South Africa since 1994 transitioned from the system of apartheid to one of majority rule. The election of 1994 resulted in a change in government with the African National Congress (ANC) coming to power. The ANC retained power after subsequent elections in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019, However, in 2024, they officially lost the National Majority and had to form a Government of National Unity with other political parties, including the former official opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
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👉 History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of National Party (South Africa)
The National Party (Afrikaans: Nasionale Party, NP), also known as the Nationalist Party, was a political party in South Africa from 1914 to 1997, which was responsible for the implementation of apartheid rule. The party was an Afrikaner ethnic nationalist party, which initially promoted the interests of Afrikaners but later became a stalwart promoter and enactor of white supremacy, for which it is best known. It first became the governing party of the country in 1924. It merged with its rival, the South African Party (SAP), during the 1929-1939 Great Depression, and a splinter faction, the Re-United National Party became the official opposition during World War II and won power in 1948. With the National Party governing South Africa from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994, the country for the bulk of this time was only a de jure or partial democracy, as from 1958 onwards non-white people were barred from voting. In 1990, it began to style itself as simply a South African civic nationalist party, and after the fall of apartheid in 1994, attempted to become a moderate conservative one. The party's reputation was damaged irreparably by perpetrating apartheid, and it rebranded itself as the New National Party in 1997 before eventually dissolving in 2005.
Following the 1948 general election, the party as the governing party of South Africa began implementing its policy of racial segregation, known as apartheid (the Afrikaans term for "separateness"). Although White-minority rule and racial segregation were already in existence in South Africa with non-Whites not having voting rights and efforts made to encourage segregation, apartheid intensified the segregation with stern penalties for non-Whites entering into areas designated for Whites-only without having a pass to permit them to do so (known as the pass laws), interracial marriage and sexual relationships were illegal and punishable offences. Black people faced significant restrictions on property rights. After South Africa was condemned by the British Commonwealth for its policies of apartheid, the NP-led government had South Africa leave the Commonwealth, abandon its monarchy led by the British monarch and become an independent republic. The party's system of apartheid was officially labelled a crime against humanity by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: History of South Africa (1994–present)
- 👉 History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of National Party (South Africa)
- History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of Desegregation
- History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of Inkatha Freedom Party
- History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of Ethiopian diaspora
History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of Desegregation
Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely bringing a racial minority into the majority culture. Desegregation is largely a legal matter, integration largely a social one.
History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of Inkatha Freedom Party
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP; Zulu: IQembu leNkatha yeNkululeko) is a conservative political party in South Africa, which is a part of the current South African government of national unity led by the African National Congress (ANC). Although registered as a national party, it has had only minor electoral success outside its home province of KwaZulu-Natal. Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who served as chief minister of KwaZulu during the Apartheid period, founded the party in 1975 and led it until 2019. He was succeeded as party president in 2019 by Velenkosini Hlabisa.
During the first decade of the post-Apartheid period, the IFP received over 90% of its support from ethnic Zulus. Since then, the party has worked to increase its national support by promoting social and economic conservative policies. In the 2019 general election, the IFP came in fourth place nationally, winning 3.38% of the vote and 14 seats in the National Assembly.
History of South Africa (1994–present) in the context of Ethiopian diaspora
There are over 2.5 million Ethiopians abroad, primarily inhabited in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. In U.S, there are 250,000 to 460,000 diaspora, and 16,347 in the Netherlands according to the Dutch Central Statistics Agency. Ethiopian diaspora play important roles in various fields, including politics, business and culture, and have been instrumental in the promotion of Ethiopian culture and heritage aboard. In South Africa, Ethiopians migrants are estimated to be about 120,000 people, affecting the status of South Africa's economic space in townships, rural areas, and in select central business districts across the country. Meanwhile, they face challenges relating to xenophobia and racism in South Africa, particularly in the post-apartheid society. More than 90% of Ethiopian immigrants arrived in the country irregularly, and are considered by the South African government as undocumented migrants.
Due to political turmoil and recurring natural disasters, Ethiopians have also migrated to Kenya, Sudan, and other neighbouring countries. During the brutal Tigray War, as many as 600,000 people were killed and nearly 3 million displaced both internally and in fleeing abroad.