“De Klerk’s actions had limited impact on the end of the apartheid system.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that FW De Klerk’s actions had limited impact on the end of the apartheid system. Candidates may agree with the statement by arguing that South Africa was already in deep trouble by the time De Klerk became state president, with its economy in crisis, violent unrest in the townships and global condemnation of the apartheid system. Alternatively, they may stress the role of other figures, such as Nelson Mandela. Candidates may disagree with the statement by pointing to De Klerk’s acknowledgement that the future of the Afrikaner people could be best guaranteed not by the continuation of apartheid but by its reform and eventual dismantlement. They may refer to his decision to unban the African National Congress (ANC), negotiate with Mandela and then release him from jail. De Klerk agreed to the creation of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA), which paved the way for the first non-racial elections in 1994. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

Similarly, in Question 30 on the end of apartheid, candidates had some grasp of the issues but again lacked enough material or information about the period in question and as such tended to write descriptions of events of the 1960s which was not particularly relevant to the demands of the question.