Chapter 4C – CCTSA

NEGOTIATIONS RESUME

ATTEMPTS TO DISRUPT NEGOTIATIONS

1. The Assassination of Chris Hani

The assassination of Chris Hani, the Secretary-General of the South African Communist Party (SACP), on 10 April 1993 posed a serious threat to the resumption of constitutional negotiations.

The threat was defused by:

a nationally broadcast appeal for calm from Nelson Mandela, and by
the quick arrest of the assassins: Polish immigrant Janusz Waluś and Conservative Party member Clive Derby-Lewis.

Nevertheless, for the following week in the run-up to Hani’s funeral, the country experienced rioting and unrest. Millions of workers participated in a one-day strike with violence and looting in several cities.

Chris Hani at a gathering

Janusz Waluś and Clive Derby-Lewis

Chris Hani demonstration

Nelson Mandela funeral address

“Now is the time for all South Africans to stand together against those who, from any
quarter, wish to destroy what Chris Hani gave his life for – the freedom of all of us.”

Nelson Mandela, 10 April 1993

2. The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) Invasion of the Multi-Party Negotiating Forum

The negotiations were once again seriously disrupted on 25 June 1993 when members of the AWB crashed into the World Trade Centre in Kempton Park where the negotiations were being held. They occupied the centre for a number of hours before they were finally forced to withdraw.