Bophuthatswana as of 1977

Flag of Bophuthatswana bantustan

Bophuthatswana was a former Bantustan (homeland) in the north of South Africa. It had a surface area of approximately 40,000 km² and consisted of seven enclaves dispersed over the former South African provinces of Cape Province, Transvaal and Orange Free State. The capital Mmabatho was situated in an area bordering Botswana. The homeland was set up to house Setswana-speaking peoples. In 1983 it had more than 1,430,000 inhabitants. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1346x1062, 253 KB) Summary From the Perry-Castaneda Map Collection. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1346x1062, 253 KB) Summary From the Perry-Castaneda Map Collection. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Map of the black homelands in South Africa as of 1986 Map of the black homelands in Namibia as of 1978 Bantustan refers to any of the territories designated as tribal homelands for black South Africans and Namibians during the apartheid era. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Under the Union of South Africa and after that under the Republic of South Africa, the old Cape Colony became the Cape of Good Hope Province (though it was commonly known as the Cape Province). ... Flag of Transvaal The Transvaal (lit. ... Capital Bloemfontein Created 1854 Dissolved 1900 Official language Dutch (Afrikaans more common) The Orange Free State (Afrikaans: Oranje Vrystaat) was an independent country in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a province in South Africa. ... Mmabatho (Mother of the People) was a town near Mafikeng, South Africa. ... Tswana, also known as Setswana, is a Bantu language. ...

Bophuthatswana was given nominal self-rule in 1971, and became nominally independent on December 6, 1977; Kgosi Lucas Mangope was appointed head of state. In reality Bophuthatswana was a puppet state of apartheid-era South Africa, and was not recognised by other countries except LATVIA, one of the the former USSR states. South African citizenship of those relocated to Bophuthatswana was revoked. In 1988 an attempted coup was suppressed by South Africa, who reinstated Mangope. The coup was later said to have been led by the opposition at the time,the People's Progressive Party (PPP) under the leadership of Mr Rocky Malebana Metsing. A second coup in 1990 was also thwarted. December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope is the former leader of the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...

It was the richest of the TBVC states, as it had platinum mines. It also made money from the Sun City casino, which was a day trip from Johannesburg and Pretoria, where gambling was illegal under the National Party government (as it was in the whole country).

In the beginning of 1994 with South Africa heading for democratic elections, the autocratic President Lucas Mangope resisted reincorporation into South Africa. 40 people were wounded when Bophuthatswana Defence Force troops opened fire on striking civil servants. Mangope took an increasingly hardline stance, rejected Independent Electoral Commission chairman Judge Johann Kriegler's plea for free political activity in the 'homeland', and fired the staff of the Bophuthatswana Broadcasting Corporation, closing down two television stations and three radio stations. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Independent Electoral Commission in South Africa has managed all the countrys national and local government elections since the first multiracial election on 27 April 1994. ... Political freedom is the right, or the capacity, of self-determination as an expression of the individual will. ...

The white supremacist group Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) took the opportunity to move in and try to restore the apartheid status quo, but was humiliated in early March when, in the presence of photojournalists and a TV crew, uniformed members of the AWB on an armed incursion to the Mmabatho/Mafikeng area shot at people alongside the road, injuring and killing many. They were shot at by members of the Bophuthatswana Defence Force (BDF) and the Police and forced to retreat. Three wounded AWB members were shot dead at point blank range by Ontlametse Bernstein Menyatsoe of the BDF while retreating[1]. This incident effectively spelt the end of white right-wing military opposition to democratic reforms. Mangope was replaced by an interim government, and on April 27 of the same year all ten homelands, including Bophuthatswana, were reincorporated into post-apartheid South Africa. The flag of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, also called Afrikaner Resistance Front or AWB, is an extremist right-wing political group of South Africa. ... Sports photojournalists at Indianapolis Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (i. ... Mafikeng is the capital of the North West Province, South Africa, 870 miles NE of Cape Town and 492 miles SSW of Bulawayo by rail, and 162 miles in a direct line W by N of Johannesburg. ... Ontlametse Bernstein Menyatsoe was a policeman in the Bophuthatswana homeland in South Africa who came to international attention after killing wounded members of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) in front of a television news crew. ...

Of the 7 'pieces' , 5 were added into the NorthWest Province. Thaba Nchu became part of the Free State and Moretele (the easternmost part) became part of Mpumalanga. The capital, Mmabatho, is now the capital of the NorthWest province. Mpumalanga, (name changed from Eastern Transvaal on 24 August 1995), is a province in South Africa. ...

See also

• Heads of State of Bophuthatswana

List of the Heads of State of Bophuthatswana (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Political Affiliation BDP - Bophuthatswana Democratic Party BNP - Bophuthatswana National Party CDP - Christian Democratic Party PPP - Progressive Peoples Party Mil - Military See Also Bantustan President of South Africa List of State Presidents of...

Further reading

The Bang-bang Club: The Making of the New South Africa, Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva, William Heinemann, 2000 ISBN 0434007331

External link

• 72 days that shaped South Africa - compilation of newspaper excerpts from 1994

Apartheid-era Bantustans in South Africa
Bophuthatswana | Ciskei | Gazankulu | KaNgwane | KwaNdebele | KwaZulu | Lebowa | QwaQwa | Transkei | Venda Nominally independent Bantustans are in italics