Amandla!

Leroy A. Binns Ph.D.

The Pretorian government gave the cliché, “Christmas comes but once a year,”a new meaning when she oversaw the release of the ANC most admonished leader Nelson Mandela.

Following uprisings in Tembisa, Elliot, Taylor’s Halt and Atteridgeville the de Klerk administration broke trends with the past and after 27 years lifted the ban on all black organizations, freed prominent nationalist leaders and abolished segregation laws.

Although the long awaited transition has been welcomed by the populace at large obstacles still abound. Most significantly there was fierce opposition from the minority conservative party that seeks to maintain the status quo. The problem also culminates with a government that was indecisive about the path to change.

As the spotlight hovers over South Africa, solutions are being echoed from various sectors within the society. On the first day of freedom Mandela voiced integration of blacks into the country’s political mainstream as the alternative while in a rare appearance with ABC’s Nightline correspondent Ted Koppel, President FW de Klerk in uncertain terms aired the possibility of adopting one of the many democratic models.

With upcoming negotiations between the government and her counterparts in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and representatives of the ANC and her affiliates, the abandonment of the state of emergency, the unconditional release of all political prisoners and the implementation of voting laws were some of the primary issues that set the stage for future discussions. However diehard elements continued to hold steadfast on matters of economic sanctions in attempts to solicit attention to promote an agenda.

As it stands the international community has continued to address the problem with zeal. Within the European Community all nations with the exception of Great Britain made public their intention to sustain economic sanctions against Pretoria until serious strides were mad towards equality. At the same time across the Atlantic the US Afro-American congressional caucus was seeking additional trading sanctions and fiscal blockades to bring the transfer of power to fruition.

The passage of political turmoil may nonetheless give rise to the Zimbabwean model - the institutionalization of black leadership at the hands of the country’s old oligarchy. Thus the South African majority must heighten her awareness for the days ahead.