Today in History: FW de Klerk announces Nelson Mandela’s release and unbans numerous political organisations
The decision taken by De Klerk was not an easy one, as he faced opposition not only from his political opponents, but also from his own party (National Party).
On this day in 1990, President FW de Klerk announced that Nelson Mandela would be released from prison, and that the ANC, PAC, SACP and other liberation movements would be unbanned.
At the time of the announcement, in Cape Town, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was at St George’s Cathedral with his congregation, ready to celebrate an event he considered to be as close as possible to the Second Coming. The announcement to release Mandela and unban the African National Congress (ANC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and other liberation movements was received with mixed feelings inside and outside Parliament.
South Africans celebrated the news as they were optimistic that the country was finally taking a turn for the better. It is believed that De Klerk’s decision to release Mandela and to unban the political parties was the result of few factors.
Firstly, South Africa had been isolated through international trade sanctions to the extent that the South African economy was severely handicapped. Coupled with this, the multiple States of Emergency measures enacted by the Apartheid State had consistently failed to quell the uprisings. Lastly, South Africa was almost totally isolated from the international community in terms of cultural and sporting events.
This milestone was followed by tension-driven negotiations aimed at transferring power from the white minority to the majority of South Africans. Though it brought about democracy, this journey was not totally without obstacles. These ranged from intensification of political violence in some parts of South Africa to unilateral declarations by some groups to break away from South Africa and form their own homelands. Some scholars have argued that De Klerk narrowly avoided a civil war that would have been severely detrimental to the country and the region as a whole.
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