Revisiting the stance of the left-wing liberation movement prior to the April 1994 general election in South Africa: Its impact on the future prospects of these movements

Abstract

In order to discuss the stance of the left-wing groups prior to the 27 April 1994 democratic election, one must begin with a great riddle. The statements of the left-wing liberation movements over the three decades before the 1994 election warrant this kind of a research. From the foregoing it became clear that the demands made by these left–wing groups would have an impact on the outcome of the election and also during the first decade of democratisation. This article therefore analyses the stance taken by the left–wing groups prior to the election, and whether such a stance was a viable move or not. The article also disputes the widely held view of other political parties before the election that, like the right–wing groups, the left–wing groups had little to offer in the 1994 April election. Even if that was the case, knowledge about the demands made by these groups need to be documented. Many historians and political analysts as well as journalists poured cold water on the analysis of the demands forwarded by these groups.