End of Apartheid

Negotiations, elections and the new South Africa

The End of Apartheid

By the late 1980s, apartheid was unsustainable. President FW de Klerk unbanned the ANC and released Mandela in 1990. Negotiations led to the 1994 elections when all South Africans could vote for the first time.

Example

Timeline to Freedom

• 1989: FW de Klerk becomes president • 2 Feb 1990: ANC unbanned, Mandela released • 1991-93: CODESA negotiations • 1993: Nobel Peace Prize to Mandela and De Klerk • 27 April 1994: First democratic elections • 10 May 1994: Mandela inaugurated as President

Note

Remember

The transition was remarkable — instead of civil war, South Africans negotiated peace. The TRC helped deal with the past. However, apartheid's effects (inequality, poverty) remain challenges today.

Key Vocabulary

NegotiationsDiscussions to reach agreement between opposing groups

CODESAConvention for a Democratic South Africa

ReconciliationRestoring friendly relations after conflict

TransitionThe process of changing from one system to another

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Negotiations

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