The starting point of bringing about the end of the apartheid was at scene of Sharpeville in 1960 where the police opened fire on peaceful black protesters. It eventually ended in 1990 when de Klerk the new South African president announced it in his speech in February. Later Mandela was elected as the first black president of South Africa in 1994 and jointly wins the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his contribution to ending apartheid despite spending twenty-seven years as a political prisoner. He played a major role in ending 300 years of white rule, although he was not solely responsible.
Mandela was born in 1918, early on in his life his father died so the chieftain of the Tembu people brought him up. He studied at fort Hare and later got expelled for protesting. He travelled to Johannesburg and studied law at the University of Witwatersrand before joining the ANC youth league, rising up to the secretary in 1947. The youth wing, formed in 1940 was a more militant group with an aggressive policy. Its main members included Walter Sissulu and Oliver Tambo. In a dawn raid in December 1956, Mandela along with 156 other people were arrested and accused of high treason. The trial did not end until 1961 after the Sharpeville massacre; all the defendants were found not guilty.
The events at Sharpeville made the South African government more intransigent towards the apartheid even with the world looking at South Africa. This caught the eye of suspicious western governments. After Sharpeville the ANC was banned so its thoughts were turned to an armed struggle. The ANC set up a military wing called the Spear of the Nation, more commonly known as MK. Mandela slipped out of the country in 1962 in order to gain support from other countries and as soon as he returned to the country he was arrested and charged with minor offences as there was no proof that he was involved with the MK. He was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years hard labor on Robben Island, an offshore prison near Cape Town.
In 1962 the government passed the sabotage act so anyone found guilty of sabotage could be sentenced to death. The defendants of the Rivonia trial were all accused of sabotage. The police found evidence of planned sabotage at the Rivonia HQ and Mandela admitted planning these acts of sabotage. They were all going to be found guilty but they could address the court before the sentence is passed. Mandela read out a statement which lasted for four and a half hours which went down in history. Mandela with some other defendants were saved death and were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Whilst in prison on Robben Island Mandela became the leader of the political prisoners. He insisted that despite their loss of freedom, they should keep their dignity by demanding that their rights should be fully respected as prisoners and that they should campaign for improvements at every opportunity. He also organised political discussions and encouraged other prisoners to study. The longer he stayed in prison, the more he became an international hero and a symbol for human rights. In March 1982 Mandela was moved to Pollsmoor prison with other ANC leaders. He was offered a conditional release by President Botha in February 1985. The deal said that he was allowed freedom just as long as he promised to give up politics. Mandela refused to consider any deal which did not also include the release of the other ANC prisoners and their right to restart their political activities.
Mandela was released in 1989 by de Klerk and the apartheid was scrapped which were met by calls of traitor from the AWB. At the end on 1991 the white government held a convention for a democratic South Africa (CODESA) to work out a new constitution with the ANC which would give democratic rights to all citizens. The discussions were slow and complicated and Mandela and de Klerk found it difficult to keep supporters behind them. Later in 1992 the ANC walked out of CODESA.
The church was a major critic of the apartheid legislation. Because many important politicians were imprisoned for the ANC the church had to take their place and argue against the apartheid as the were able to speak without getting arrested. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Allen Boesak and Frank Chicane all played key roles in the end of the apartheid.
The black consciousness movement started as a university movement with students including Steve Biko. They decided that NUSAS, which was white dominated, could not look after black students. In 1969 they formed SASO, the South African Students Organisation with Biko as its first president. He wanted to end the black's dependence on the white population and emphasized the black people overthrowing the apartheid. Biko was later arrested and beaten into a coma by the police guards and later died age 30. The police tried to cover up his death in 1977 saying it was self inflicted.
