South Africa

In 1994, the International Republican Institute (IRI) began a relationship with the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), a civil society organization, dedicated to implementing democracy-strengthening initiatives.

One of SAIRR's primary initiatives is the Free Society Project, which was launched following the 1994 elections to strengthen the new South African democracy. With SAIRR, IRI aims to increase the influence of the Free Society Project's views on individual liberty and economic freedom, informing the national debate of a vision of a free South African society within a free, prosperous, and economically integrated sub-continent.

Monitoring Democracy

IRI has been impressed with the SAIRR's success as an unbiased government monitor. Regardless of which party is in power, the SAIRR remains one of the few organizations that has had the courage to serve as a "watchdog" and, where appropriate, alert the public to executive and legislative actions that violate fundamental civil liberties or erode democracy and economic freedom. Independent analysis and constructive criticisms of the government are essential to maintaining the legitimacy of government, developing effective checks and balances on executive power, and safeguarding the freedom of South African citizens. It is for this reason that IRI proposes to continue supporting the SAIRR's activities in South Africa.

SAIRR launched the Free Society Project immediately after South Africa's first all-inclusive elections in 1994, to strengthen the new democracy and to identify threats to it. Since then, the FSP has monitored developments within the country, analyzed new policies and laws, advocated against measures that could undermine a free and open society, and suggested alternatives more consistent with a vision of a free South Africa within a free, prosperous, and economically integrating sub-continent. From the outset, the FSP has had a direct and measurable impact on a wide range of public policy initiatives, including protecting the independence of civil society. The Free Society Project is thus widely recognized as one of South Africa's foremost watchdogs on policy issues and its data and views on matters of current affairs are quoted in both the South African and foreign media, on the floor of Parliament, and in the halls of government ministries.

IRI will also be in close consultation with the SAIRR management team to stimulate a sustainable growth of the Project in accordance with its progressive role in South Africa. Over the past few years, South African leadership has been built upon a triple alliance: the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). Recently there have been several shifts between the three that present many new challenges in maintaining stability. It is essential that SAIRR be able to address the implications of these changes to the public effectively, and continue to advocate the principles of democracy in South Africa. Accordingly, SAIRR must take stock of its organizational development needs, and begin to address them pro-actively.

Although not officially called apartheid until the late 1940s, the oppressive policy was originated in the early 1900s. Laws limiting South Africa's black majority to menial labor in addition to enforced residential restrictions were passed prior to World War I. In response to these policies black South Africans formed resistance and liberation movements. The poorly resourced groups had little success and the black majority continued to suffer at the hands of a white minority for more than seven decades.

Beginning in the 1970s the ANC began to see some marginal success. Popular uprisings in black townships and civil disobedience by black leaders highlighted the injustice of the apartheid system. Slowly the courageous actions of these people began to change public opinion in South Africa and the international community. Change would not come easy. The government brutally cracked down on any demonstrations by black South African effectively making South Africa a police state.

Isolated from the international community and experiencing a depressed economy, white South Africans elected F.W. de Klerk as president in 1989; after a few months in office, de Klerk announced an end to the failed apartheid system. He lifted the ban on the ANC and released its president, Nelson Mandela, who had spent 27 years as a political prisoner. Agreeing to work for a peaceful transition to democracy, de Klerk and Mandela put South Africa on a new course.

In 1994, there was a state of euphoria as South Africa held its first free elections and Nelson Mandela was elected president. Under the ANC leadership of Mandela and the current president, Thabo Mbeki, the quality of life for South African citizens has improved in recent years. Cooperation amongst the triple alliance; the ANC, SACP, and Cosatu, has been a critical factor of the progression and stability of South Africa's development. The country is still plagued, however, by the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and poverty that is rampant on the African continent. Despite the challenges they face, South Africans remain committed to the success of democracy in their nation and have been at the forefront of economic growth and social stability across continent through Mbeki's leadership in the African Union (AU), particularly in spearheading the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) initiatives.

Political Overview

Head of Government: President Thabo Mbeki, African National Congress

Type of Government: republic

Suffrage: universal, age 18

Elections Calendar

Program Overview

Focus of Program: local government support

Funding Source: National Endowment for Democracy