The Conflict for Compromise: An Analysis of South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Transition Period.

For South African a country that had been embroiled in decades of conflict, the 1990 end of Apartheid and the release of ANC (African National Congress) leader Nelson Mandela hailed a new dawn filled with hope and change for not only mending the country’s frayed social fabric, but, creating a social and political system that all South Africans could participate in. However, for South Africa moving past the dark days of Apartheid proved to be no easy feat, for those on all sides of the spectrum, social and political change was met with a myriad of negative sentiments ranging from mistrust to resentment. South Africa needed compromise and for all involved, there was no immediate desire to do so. This paper explores this conflict for compromise by explicating and analyzing the social and political issues South Africa faced during its transition from Apartheid to a free and democratic society. This exploration and analysis is done by using the conflict analysis tool SPITCEROW (Sources, Parties, Issues, Tactics, Change, Enlargment, Role, Outcome, Winners).