Today in History: Kenyan professor mediates in SA election deadlock
The details of the meeting were not made public, but it's known that Washington Okumu mediated.
On this day in 1994, Kenyan professor, Washington J Okumu urged Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi to participate in South Africa’s forthcoming general elections.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) agreed to take part in the elections following talks between President FW de Klerk (NP), Nelson Mandela (ANC), and Mangosuthu Buthelezi (IFP) to participate in the elections. After the meeting, Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini also called on his subjects to take part in the election.
The Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) chairperson, Judge Johann Kriegler, side-stepped the question of international mediation, which led to the breakthrough and Inkatha’s participation in South Africa’s first democratic polls the following week, when asked how the Kenyan mediator had broken the election deadlock.
The main elements of the Agreement for Reconciliation and Peace were:
• The IFP agreed to participate in the general election
• The parties agreed to recognise and protect the institution of the Zulu king and the Kingdom of KwaZulu, for which purpose the interim Constitution would be amended before the election
• Any outstanding issues in respect of the King of the Zulus and the 1993 Constitution as amended would be addressed by way of international mediation
Accordingly, the IFP recognised the interim Constitution and committed itself to the election process and the election date.
Information courtesy of: https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/kenyan-mediates-sa-election-deadlock.
