The Cost of Ungovernability (Grade 12 NSC Matric History): Revision Notes
The Cost of Ungovernability
The strategy of ungovernability in the 1980s was designed to make South Africa ungovernable through mass resistance and civil disobedience. While this approach succeeded in building non-racial opposition to the apartheid state, it came with severe negative consequences that affected black communities and the country as a whole.
The ungovernability campaign, while politically effective, created a complex web of social, educational, and economic problems that would have lasting impacts on South African society well beyond the end of apartheid.
Educational and social devastation
The education boycotts that formed part of the ungovernability campaign had lasting destructive effects on black communities. An entire generation of young black South Africans was left with minimal or no formal education, which severely limited their chances of finding meaningful employment in the future. This educational gap would have long-term consequences for both individuals and the broader economy.
Similarly, rent boycotts targeting local government services led to the breakdown of essential civic services. Street committees, which had taken over some local government functions, lacked the resources and capacity to adequately maintain these services. The boycott culture also extended to other social services, with many people refusing to pay for electricity, water, and refuse collection, further undermining the functioning of local infrastructure.
The breakdown of civic services created a cycle where communities became increasingly dependent on inadequate alternatives, while the formal systems they were boycotting deteriorated further from lack of funding and maintenance.
Community conflict and violence
The ungovernability campaign intensified existing tensions within black communities. Those perceived as collaborating with the state - including people who worked for government institutions or paid rent and service fees - became targets of attack and sometimes faced death. This created deep divisions within communities and contributed to ongoing cycles of violence.
The conflict escalated as police began arming and supporting migrant worker groups to attack youth activists and trade unionists. What had begun as political resistance evolved into something resembling a virtual civil war, with different factions within communities fighting each other rather than focusing solely on opposing the apartheid government.
Community Division as State Strategy
The transformation from political resistance to inter-community violence represented a deliberate state strategy to weaken the liberation movement by turning black South Africans against each other.
State repression and destabilisation
As reform efforts were rejected by the liberation movements, the apartheid government increasingly relied on repression to maintain control. This repressive response took several forms that further destabilised South African society.
States of emergency
In 1985, following the Vaal uprising, the government declared the first of three states of emergency. These emergency measures gave the state sweeping powers to suppress opposition. All public meetings were banned, activists were detained without trial, troops occupied townships, and many organisations including COSAS (Congress of South African Students) were banned.
Detention without trial
The government's most effective weapon against civil society became detention without trial. This allowed authorities to imprison activists for extended periods without access to friends, family, or legal representation. Some activists were held in solitary confinement for as long as 33 months, causing severe psychological trauma and effectively removing key leaders from their communities.
The psychological impact of prolonged solitary confinement was often more devastating than physical torture, as it broke down activists' mental resilience and ability to organise resistance upon release.
Systematic assassination
A disturbing pattern emerged of systematic assassination targeting middle-level leadership across various organisations. This was not limited to the United Democratic Front (UDF) but extended to other anti-apartheid organisations as well. By eliminating experienced leaders, the state aimed to weaken the organisational capacity of the resistance movement.
Militarisation of society
During the 1980s, South African society became increasingly militarised as the government sought to maintain control through force.
Conscription and military mobilisation
All white men were conscripted for two years of military service, enabling the government to mobilise up to 400,000 trained soldiers when needed. This massive military capacity was used to suppress township uprisings and maintain apartheid control.
Joint management centres
The government established joint management centres in almost every black community. These centres often took over the functions of failed community councils, ostensibly to provide services and upgrade townships. However, their real purpose was to co-ordinate police and army activities, which frequently resulted in increased violence and repression.
The joint management centres represented a sophisticated attempt to combine military control with the appearance of civil administration, making state repression seem like community development.
Armed vigilante groups
Perhaps most sinister was the state's deliberate strategy of exploiting divisions within black communities. The government set up and armed vigilante groups composed mainly of conservative migrant workers. These groups terrorised townships and rural areas through beatings, murders, and destruction of property, targeting communities they perceived as supporting the UDF or ANC. This strategy aimed to turn black South Africans against each other rather than focusing their resistance on the apartheid government.
Key Consequences of Ungovernability:
- Education boycotts left an entire generation with little education and poor employment prospects, creating long-term social and economic problems
- Service boycotts led to the breakdown of essential civic services and created a culture of resistance to paying for social services
- Community violence intensified as the conflict between collaborators and resisters escalated into virtual civil war conditions
- The government declared three states of emergency from 1985 onwards, using detention without trial and systematic assassination to suppress opposition leadership
- Militarisation included white conscription, joint management centres in black communities, and the creation of armed vigilante groups to exploit divisions within black communities