total strategy/reforms

• why did Botha reform?

  • both army leaders and owners of big businesses said that verwoerds apartheid didnt meet their needs
  • big businesses and farms needed a steady supplied of relatively satisfied workers for factories - however black workers found it difficult to move to cities and were harassed once they got there.
  • big businesses also needed skilled workers for their complex modern machines, however black children were poorly educated.
  • most blacks so poor they could hardly afford essentials
• what did his reforms aim to do?

  • 'win hearts and minds'
  • designed to support the demands of big businesses by removing some petty apartheid and unfairness.
  • also wanted to create a new black middle class
  • therefore, whites remain in control, but enough blacks have a stake in the system to blunt the force of black protest
• what were the reforms?

  • schools - Lange report (1981) recommended that a single education system by used and that funding is needed for black education - Botha tripled funding
  • trade unions - wiehahn report (1979) recommended that trade unions for black workers should be legalised - businesses suffered from strikes since the 70s from a secret union, legal unions would act more responsibly and white employers would know who to speak to.
  • job reservations - jobs previously reserved for whites opened up to blacks
• further reforms

  • power sharing - 1983 - new constitution, coloureds and Indians able to vote for representative in parliament and a new cabinet is drawn up
  • living in cities - reikent report of 1979 suggested that blacks should be able to move around the country more freely and buy houses - botha made it so that they couldn't live in 'white areas' but could move to black townships and own. influx control laws relaxed on blacks and laws on blacks owning in urban areas
• what was bothas total strategy?

  the deployment of every possible means (political, economic, military) against the perceived enemy and to protect apartheid

  • involved restructuring the government to focus on security and set up the state security council to oversee this. the police and armed forces worked together.
  • armaments corporation - ARMSCOR set up to bypass the UN boycott on arms sales to SA. SADF became strong
• what did botha do abroad for total strategy?

  • South African backed force ensured a coup in Lesotho in 1986; also established bridges with other African nations
  • Military involved in targeting ANC associates in other countries
  • Special ‘Koevoet’ organisation operated in border war with Namibia – aimed at turning MK members into informants – often became violent
  • Struggles in Angola and collapse of Soviet Bloc made foreign intervention less desirable