International Relations

• The pariah status of the country greatly increased, with considerable world attention focused on the news media; images of the police and the military, especially in the townships
• The most important impact was on the economy - foreign bankers and investors, concerned that their investments were at risk, began to pull out of the country
• In 1984, 40 US companies pulled out of South Africa; another 50 followed suit in 1985
• At the beginning of 1985, Citibank declared that it would make no new loans to the South African government for the foreseeable future
• In July 1985, Chase Manhattan Bank caused a major financial crisis in South Africa by refusing to roll over its short-term loans (most other international banks followed its lead)
• Barclays announced in March 1986 that it would lend no new funds to South Africa, until the government could demonstrate its ability to pay its current debts and eliminate apartheid
• Following on from the State of Emergency in 1985, international opposition came once again for South Africa
• It was predominantly in the form economic and cultural sanctions again
• However, by the end of the 1980s, there was to be another international factor which would signal the beginning of the end for apartheid - the end of the Cold War
• The UN, the Commonwealth and black South Africans were stepping up their call for sanctions - many ordinary people across the world were answering and putting pressure on their government
• Botha played as hard as he could on western worries of communism - helped by two key people for most of the 1980s (Ronald Reagan, US president 1980-88, and Margaret Thatcher, Britains prime president 179-90); they were staunchly anti-communist, and didn’t like principles to get in the way of business - they wanted to hear what Botha had to say on ‘reform’ and resisted pressure for sanctions
• Domestic pressure was not enough
• Thatcher argued against sanctions; claiming they would hurt blacks - her real motivation was for big business
• Some agreed and said that investing more money is better because it would make the poorer better-off; they said the well-off blacks can put more pressure on the Government
• 1985 - the American Chase Manhatten Bank refused to keep lending money to South Africa and over the next two years, dozens of international companies withdrew investment - included Barclays and esso
• Foreign governments had also took action; the British Commonwealth condemned Botha’s policy and the USA passed an anti-apartheid act and encouraged US firms to take money out of South Africa
• 1986, 7 leading Commonwealth politicians visited South Africa to find out whether sanctions would end-apartheid (Eminent Persons Group); after they warned Botha there would be a bloodbath unless there was discussions with the ANC and reforms
• June 1985 - Secret talks between Mandela and Kobie Coetsee (justice minister) to discuss the way forward
• 1986 - New sanctions from the US and the EEC, this had two effects: Cost South Africa millions of pounds over the next few years and black unemployment in townships doubled; 1987 25% of black workers had no job (helped ANC gain new members)
• However, it would take a while to defeat the white government, South Africa had a rich farming land and plenty of raw material and could produce everything it needed - other countries needed its products; they exported coal, iron, steel, as well as diamonds and gold
• South African economy was crumbling, with increasingly high unemployment
• Sanctions weren’t working so in 1988 UN again demanded the release of Mandela; in the same year, a concert was held at Wembley in London to mark Mandela’s 70th birthday to highlight the strength of international support behind his release from prison
• Constructive engagement, since Thatcher and Regan were friendly with South African government it gave them more influence to ush it to reform
• Anti-apartheid movements, organised protests and boycotts against countries with investments in South Africa
• Cultural sanctions during the 1980s were endorsed by a UN resolution indicating foreign artists should not work with South Africa; these sanctions were, however, a voluntary code enforced through public pressure and championed by celebrities and some cultural institutions - white South African artists were effectively banned from touring the world and non-South Africans were ostracized for performing in South Africa
• International sanctions recognised in total onslaught
• More calls for sanctions by the UN, commonwealth, and EEC (supported by the people) - opposed by Thatcher and Reagan
• State of Emergency and Rubicon Speech after 1985 saw more economic sanctions, sports boycotts, student (public) demonstrations and music spreading awareness (188 Wembley concert)
• End of cold war by 1990 - changed international landscape