1994 in South Africa
Encyclopedia
February
- 28 February - At midnight Walvis BayWalvis BayWalvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...
was handed over to NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March... - BophuthatswanaBophuthatswanaBophuthatswana , officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana was a Bantustan – an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity – and nominal parliamentary democracy in the northwestern region of South Africa...
public servants go on strike
March
- 1 March The African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
president Nelson MandelaNelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and Inkatha Freedom PartyInkatha Freedom PartyThe Inkatha Freedom Party is a political party in South Africa. Since its founding, it has been led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa.-History:...
leader Chief Mangosuthu ButheleziMangosuthu ButheleziInkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi is a South African Zulu politician who founded the Inkatha Freedom Party in 1975 and continues to lead the party today.His praise name is Shenge.-Early life:...
in DurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism... - 5 March Weapons are stolen from the South African Air ForceSouth African Air ForceThe South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
's 10 Air Depot at Voortrekkerhoogte - 7 March President Lucas MangopeLucas MangopeKgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope is the former leader of the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana and current leader of the United Christian Democratic Party, a minor political party based in the North West province of South Africa....
of BophuthatswanaBophuthatswanaBophuthatswana , officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana was a Bantustan – an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity – and nominal parliamentary democracy in the northwestern region of South Africa...
, declears that the homeland's won't be registering for the April elections. Unrest breaks out and the Bophuthatswana Defence Force is called in- The Transitional Executive Council's law and order subcouncil recommends that Section 29 of the Internal Security ActInternal Security ActThe term Internal Security Act is often given to a piece of legislation laying down regulations that enable the executive government of a jurisdiction to preserve the internal security of the nation...
and Section 206 of the Criminal Procedure ActCriminal Procedure ActCriminal Procedure Act is a stock short title used for legislation relating to criminal procedure in Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom....
be repealed immediately
- The Transitional Executive Council's law and order subcouncil recommends that Section 29 of the Internal Security Act
- 8 March Closing date for submission of South Africa's new flag
- The Transitional Executive Council threatens strong action against the Bophuthatswana government
- 9 March The Nokia 2110Nokia 2110The Nokia 2110 is a cellular phone made by the Finnish telecommunications firm Nokia, first announced in 1994. It is the first Nokia with Nokia tune ringtone...
is launched in South Africa at a cost of R4,199- Three people are killed and about 40 injured when police opened fire on demonstrators in MmabathoMmabathoMmabatho is the former capital of the North-West Province of South Africa. In the apartheid era, it was the capital of the former "Bantustan" of Bophuthatswana. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Bophuthatswana was integrated into the newly established North-West Province and Mmabatho was...
, Bophuthatswana - Bophuthatswana President Lucas Mangope rejects the Independent Electoral CommissionIndependent Electoral Commission (South Africa)The Independent Electoral Commission is South Africa's independent election management body. It manages elections to the National Assembly, the provincial legislatures and the municipal councils....
chairman Judge Johann KrieglerJohann KrieglerJohann Christiaan Kriegler is a former Constitutional Court and Appeal Court judge from South Africa.-Early life:Born in Pretoria, he matriculated at King Edward Vll School in Johannesburg in 1949. He then attended the South African Military Academy for two years. He studied law at the University...
's plea for free political activity in the homeland - The staff of the Bophuthatswana Broadcasting Corporation is fired and the two television stations and three radio stations are closed down
- The Inkatha Freedom Party, Freedom Front fail to submit their candidates' lists to the Independent Electoral Commission's offices in JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
by the 4.30pm deadline
- Three people are killed and about 40 injured when police opened fire on demonstrators in Mmabatho
- 10 March President Lucas Mangope flees MmabathoMmabathoMmabatho is the former capital of the North-West Province of South Africa. In the apartheid era, it was the capital of the former "Bantustan" of Bophuthatswana. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Bophuthatswana was integrated into the newly established North-West Province and Mmabatho was...
to Sun CitySun City, North WestSun City is a luxury casino and resort, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located about two hours' drive from Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.- History :...
- The Inkatha Freedom Party's central committee met in Ulundi and decided against participation in the April election
- 11 March Three Afrikaner WeerstandsbewegingAfrikaner WeerstandsbewegingThe Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging is a South African far right separatist political and former paramilitary organization, since its creation dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "" in part of South Africa...
