The storms of reforms: South Africa's reform-strategy, c. 1980-1989
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Date
2013
Authors
Stemmet, Jan-Ad
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Humanities, University of the Free State
Abstract
2013 marks the thirtieth anniversary of South Africa’s 1983 referendum in which the majority of
whites voted in favour of Pretoria’s proposed reformist constitution. The reform strategy, set out as
a 12 Point Plan, was part of the grandiose Total National Strategy. The latter was conceptualized in
an attempt to simultaneously enlighten the political status quo while safeguarding minority power. It
implied the scrapping of a myriad of laws and regulations and a mesh of new ones – including the 1983
Constitution. In order to reform apartheid the National Party regime of PW Botha had to reform the
country almost in its entirety. Pretoria nonetheless refused a statement of intent or time frame. If the
reform strategy failed the minority would be left out of options and would in whatever way surrender
its position of unquestionable power. Without grasping the processes inherent to this topic the processes
of 1990 and thereafter cannot be understood. This article will examine the reform strategy and
implementation thereof. Furthermore the article will enlight the reaction to it and so too its effect.
Description
Keywords
Apartheid, Total strategy, Reforms (1980s), 12 Point plan, Tricameral parliament, PW Botha, Referendum (1983), Samuel Huntington
Citation
Stemmet, J-A. (2013). The storms of reforms: South Africa's reform-strategy, c. 1980-1989. Journal for Contemporary History, 38(2), 119-138.