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neighbouring states were encouraged to increase their trade with South Africa. In the
meantime the conservative party was criticising De Klerk's mandate for all the changes.
On his release on February 2, 1990 Mr Mandela assured the White people that
he wanted to work for reconciliation and that he had not been released because of a
secret deal with the government. However, he called for the nationalisation of the
economy and refused to renounce the armed struggle, the lifting of international
sanctions and the government proposed interim power sharing.
During the
talks to hold a Convention for a Democratic South Africa
(CODESA) the former President of South Africa, F.W. de Klerk, decided to hold a
referendum to give him a mandate "on whether to negotiate an end to White minority
rule through talks with the black majority." (Facts On File News Services; March
19,1992) 68,6% of the 1,924,186 million White voters voted for the referendum as
against 31,2% that voted "no". The results were released on 18 March 1992. To F.W.
de Klerk that was an indication that the National Party had finally closed the chapter of
apartheid. He even mentioned that the then constitution was imperfect.
The African
National Congress was encouraged by these results as to them they benefited the
negotiation process, not F.W. de Klerk. However, the Conservative Party resisted the
advent ofAfrican rule.
During the negotiation for the new constitution the ANC wanted only those
representatives that it regarded as legitimate to participate while the government wanted
all political parties to participate because the ANC preference would make it a small
player. The ANC regarded many of the other parties as illegitimate. The compromise
that was struck was that an all-party convention would negotiate the formation of a
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