(AWB) members are killed by the Bophuthatswana Defence Force- The South African Defence ForceSouth African Defence ForceThe South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
troops move into Bophuthatswana to protect the South African embassy - The Freedom Front submits its candidates' list but the Inkatha Freedom Party fails to meet the Independent Electoral Commission's new cut-off which means that the Inkatha Freedom Party would no longer be able to contest the April election
- The South African Defence Force
- 12 March Dr. Tjaart van der Walt is appointed as Bophuthatswana's new administrator
- 15 March Nelson Mandela and Professor Itumeleng Mosala (president of the Azanian People's Organisation), address separate rallies in Mmabatho
- South Africa's new national flag is unveiled
- 16 March State President FW de KlerkFrederik Willem de KlerkFrederik Willem de Klerk , often known as F. W. de Klerk, is the former seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994...
announces that the government had made a number of contingency plans to prevent the right wing from attempting to take over authority over towns as part of their resistance against the new constitution- The CiskeiCiskeiCiskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
's government agrees to pay pension benefits to public servants who threatened "Bophuthatswana-style action" if their demands were not met
- The Ciskei
- 18 March Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini suggests that the Zululand region is on the point of a unilateral declaration of independence
- 21 March The Inkatha Freedom Party rejects an initiative by President De Klerk to bring it into the election and starts planning a campaign of opposition to the Interim Constitution and April's election
- Prisoners begin countrywide protest for the right
- 21 prisoners are killed in a cell fire at the QueenstownQueenstown, Eastern CapeQueenstown, named after Queen Victoria, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly half way in between the towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom. It is currently the commercial, administrative, and educational centre of the prosperous surrounding farming district...
Prison - About 2,000 prisoners broke out of their cells and toyi-toyied in the courtyards at PietermaritzburgPietermaritzburgPietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
Prison - 3,000 prisoners are also on hunger strike including 614 at East London, 29 at Krugersdorp, 148 at Port Shepstone, 16 at Pollsmoor (Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
) and 210 at Brandviel
- 21 prisoners are killed in a cell fire at the Queenstown
- A bomb explodes at the offices of the National PartyNational Party (South Africa)The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
in the right-wing town of Ventersdorp
- Prisoners begin countrywide protest for the right
- 22 March Ciskei military leader Brigadier Oupa GqozoOupa GqozoJoshua Oupa Gqozo was the military ruler of the former homeland of Ciskei in South Africa.-Early life:Oupa Gqozo was born in Kroonstad on 10 March 1952, the son of a Christian minister. He was sent away at a young age to stay with a relative living in Witgatboom in Northern Transvaal . There he...
resigns - 24 March State President FW de Klerk states that South African Defence ForceSouth African Defence ForceThe South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
troops could be deployed in KwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu.... - 26 March Right-wingers march in PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
in a show of strength and the Afrikaner Volkstaat and Conservative Party leader Ferdi Hartzenberg addresses the marchers at Church Square- KwaZulu Chief Minister Mangosuthu ButheleziMangosuthu ButheleziInkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi is a South African Zulu politician who founded the Inkatha Freedom Party in 1975 and continues to lead the party today.His praise name is Shenge.-Early life:...
meets State President FW de Klerk for talks about contingency planning for strife-torn KwaZulu-Natal - The home of African National Congress regional premier candidate Jacob ZumaJacob ZumaJacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
is torched by a mob in Nxamalala, near Inkandla, in northern KwaZulu-Natal
- KwaZulu Chief Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi
- 27 March Disgruntled nuclearNuclear weaponA nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
and rocketRocketA rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
scientists threaten to expose South Africa's closely guarded secrets about the arms programme unless they are paid R4.5-million in retrenchment benefits- South Africa is readmitted to the Olympic gamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
by the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
- South Africa is readmitted to the Olympic games
- 28 March More than 30 people are killed and hundreds injured in battles in the Johannesburg area as tens of thousands of Zulus converged on the city centre to demonstrate their support for King Goodwill Zwelithini
- Shell House massacreShell House massacreOn March 28, 1994, about 20 000 Inkatha Freedom Party supporters marched to Shell House, the headquarters of the African National Congress , in central Johannesburg, South Africa, in protest against the 1994 elections, which at that stage the IFP was intending to boycott.ANC security guards opened...
were security guards at Shell House, the African National Congress HQ in Jeppe Street, Johannesburg, open fire on demonstrators - More than 200 people are arrested in PhuthaditjhabaPhuthaditjhabaPhuthaditjhaba is a town in the Free State province of South Africa. The frequent snow on the Drakensberg mountain peaks surrounding the town led the San to call the region Qwa-Qwa . It was known as Witsiehoek to the European settlers. The area was then turned into the bantustan or homeland of...
, QwaQwaQwaQwaQwaQwa was a Bantustan, or homeland, in the eastern part of South Africa. It encompassed a very small region of in the east of the former South African province of Orange Free State, bordering Lesotho. Its capital was Phuthaditjhaba...
after a march by thousands of public servants on the homeland's parliament deteriorated into violence and the South African Defence Force troops are sent in
- Shell House massacre
- 29 March Mangosuthu Buthelezi states that the Inkatha Freedom Party will fight the African National Congress "to the finish" unless the elections are postponed
- The Transitional Executive Council recommends emergency measures in KwaZulu-Natal
April
- South Africa establishes a Consulate-General in MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India - India establishes a High Commission in PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
and opens a second Consulate-General in DurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism... - 1 April A state of emergency is declared in KwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
- 6 April A joint committee consisting of the Independent Electoral CommissionIndependent Electoral Commission (South Africa)The Independent Electoral Commission is South Africa's independent election management body. It manages elections to the National Assembly, the provincial legislatures and the municipal councils....
