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18 March | ||
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1992: South Africa votes for change
White South Africans have backed an overwhelming mandate for political reforms to end apartheid and create a power-sharing multi-racial government.
In a landslide victory for change, the government swept the polls in all four provinces, and all but one of 15 referendum regions. It won 68.6% of the vote in a record turn-out, which, in some districts exceeded 96%.
Despite being one of the most conservative districts in the whole country there was a small yes majority for change. Only Pietersburg in the Northern Transvaal, a rural right-wing stronghold where Dr Andries Treurnicht has his parliamentary constituency as head of the CP, returned a no vote. Pretoria, the administrative capital which has symbolised Afrikanerdom, produced a 57% "yes", in the legislative capital, Cape Town, 85% voted "yes" and in the judicial capital of Bloemfontein 58.5%. "Today we have closed the book on apartheid,'' Mr de Klerk said in Cape Town as he also celebrates his 56th birthday. White electors have not only voted by a 2-1 majority to abolish apartheid but also to lose their own power. Mr de Klerk said the result was a boost for the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, Codesa, but he could not commit himself to a timetable for installing a multi-racial government, which required further discussions Dr Treurnicht pledged never to work on the Codesa board and that CP would not join the negotiating forum. He said: "De Klerk has won his referendum. That is clear." But he vowed there would be a return of apartheid in the country and he blamed media propaganda, foreign intervention and threats by businessmen against employees for the result. Nelson Mandela, the president of the African National Congress who was jailed for 27 years because of his fight against black segregation, said he was ''very happy indeed''.
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