# Canonical recap data for Fall of the Apartheid Regime (1990)
# Source: https://recap.at/1990/apartheid-ends-south-africa
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: apartheid-ends-south-africa
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1990/apartheid-ends-south-africa"
title: Fall of the Apartheid Regime
aliases:
- End of apartheid
- Dismantling of apartheid
- South African transition
- De Klerk's reform
subtitle: De Klerk's announcement ending apartheid and Mandela's release marked the beginning of peaceful democratic transition—crucial 20th-century pivot absent from corpus.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1990-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1990
decade: 1990
country:
name: South Africa
slug: south-africa
summaryShort: The flag of South Africa from 1928 to 1994 was the flag of the Union of South Africa from 1928 to 1961 and later the flag of the Republic of South Africa until 1994. It was also the flag for South West Africa under the former's administration. Based on the Dutch Prince's Flag, it contained the flag of the United Kingdo
summaryLong: The flag of South Africa from 1928 to 1994 was the flag of the Union of South Africa from 1928 to 1961 and later the flag of the Republic of South Africa until 1994. It was also the flag for South West Africa under the former's administration. Based on the Dutch Prince's Flag, it contained the flag of the United Kingdom, the flag of the Orange Free State, and the flag of the South African Republic (respectively) in the centre. A nickname for the flag was Oranje, Blanje, Blou.
lede: In 1990, South African president F.W. de Klerk unbanned the African National Congress and released Nelson Mandela from 27 years of imprisonment, marking the beginning of the end for white-minority rule. Over the next four years, the apartheid system—which had legally segregated the country by race since 1948—was dismantled through negotiation rather than armed overthrow. The transition culminated in the country's first multiracial elections in April 1994, making it one of the 20th century's most consequential political transformations.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Flag_of_South_Africa_%281928%E2%80%931994%2C_dark_colors%29.svg/1280px-Flag_of_South_Africa_%281928%E2%80%931994%2C_dark_colors%29.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)"
importance: 88
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Mandela's imprisonment
  value: 27 years (1962-1989)
- label: Date of Mandela's release
  value: 11 February 1990
- label: First multiracial elections
  value: 27 April 1994
- label: Apartheid legal period
  value: 1948-1994 (46 years)
- label: Mandela's first presidential term
  value: 1994-1999
- label: International sanctions lifted
  value: 1991-1992
- label: Constitutional Assembly formed
  value: "1994"
- label: Truth and Reconciliation Commission established
  value: "1995"
timeline:
- date: 1990-02-02
  title: De Klerk unbans ANC and other organizations
  description: President F.W. de Klerk announced the lifting of the ban on the African National Congress, the Pan Africanist Congress, and other anti-apartheid organizations in his opening address to Parliament.
- date: 1990-02-11
  title: Nelson Mandela released from prison
  description: After 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela walked free from Victor Verster Prison near Cape Town. De Klerk had announced his release on 2 February, signaling the regime's willingness to negotiate.
- date: 1991-06-10
  title: Repeal of Group Areas Act
  description: The Group Areas Act, which had forcibly segregated residential and business areas by race, was formally repealed, allowing freedom of movement and settlement.
- date: 1991-06-17
  title: Repeal of Population Registration Act
  description: Parliament repealed the 1950 Population Registration Act, which had classified all South Africans by race. This was one of apartheid's foundational laws.
- date: 1992-03-17
  title: White referendum supports reform
  description: In a referendum limited to white voters, 68.7% voted in favor of de Klerk's negotiated settlement approach, providing political cover for continued dismantling of apartheid.
- date: 1993-11-18
  title: Interim Constitution adopted
  description: The Multi-Party Negotiating Forum approved an interim constitution that established the framework for elections and a transitional government of national unity.
- date: 1994-04-27
  title: First democratic elections held
  description: South Africa held its first elections with universal adult suffrage. The ANC won 252 of 400 seats in the National Assembly; the National Party came second with 82 seats.
- date: 1994-05-10
  title: Mandela inaugurated as president
  description: Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first Black president of South Africa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. De Klerk and Thabo Mbeki became vice presidents under the government of national unity.
- date: 1995-12-21
  title: Truth and Reconciliation Commission begins hearings
  description: Led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the TRC began public hearings to investigate apartheid-era human rights violations, offering amnesty in exchange for confessions.
- date: 1996-05-08
  title: Final constitution signed
  description: Mandela signed the Republic of South Africa's final constitution, which enshrined equality, freedom of expression, and human rights protections. It went into effect on 4 February 1997.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Africa_(1928%E2%80%931994)"
  title: Flag of Apartheid
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The fall of apartheid reshaped not just South Africa but global geopolitics, ending decades of international isolation and sanctions while establishing a model for negotiated regime change. Mandela's ascension to the presidency in 1994 became a defining symbol of the late Cold War era's capacity for dramatic political reversal. The country's subsequent constitution—adopted in 1996—became one of the world's most progressive legal frameworks.
categories:
- election
- protest
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- regime_change
- revolution
- election
- constitutional_reform
canonicalClasses:
- transformation
- governance
- collapse
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: How South Africa dismantled apartheid between 1990 and 1994, from de Klerk's reforms to Mandela's presidency.
wikidataQid: Q23321558
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260606050950/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Africa_(1928%E2%80%931994)"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-06
  label: Flag of Apartheid
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Africa_(1928%E2%80%931994)"
