History of Southern Africa






History of Bophuthatswana 1971-1994



During the Apartheid years, the South African government set aside certain regions as HOMELANDS for various African ethnicities. BOPHUTHATSWANA was selected as the homeland of the Tswana. Bophuthatswana, consisting of six separate areas located in northwestern Transvaal (3), the northern Cape Province (2) and the Orange Free State (1), was given SELF-GOVERNMENT in 1971 and nominal independence in 1977. The capital of the new state was established at MMABATHO.
As with the other homelands, the driving force behind Bophuthatswanan independence had been South Africa's Apartheid regime, which wanted to deprive large sections of it's black population of it's citizenship of South Africa.
Economically as well as politically, Bophuthatswana depended on South Africa. In 1985, the country had a population of 1,660,000, many of whom lived as 'migrant workers' in South Africa. Bophuthatswana's currency was the South African Rand.
Internationally, Bophuthatswana and the other 'independent' homelands (Transkei, Venda, Ciskei) were regarded as South African puppets and not recognized. Bophuthatswana failed to gain membership of any major international organization.
In 1988, a coup forced Head of State KGOSI LUCAS MANGOPE out of office; South African forces restored him to office.
In 1994 - in South Africa the Apartheid policy had meanwhile been abolished - Bophuthatswana (as well as the other homelands) had been reintegrated into South Africa and today forms a part of the NORTH WESTERN PROVINCE.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Entry Bophuthatswana, from Footnotes to History by James L. Erwin
DOCUMENTS Flag of Bophuthatswanaa, from FOTW; Civic Arms, from International Civic Arms; from Wappenlexikon, comment in German
Map of South Africa's Black Homelands, from Perry Castaneda Library at UTexas; Map of Bophuthatswana 1977, from Perry Castaneda Library, Utexas, map made by CIA
REFERENCE Robert Ross, A Concise History of South Africa, Cambridge Concise Histories, 1999, 219 pp.
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1978 p.635 (on events in 1977) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1980 p.624 (on events in 1979) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1983 pp.619-620 (on events in 1982) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1984 pp.623-624 (on events in 1983) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1985 p.476 (on events in 1984) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1986 p.470 (on events in 1985) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1988 p.399 (on events in 1987) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1989 p.399 (on events in 1988) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1990 p.416 (on events in 1989) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1993 p.372 (on events in 1992) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1994 p.370 (on events in 1993) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1978-1979 pp.1089-1090 (data of 1977-1978) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1980-1981 pp.1092-1094 (data of 1979-1980) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1983-1984 pp.1093-1095 (data of 1982-1983) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1984-1985 pp.1090-1092 (data of 1983-1984) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1985-1986 pp.1091-1093 (data of 1984-1985) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1987-1988 pp.1094-1097 (data of 1986-1987) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1988-1989 pp.1098-1099 (data of 1987-1988) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1989-1990 pp.1105-1107 (data of 1988-1989) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1990-1991 pp.1105-1107 (data of 1989-1990) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1991-1992 pp.1108-1110 (data of 1990-1991) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1992-1993 pp.1199-1201 (data of 1991-1992) [G]
Article : South Africa : Bophuthatswana, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1993-1994 pp.1201-1203 (data of 1992-1993) [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on October 20th 2006

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