Geographical Issues and Outcomes in South Africa's 1989 ‘general’ Election

Abstract

The apparent strength of opposition forces awakened unusual interest in the 1989 House of Assembly election during which the National Party retained a substantial overall majority, but suffered an unprecedented reverse. The Party lost seats and votes to both the Conservative Party and the recently formed Democratic Party. both of which enlarged their existing support bases. the CP winning its first seats outside the Transvaal. Race and security were less dominant in the election than previously. The major election issues. and some lesser ones. were inherently geographical: the economy and its relationship to apartheid. the environment. urban issues of race zoning. schools and access to amenities, and alternative constitutional frameworks. The prominence of such issues reflects increasing incompatibility between the geography apartheid has tried to mould and the changing de facto social and economic geography of South Africa.