1994 Election & Legacy of Apartheid in SA Challenges of Democratic Transition

What were the social and economic differences?

1994 UN Human Development ranking: 90th out of 175 countries
Big gap in wealth between races shown in 1996 census:
● White population: Good education, rich, good homes
● African population: Little education, poor, bad homes
● Coloured and Indian populations: In-between conditions

How was the population change?

● 46% of the African population was younger than 20 years old (14+ million)
● Many broken families and youth joining gangs

How was the complicated system from the past?

19 different education departments by race and area
Big differences in school buildings and learning materials

What was the 1994 African education numbers

24% had no schooling
37% had only primary (elementary) school
22% had some high school
6% had some university

What were the problems in education?

• Not enough teachers

• Old school programs

• Not enough good universities for Africans

What were the 1990-91 Murder rates (per 100,000) and common problems?

• 1990-91 Murder rates:

South Africa: 98
United States: 10
France/Germany: 4

● Common problems:
Many guns
Car theft
Taxi fights
278 crime groups (1995)
Farm attacks
Stealing and property crimes

What were the ongoing economic issues?

• Still in recession from 1988-1992

• 10% inflation

• Low foreign money reserves

• High personal taxes

What were the apartheid’s effects on the economic challenges?

• The country was cut off from trade

• Products were too expensive and not competitive

• Unequal skills between races

• High unemployment for Black people

• World pressure to sell state companies and reduce rules

What were some of the good things and future possibilities?

● Natural resources
● Good roads and buildings
● Strong banks
● Skilled professionals in:
Engineering
Law
Health care
Business
Need to make changes to use these good things fully

What are some of the background to the 1994 Election?

• Temporary constitution was finished on November 18, 1993, and the election happened in April 1994

• The country was almost in a civil war during this time

• Main parties: National Party and African National Congress (ANC)

• Some parties first refused to join: Conservative Party, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), leaders of Ciskei and Bophuthatswana, PAC, and the radical Azanian Peoples Organisation (AZAPO)

What were the main opposition groups towards the 1994 election?

• IFP, led by Buthelezi (Zulu people = 22% of South Africa), wanted KwaZulu to be almost independent and showed that talks had failed

• IFP had money, weapons, and military training

• Conservative Party and white right-wing group (Volksfront), led by Viljoen, saw de Klerk as a traitor and believed racist ideas — they had power in the army, police, and government

• Volksfront, IFP, and the leaders of Ciskei and Bophuthatswana worked together — they wanted separate independent areas for each group (Homelands and a Volkstaat for Afrikaners)

What were some of the negotiations and compromises made towards the 1994 Election of SA?

Mandela & de Klerk: tried to include Buthelezi and the IFP
● Some changes made on February 16, 1994:

• Gave more power to provinces

• Protected Zulu and Afrikaans culture

• Created KwaZulu/Natal province

• Viljoen created the Freedom Front party

  • Buthelezi still said no to joining the election

Why did the oppossition of the 1994 Election collapse?

• In Bophuthatswana, the leader banned the ANC from campaigning → most people protested → Volksfront came to help

• TV showed AWB (opposed the end of apartheid) killing random Africans → local police turned against them → South African government took control

• Ciskei government lost power after a rebellion

• People lost trust in Volksfront, and their alliance became weaker

• Freedom Party joined the election, but the Conservative Party and IFP still refused

• IFP kept fighting back and couldn’t be ignored

What was the 1994 Election last effort to include everyone?

• Violence got worse in March and April in KwaZulu and Johannesburg

• Shell House massacre (53 people died): Zulus marched with traditional weapons and ANC security shot them

• Mandela and de Klerk tried to convince Buthelezi and offered more power to Zulus, but he still said no

• IFP joined the election at the last minute (April 19) because Buthelezi’s friend told him they would be left out and lose in a violent fight

• An IFP sticker was added at the bottom of the voting papers

Who did De Klerk tried to win to (voters)? How was ANCs Election campaign organized?

De Klerk tried to win white and Coloured voters
● ANC had a well-organized campaign:

• Shared a plan called the Reconstruction and Development Program

• Mandela spoke about peace and unity

• Used American-style campaign methods

How was the election process?

Dates: April 26-29, 1994
● Almost 20 million people voted (86% turnout)
● It was surprisingly peaceful, felt almost like a spiritual moment

What were the problems with organizing?

• In KwaZulu, the IFP had only 1 week to prepare

• No full list of voters or exact count of people in African areas

• Some areas were fully controlled by one party

• Many voters couldn’t read or write (some voted more than once, some didn’t get ballots, underage kids voted, ballot boxes were tampered with, and vote counting was dishonest)

• Many election workers were new but tried hard to fix these problems

What were the election results?

• National Party and Democratic Party said the results were not fair

• European Union observer also said there were problems with the election

• But Commonwealth, IEC, and African Union observers said the election was mostly free and fair

• Results were close to what people expected and probably mostly correct

• Mandela became President; Mbeki first deputy president; de Klerk second deputy president (part of sunset clause)

• Provincial results: Coloured people voted with whites in Western Cape (National Party won); KwaZulu/Natal was won by IFP; voting followed racial and ethnic lines

What were the percentages of the results?

• ANC: 62.65% (252 seats in National Assembly)

• National Party: 20.39% (82 seats)

• IFP: 10.54% (43 seats)

ANC won

What were the historical importances?

● Mandela’s official ceremony: May 10, 1994
● End of 342 years of white minority rule
● A new government with different groups working together
● The world accepted the results
● A new chapter started in South Africa’s history