Fear, hope and the leap of faith in 1992
· Citizen
It was almost 36 years ago – on 20 February, 1992 – that the then state president, FW de Klerk, announced a surprise referendum which would, effectively, change the course of history in South Africa.
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The plebiscite asked the white electorate to say “yes” or “no” to this question: “Do you support continuation of the reform process which the state president began on 2 February, 1990 and which is aimed at a new constitution through negotiation?”
The results gave a powerful mandate to De Klerk and his National Party: 68.73% of white voters supported what would, effectively, be a move to black majority. Of the about 2.8 million votes cast, 1 924 186 were in favour and 875 619 were against.
Today – sadly, in my view – that process and its results are under fire from all sides.
From the right – which fought tooth and nail for a “no” vote – there has been plenty of “we told you so” rhetoric, which has accelerated since the election of Donald Trump as US president, a phenomenon which has boosted rightwing causes around the globe.
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To be fair, even a sizeable number of “yes” voters, angered and saddened over the collapse of the country under successive ANC governments, would go back in time, if they could, to redo their votes.
But, how realistic would that be?
Those campaigning for “no” were led by the Conservative Party – whose spiritual successor is today’s Freedom Front Plus – which warned against communism, collapse and loss of white rights (include the one to have their own homeland or Volkstaat).
Looking at what is happening around the country today and without sounding like an apartheid nostalgic, one would have to say the ANC has done its best to prove them correct.
However, in 1992, white South Africa and the National Party government had their backs against the wall. While the SA Defence Force was in no danger of being defeated militarily, the liberation struggle was being fought on other than conventional, or even semi-conventional, battlefields.
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Sanctions were starting to bite.
White South Africans found themselves increasingly isolated across the world and township unrest – along with the rising militant power of trade unions – meant that any fight to save apartheid would only be a holding action, with the variable being merely how long it would take for the system to finally collapse.
And that is where the leftists who say the referendum meant nothing are also wrong.
Had white South Africa voted to stop the negotiation process, lock up all the “ANC terrorists” and fight on, there would have been immense bloodshed.
Though the conflict may even have become internationalised, many thousands of black people would have died.
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And, in the end, would democracy achieved that way have brought anything different… especially allowing for the scale of reconstruction which would have had to take place from the ashes of the previous country?
I covered that referendum as a reporter and I remember two things: Fear and Hope. Sometimes in different places, sometimes within the same voter.
I knew the white right-wingers were not bittereinders who would die for their cause – life was quite comfortable for many in white suburbia and many of them have benefited, post-1994. Even many farmers are better off.
Those who voted “yes” should not be ridiculed – or worse.
They went where no white person had gone before but, in taking that leap of faith, they did the right thing. History should judge them accordingly.
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