, KwaZulu and the South African Government concludes that elections would be impossible in KwaZulu under present conditions. - 8 April A meeting between the African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
president Nelson MandelaNelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, King Goodwill Zwelithini, State President FW de KlerkFrederik Willem de KlerkFrederik Willem de Klerk , often known as F. W. de Klerk, is the former seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994...
and Chief Mangosuthu ButheleziMangosuthu ButheleziInkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi is a South African Zulu politician who founded the Inkatha Freedom Party in 1975 and continues to lead the party today.His praise name is Shenge.-Early life:...
, chief minister of KwaZulu takes place at a secret venue - 14 April International mediation to break the constitutional deadlock between the African National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party fails
- Television debate between FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela with no clear winner
- LesothoLesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
's Deputy Prime Minister, Selometsi Baholo, is shot dead by dissident soldiers during an apparent kidnapping attempt
- 15 April Five days of intensive meetings between Mangosuthu Buthelezi, FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela start with the KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n roving ambassador Professor Washington Okumu brokering the negotiations - 18 April The StarThe Star (South Africa)The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
's photographer, Ken OosterbroekKen OosterbroekKen Oosterbroek , was a South African photojournalist and member of The Bang-Bang Club. He worked for The Star in Johannesburg, which was South Africa's biggest daily broadsheet...
, is among several people killed during a firefight between hostel dwellers and National Peacekeeping Force troops in Tokoza - 19 April Inkatha Freedom Party agrees to contest the first nonracial elections, to be held in a week time
- 24 April Nine people are killed and 92 injured in central JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
when a 90 kg car bomb explodes on the corner of Bree and Von Wielligh Streets outside the African National Congress regional and national headquarters just before 10am - 25 April A bomb explodes at a taxi rank near the Randfontein station with no injuries
- 26 - 29 April the first democratic electionsSouth African general election, 1994The South African general election of 1994 was an election held in South Africa to mark the end of apartheid, therefore also the first held with universal adult suffrage. The election was conducted under the direction of the Independent Electoral Commission .Millions queued in lines over a three...
take place which the African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
wins - 27 April South Africa adopts its present multi-coloured flagFlag of South AfricaThe current flag of the Republic of South Africa was adopted on 27 April 1994, at the beginning of the 1994 general election, to replace the flag that had been used since 1928...
as its national flag.
May
- 3 May - South Africa resumes full membership of the World Health Organisation
- 5 May - Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, announces the doubling of $600 million United States assistance to South Africa over the next 3 years - 6 May - South Africa establishes diplomatic relations with GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north... - 10 May Nelson MandelaNelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
is sworn in as the first post-apartheid President of South AfricaPresident of South AfricaThe President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
and FW de KlerkFrederik Willem de KlerkFrederik Willem de Klerk , often known as F. W. de Klerk, is the former seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994...
and Thabo MbekiThabo MbekiThabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
become joint deputy presidents - 25 May - The United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
lifts its arms embargoUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 418United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, adopted unanimously on 4 November 1977, imposed a mandatory arms embargo against apartheid South Africa. This resolution differed from the earlier Resolution 282, which was only voluntary...
on South Africa
December
- 17–22 December - The African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
hold their 49th National Conference in BloemfonteinBloemfonteinBloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
Unknown date
- Trevor Manuel is selected by the World Economic ForumWorld Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow"
Athletics
- 5 March – Daniel Radebe wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:15:06 in East London.
Deaths
- 18 April - Ken OosterbroekKen OosterbroekKen Oosterbroek , was a South African photojournalist and member of The Bang-Bang Club. He worked for The Star in Johannesburg, which was South Africa's biggest daily broadsheet...
, photographer for The StarThe Star (South Africa)The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
, is killed in the crossfire during pre-election fighting in ThokozaThokozaThokoza is a township south of Johannesburg, South Africa at the location of the now defunct Palmietfontein Airport. It is situated south east of Alberton, adjacent to Katlehong on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1973 and together with Katlehong it forms the second... - 9 May - Elias MotsoalediElias MotsoalediElias Motsoaledi was one of the eight men sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia Trial.-Early Life and Family:...
, political activist, dies after a long illness - 22 May - Aegidius Jean Blignaut, short story writer and creator of Hottentot Ruiter, dies in London, UK, at the age of 95.