From: jameskerlindsay
During the apartheid era, South Africa established four nominally independent states, known as Bantustans or homelands, designed to perpetuate racial segregation and white minority rule [00:00:00]. These entities were never recognized by the International Community [00:00:15].
The Crumbling of Apartheid
The system of apartheid faced decades of international pressure and an increasingly tight sanctions regime, which eventually led to its collapse towards the end of the 1980s [00:10:22].
Demise of Bantustans in Southwest Africa
In 1990, the 10 self-governing Bantustans in Southwest Africa disappeared [00:10:31]. This occurred when South Africa withdrew from the territory, leading to Namibia becoming an independent member of the United Nations [00:10:37].
South Africa’s Transition to a Post-Apartheid Era
Following these developments, South Africa moved towards a post-apartheid era [00:10:44]. Multi-party talks culminated in an agreement on an interim constitution for a multi-racial democracy [00:10:51]. The UN General Assembly called upon the new South African government to ensure the peaceful reincorporation of the homelands back into the country [00:10:55].
Reincorporation Process
Over the subsequent months, South Africa prepared to take over the Bantustans [00:11:03].
Initial Acceptance and Resistance
While Transkei and Venda, both under military rule, accepted the decision to be reincorporated, Ciskei and Bophutatswana initially resisted [00:11:08].
The Bophutatswana Crisis
Resistance led to a crisis in Bophutatswana [00:11:17]. Its president, Lucas Mangope, faced a strike by civil servants who supported reintegration [00:11:20]. He sought assistance from Afrikaaner nationalists, but this led to violence [00:11:24]. The military mutinied, and Mangope fled on March 11 [00:11:30]. The next day, the South African government formally appointed an interim administrator [00:11:36], at which point Ciskei also accepted reincorporation [00:11:41].
Repealing Bantustan Legislation
On April 27, 1994, the first day of the interim constitution, the South African Parliament repealed the legislation that had created the Bantustans [00:11:47]. This included not only the four nominally independent ones (Transkei, Bophutatswana, Venda, and Ciskei), but also the six others that operated under South African rule [00:11:54]. The new constitutional order ensured that all parts of the country would become a united state [00:12:04].
Significance of Bantustan Reintegration
The Bantustans represent a unique case in international relations [00:12:14]. Although states generally have the right to determine their borders and allow parts of their territory to become independent [00:12:19], the international community rejected the independence of the Bantustans [00:12:30]. This rejection stemmed from the view that their independence was a cynical move to support a racist system [00:12:33].
The condemnation was not based on their capacity to function as states, but rather because they were deliberately designed to undermine the human rights and self-determination of the majority Black population of South Africa [00:12:43]. Their existence was meant to support the racist policy of Apartheid, which was deemed a crime against humanity [00:13:08]. Thus, the four so-called independent Bantustans stand as a unique anomaly, being the only example of a country granting independence to its territory that was subsequently rejected by the wider international community [00:13:17].