Bophuthatswana and its impact on the North West Province, 1974-1998

Abstract

This thesis is about the history of Bophuthatswana from 1974 and its impact on the North West Province. Bophuthatswana was one of the homelands created by the Nationalist Government for different ethnic groups of black South Africans and it became an independent 'state' (in the South African context) in 1977 under kgosi L.M. Mangope as its president. This was done within the Grand Apartheid plan as an attempt to prevent the growth of African Nationalism and a Black united political front against White domination. The Nationalist Government thought that this could assist in the preservation of White Supremacy. Independent homeland ' states ' remained integral parts of South Africa, their policies were monitored and they were also funded by South Africa. This type of relationship degenerated into a Neo-Colonial relationship, or what has been termed internal colonialism. Despite a lack of legitimacy for homeland independence, in the eyes of South African government, Bophuthatswana became a shining example of the homeland states. It introduced tangible changes, moving away from the Apartheid system by creating a nonracial society, introducing a totally new constitutional model which contained a Bill of Rights, instituting a Multi-Cultural Education system which theoretically provided equal opportunities to all, and attempting to establish an independent economy. Though it continued like all other homelands to receive funding :from South Africa, Bophuthatswana was considered to have organised a sounder economy than all South Africa's homelands. On the political field Bophuthatswana's quest for international recognition became an illusive exercise as the international community rejected homelands and perceived them as creations of Apartheid. Moreover as Bophuthatswana came under mounting political pressure from within South Africa and internationally, it resorted to increasingly oppressive rule. With the dawn of new democratic South Africa in 1994, Bophuthatswana disappeared dramatically from the political scene. The events leading up to the fall of Bophuthatswana, the actual collapse of the homeland and the interim administration which followed are discussed fully in this thesis. It was incorporated into the North West Province, forming almost half of the Province and also providing the largest sector in terms of infrastructure, human and economic resources. This legacy was however not fully utilised by the new government for political motives and in cases the infrastructure was left to collapse in disuse. The failure of the North West Provincial Government to build on foundations of earlier strides taken by Bophuthatswana especially in the fields of Education and Economy became a major constraint in service delivery. The artificiality of the original Bophuthatswana state meant that it was often neither rational nor economic for the NWPG to follow the Bophuthatswana model. On a political level the North-West Provincial government obviously had to distance itself from the Bophuthatswana past.