As I reflect on apartheid, I am convinced that my thoughts in this post can\u2019t, possibly, fully address the complexed set of problems that officially drove a nation for 46 years to suppress the majority of its people. White people only made up 12% of the population yet, minority rule was the law. Was it fueled by want of power? Was it fueled by fear of communism, \u00a0economic privilege, or the sinfulness of suppressing a nation of people? The answer could be yes to all of those.<\/p>\n
From the outset, I want to acknowledge that there were numerous people who impacted the end of apartheid. Most of this post centers around two of them, Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk. Arrested in 1962 Mandela was initially sentenced to 5 years in prison. By 1964 he was sentenced to life in prison. By the time he was released in 1990, Nelson Mandela had spent 27 years of his life as a prisoner[1]<\/a>. Aside from being physically confined, spending years in prison took its toll on Mandela, particularly, his family relationships. Whether through physical separation due to imprisonment or divergent approaches to social issues, Nelson and Winnie Mandela\u2019s marriage did not survive. He also missed watching his only daughter grow into adulthood. Yet, this leader was very intentional. Prison became his place to percolate ideas and strategize the changes in his country that were needed. As example, Mandela deliberately learned the Afrikaans language. When asked why he spoke Afrikaans, his answers were diverse. It was a show of respect for the negotiators speaking with him. It showed he was an educated person able to learn multiple languages, it was a way to understand the perpetrators of white South Africans and help move him to common ground with them[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mandela wanted the end of minority rule in his country that elevated Afrikaners. Once several pieces came together such as his release from prison, \u00a0the African National Congress, ANC, was unbanned, and minority rule ended, Mandela was elected President in the next election. Mandela\u2019s goal was to work toward multi-racial power sharing rather than single race rule. He sought reconciliation, collaboration, and a government that represented all the people. Cabinet meetings were difficult but even with the multiracial group that had to learn to work together, Mandela was intentional to give everyone a voice in the hope that consensus could be found[3]<\/a>. He was looking not just to rule the country but to reach reconciliation [4]<\/a> For a country whose people were suffering for lack of sustainable wages that could help a family put a roof over their heads and food on the table, Mandela\u2019s insistence on reaching consensus was painfully slow. Ultimately, Mandela\u2019s mission of reconciliation was for both those who suffered under apartheid and those who were insecure as to what the future would bring[5]<\/a>.<\/p>\n While much of my focus has been on Nelson Mandela, the last two presidents of South Africa under apartheid, P.W. Botha and F.W. de Klerk also played key roles in ending apartheid. Mandela may have been looking for justice, Botha and de Klerk were looking at the situation from a practical perspective. South Africa was suffering economically and politically. Neither initially considered ending apartheid completely but by listening to the criticism from the international stage, they recognized changes were needed. Countries throughout the world criticized South Africa on apartheid which was manifested both \u00a0in embargos and repudiation in the world theater[6]<\/a>.<\/p>\n The title of Anatomy of a Miracle<\/em>, infers that the culmination of the struggles and true hardships that a whole sector of society suffered would be met with triumph. Yet, \u00a0After Mandela, The Battle for the Soul of South Africa<\/em> had a different emphasis that did not surprise me. The end of white only rule was just a beginning, an important one but still not the whole story. Author Alec Russell addresses power struggles among early leaders, the disenchantment of ANC members who thought life would quickly be so much better than during apartheid, and the real needs that still existed among many , especially in the townships, where many were still living in sub-standard housing and earning far below a poverty level[7]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Together, both of these books led me to several considerations: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n A question I am left with after reading both of these books is one I ask myself. Would I be willing to take a stand where the cost was that high? I hope I will, yet I am fully aware that I haven\u2019t been asked to do this, yet.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Patti Waldmeir, Anatomy of a Miracle, the end of Apartheid and the Birth of the New Sound Africa, <\/em>(New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press, 1997, 141.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Waldmeir, 16.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Waldmeir, 259.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Waldmeir, 254.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Waldmeir, 142.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Waldmeir, 110<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Alec Russell, After Mandela, The Battle For The Soul of South Africa<\/em>, London, GB, Windmill Books, 2010), 97.<\/p>\n\n