The process that brought an end to racism against Black people in South Africa stands as a key example of resolving long-running conflicts through peaceful means. With courageous steps, half a century of institutionalized racism was dismantled and a lasting settlement was built.

 

South Africa remained under British colonial rule for many years and became independent in 1931. However, racism did not end. In 1948, the National Party came to power and introduced the apartheid system, regarded as one of the most systematic racist regimes in history. The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886 further deepened racial inequality.

 

Africans were stripped of political rights, including the right to be elected. They were barred from living in the same neighbourhoods as whites and from accessing the same education. Under apartheid law, people were racially classified as “white,” “black,” “coloured,” or “Asian,” with absolute privilege granted to whites in all spheres of life.

 

 

Racist policies included:

 

*The 1949 Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, banning marriages between whites and non-whites.

 

*The 1952 Pass Laws, limiting the length of time Black people could stay in city centres to 72 hours.

 

*The 1950 Immorality Act, criminalizing emotional and sexual relations between whites and non-whites.

 

*The abolition of the Native Representative Council, which had represented Africans.

 

*The 1953, Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, segregating public spaces by race.

 

*The 1953, Bantu Education Act and Bantu Authorities Act, introducing segregated education and limiting Africans to training for unskilled labor.

 

*The complete removal of voting rights for non-whites in 1956.

 

*Expanded pass laws in 1960, making it mandatory for Black people to carry identification documents.

 

*Between 1960 and 1983, 3.5 million people were forcibly displaced; non-white neighbourhoods were declared “white areas” and destroyed.

 

ANC RESISTANCE

 

The strongest opposition to apartheid emerged under the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), founded in 1912. Civil disobedience campaigns and strikes launched in the 1950s were met with harsh repression. In 1955, the Congress of the People adopted the Freedom Charter, asserting that South Africa belonged to all who lived in it and calling for equal rights and shared wealth. The apartheid regime responded with mass arrests and the infamous Treason Trials.

 

SHARPEVILLE MASSACRE

 

A turning point came with the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March 1960, when police opened fire on protesters opposing pass laws, killing 69 people. The United Nations later classified the massacre as a crime against humanity. Armed resistance followed, and Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1964 Rivonia Trial.

 

STUDENT UPRISINGS AND ESCALATION

 

In the mid-1970s, the Black Consciousness Movement led by Steve Biko mobilized students against apartheid education policies. The 1976 Soweto uprising was met with lethal force; hundreds were killed over the following year. Despite limited reforms proposed by President P.W. Botha, which excluded Black people from power, resistance intensified nationwide.

 

MANDELA’S RELEASE AND NEGOTIATIONS

 

In 1989, F.W. de Klerk became president and initiated reforms, lifting bans on political organizations. After 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela was released on 11 February 1990, a moment seen worldwide as a symbolic victory against racism. The ANC suspended armed struggle, and negotiations began.

 

Through the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA), political parties and civil society groups engaged in talks between 1991 and 1993. Key apartheid laws were repealed, local peace committees were established, and mechanisms for disarmament and conflict prevention were introduced.

 

DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION AND RECONCILIATION

 

South Africa’s first multiracial elections were held on 27 April 1994, bringing the ANC to power and electing Mandela as the country’s first Black president. In 1995, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was established to address past human rights violations. The commission heard thousands of testimonies, granted conditional amnesties, and officially defined apartheid as a crime against humanity.

 

A new constitution, shaped by widespread public participation, came into force in 1997, guaranteeing equality, protecting identity rights, recognizing 11 official languages, and criminalizing hate crimes.

 

‘WE BUILT THE PROCESS FROM THE BOTTOM UP’

 

Speaking to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Mohammed Bhabha reflected on the transition. He described apartheid as a system that dictated where people lived, worked, and what rights they had. He emphasized that resistance was carried out on three fronts: international recognition of apartheid as a crime against humanity, mass mobilization through unions and civil society, and armed struggle, while maintaining a moral commitment to avoid targeting civilians.

 

Drawing parallels with Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish issue, Bhabha said Mandela’s release marked a turning point and demonstrated how leadership could transform demonization into opportunity.

 

“After the fighting stopped, reconciliation at the grassroots was essential,” Bhabha said. “We established peace committees in every neighbourhood. Clerics, community leaders, and civil society brought former enemies together. Our success came from building the process not from the top to bottom, but from the bottom to up.”

 

He stressed that truth, accountability, and forgiveness were crucial to national healing. “Revenge does not build a country. Leadership, patience, and commitment to principles are essential. Peace and healing take generations.”

 

MA / Berivan Altan – Hivda Celebi