of June 1993 CODESA set the date for South Africa’s first national, non-racial general election. The ANC won the election and it was signified as the end of apartheid and minority rule.
FW de Klerk played an important role in bringing about the end of apartheid. On February 2nd 1990 de Klerk announced to Parliament the intention to dismantle the apartheid system and begin negotiations. He then went on to release Mandela from jail and allowed the talks with Mandela and the ANC to progress further than the previous president PW Botha had. FW de Klerk and Mandela met on 26th of September 1992 and signed the ‘Record of Understanding’ in order to resume negotiations following the deaths of 29 ANC members during the protest march on Bisho.
In conclusion, Mandela played a more pivotal role in bringing about the end of apartheid. He had been playing a part in the anti-apartheid movement before FW de Klerk was made president. However FW de Klerk helped the negotiations between the National party and the ANC progress and helped to bring about the end of minority rule.
