Road to Democracy
Road to Democracy essay notes
1989 sparked the change of ideas and dawned the opportunity to finally end apartheid. PW Botha was forced to step down as president by members of his own cabinet. FW de Klerk, who realized the urgency of the need for a different approach towards to monstrosity of apartheid, took Botha’s place.
Many among the tens of thousands who gathered at the Grand Parade in Cape Town on February 11 1990 had probably never seen Nelson Mandela before.
Some did not have a clue what he looked like. But they knew that the tall, grey-haired man emerging from the balcony, fist clinched in the air with a broad smile and a definitive voice, would bring about a new dawn to South Africa.
His release, although anticipated for almost three decades, was still unexpected.
President FW de Klerk, the seventh leader of an apartheid government, seemingly had an about-turn when he called for negotiation to establish a new and just constitutional dispensation where every inhabitant would enjoy equal rights, treatment and opportunity. Effectively declaring the end of apartheid, De Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and other political organizations, opening room for talks mainly between the National Party and the ANC, as well as other political parties to usher in a new dispensation. While the world held its breath for a civil war – especially as violence continued in parts of the country – a peace pact emerged, paving the way for a new constitution and democratic rule.
Despite an undertaking to end apartheid, negotiations to shape democracy were not without their fair share of difficulty. Apartheid after all stemmed from an inherent belief in white – particularly Afrikaans – supremacy. Therefore, some of those who continued to fight to hold on to the laws of the land, which exclusively exalted them. It had been three years since talks of democracy began and the idea of sharing equal rights with blacks was soon to be a reality the right wing movement was
1989 sparked the change of ideas and dawned the opportunity to finally end apartheid. PW Botha was forced to step down as president by members of his own cabinet. FW de Klerk, who realized the urgency of the need for a different approach towards to monstrosity of apartheid, took Botha’s place.
Many among the tens of thousands who gathered at the Grand Parade in Cape Town on February 11 1990 had probably never seen Nelson Mandela before.
Some did not have a clue what he looked like. But they knew that the tall, grey-haired man emerging from the balcony, fist clinched in the air with a broad smile and a definitive voice, would bring about a new dawn to South Africa.
His release, although anticipated for almost three decades, was still unexpected.
President FW de Klerk, the seventh leader of an apartheid government, seemingly had an about-turn when he called for negotiation to establish a new and just constitutional dispensation where every inhabitant would enjoy equal rights, treatment and opportunity. Effectively declaring the end of apartheid, De Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and other political organizations, opening room for talks mainly between the National Party and the ANC, as well as other political parties to usher in a new dispensation. While the world held its breath for a civil war – especially as violence continued in parts of the country – a peace pact emerged, paving the way for a new constitution and democratic rule.
Despite an undertaking to end apartheid, negotiations to shape democracy were not without their fair share of difficulty. Apartheid after all stemmed from an inherent belief in white – particularly Afrikaans – supremacy. Therefore, some of those who continued to fight to hold on to the laws of the land, which exclusively exalted them. It had been three years since talks of democracy began and the idea of sharing equal rights with blacks was soon to be a reality the right wing movement was