Life in South AfricaElections 1999South Africa is scheduled to hold its second democratic elections sometime between May and June 1999. Whereas the 1994 elections were regarded as the "liberation elections", the 1999 elections may come to be known as the "race elections". Any pretence at non-racialism having long gone, the ANC has stated that it wants to obtain a two-thirds majority to change the Constitution to "strengthen our democracy". What this phrase actually means is anybody's guess, but seeing as South Africa already has one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, the intention can only be to make it less democratic. South African Deputy President (the de facto President) Thabo Mbeki has stated that South Africa needs to develop a "national consensus"; my suspicion (hopefully needlessly alarmist) is that South Africans will wake up the day after the elections in a one party state. 13 June 1999: The elections have come and gone, and the ANC has, predictably, won the lion's share of the votes. What this will mean for South Africa remains to be seen. There were a few surpises, though ... the second largest party is now the Democratic Party, which has increased its representation from 7 seats in 1994 to 38 in 1999. The rest of the parties have reason to feel disappointed ... the IFP achieved 34 seats, the New National Party lost 54 seats to end up with 28, and the Freedom Front and Pan Africanist Congress have seen their already - small representation shrink. Get all the results at the Independent Electoral Commission website. African Christian Democratic Party Formed shortly before the 1994 elections to promote Christian interests. It performed surprisingly well and managed to win a few seats in Parliament. Recent newspaper reports indicate that a breakaway faction has formed a new party, which will probably mean its demise. Formed as the South African Native National Congress in 1912, the African National Congress (ANC) has a long history of resistance to apartheid. Unfortunately the jump from National Liberation to National Socialism is not very far, and the ANC appears to have taken it.* The bloodbath everyone was expecting after the 1994 elections did not happen. Well, not all at once. Whether the Boer Nation ever gains its freedom will ultimately depend on some sort of guerilla warfare or terrorist campaign. Why it hasn't happened yet is anybody's guess. My feeling is that it may soon.
Democratic Party of South Africa The origins of the Democratic Party are to be found in the decision by 12 United Party (of Field Marshal Jan Smuts) Members of Parliament (MPs) to form the Progressive Party in 1959. The only member returned to her seat was Helen Suzman, who was the sole member of her Party for the next three elections. In 1975 more members of the United Party defected to join the Reform Party, which merged with the Progressive Party. In 1977 the United Party dissolved, and a group led by Japie Basson joined the Progressive Party, which became the Progressive Federal Party. In 1987 a new political group of National Party defectors emerged, and formed the Independent Party under Denis Worrall and the New Democratic Movement under Wynand Malan. In 1989 the Democratic Party was formed when the Progressive Federal Party, Independent Party and New democratic Movement merged. The Democratic Party has been the most vocal and effective opposition party, despite only having 7 seats. This performance has won it new supporters, and its support is presently rated at 7 - 10 %. My criticism is that it appears to be a white middle-class party, and appearances are crucial to winning over voters. Herein lies the dilemma: how do you "blacken" your leadership without having sold out on the ideal of meritocracy? As I see it, the DP needs to realise that it can become a winning party -- it must believe in itself. It must become the great party of Smuts, not the survivor of Suzman. having said all that, the DP remains, in the absence of a democratic conservative party, the only intelligent choice for South Africans who still believe in the promise of the South Africa of 1994.* Here's the funny thing: in 1993, when I was looking for information about political parties and the Democratic Party was head and shoulders above the other parties. At that stage their support base was about 2%. Nowadays their support is around 6%, and they can't be bothered to respond to appeals for information. Strange days, indeed! Formed shortly before the1994 elections to provide a "sensible alternative" to a guerilla war, the Freedom Front has been very good at reconciliation, but not so good at securing a homeland for Afrikaners, which is its raison d' etre. I suspect that its support will either balloon, as young Afrikaners denied employment by the ANC's policies rush to join the fight for independence, or it will dwindle, because it has failed to achieve its purpose. Or it could just stay the same ... The history of the National Party consists of a succession of reactionary branches of the party breaking away and becoming the "real" National Party. The Herstigte Nasionale Party was one such group (formed in 1969) which did not make it into power.* As a Zulu cultural organization, Buthelezi's Inkatha movement was criticised for accepting a KwaZulu "homeland" for the Zulu people. As the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) it won 10% of the vote in the 1994 elections. Clashes between the ANC and the IFP have led to the death of thousands, although there are moves afoot to co-operate more closely. IFP leader Buthelezi was Acting President when South Africa invaded Lesotho in 1997. Konserwatiewe Party (Conservative Party) Formed in 1983 by National Party MPs who refused to sign an oath of allegiance to then-Prime Minister PW Botha, who was proposing the "liberal" constitutional reforms which were the cause of unrest after the implementation of the 1983 South African Constitution which left most of the power in the hands of whites, gave some to coloureds and Indians, but excluded blacks.* The National Party has undergone many transformations in its history, usually winning elections an a more conservative form of its former self. The New National Party is essentially the same party which brought about the disastrous 1983 Constitution, and which gave up its hold on power in 1994 -- the new name hides many of the same old faces. The Pan African Congress (PAC), although not a new arrival, earned itself a place in the headlines when some of its members killed American exchange student Amy Biehl in a Cape Town township while shouting "One Settler One Bullet". The PAC has offered a belated, half-hearted apology on its website -- rationalisations and explanations of what was essentially a lynching. The PAC predicted that it would win the last election and ended up with less than 2%. This time it is predicting that it will between 35% and 50%.It remains to be seen whether their predictions are any more accurate! What is ironic and troubling about the South African Communist Party (SACP) is that although it fought for democracy during the apartheid era, it does not itself participate in any elections -- its members hold dual membership with the ANC. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) was formed in 1997 as a collaborative effort between former Transkei dictator Bantu Holomisa and ex-National Party member Roelf Meyer. Whether they are able to remain happily married remains to be seen, but the UDM seems to have attracted the attention of many voters disillusioned with the other players. UDM Secretary General Sifiso Nkabinde was gunned down in Richmond, KwaZulu Natal on 23 January 1999. That night 11 people died in revenge attacks, and several UDM members were arrested after opening fire on an ANC convoy. UDM Cape Flats leader Vulindlela Matiyase was killed the next day. Nelson Mandela refused to meet with leaders of the UDM to discuss the violence. ** *Historical data sourced from Reader's Digest Illustrated History of South Africa: The Real Story (Dougie Oakes, ed., 1989 ISBN 0 947008 48 9) ** Eastern Province Herald, 26 January 1999 For a complete list of participants in the 1999 South Africa elections, visit Opinionz . Mailto: |