Dakar Conference

Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, a member of the opposition resigned from the Progressive Federal Party and the South African parliament in January 1986, describing it as irrelevant and that he would explore other avenues of negotiations between white and black South African's. Dr. Alex Boraine would also leave with him. Van Zyl Slabbert and Boraine would the establish The Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (IDASA), a non-partisan organization that aimed to promote inclusive democracy in South Africa by talking to people of all races within and outside the country. Slabbert, in communication with Thabo Mbeki, member of the ANC National Executive, discussed the change in attitude amongst some of the Afrikaner elite towards Afrikaner Nationalism and Apartheid. One third of the conference's cost was financed by the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation and further support was provided by George Soros, who was nonetheless skeptical that the conference would achieve anything for South Africa. By 3 June 1987, more than a month before the start date, the South African press had caught wind of the proposed conference and published stories about a group of South Africans who were going to have a meeting with the ANC. The IDASA delegation personally invited by Slabbert consisted of 61 delegates with at least half consisting of Afrikaner academics, teachers, journalists, artists, directors, writers and professionals and the group had Afrikaans speaking Coloureds, ten English-speaking businessmen and academics and three German academics working on South Africa. The IDASA delegation flew into Dakar from London and were met at the airport by the Senegalese Head of Protocol in the VIP lounge and then escorted by motorcycle riders to their hotel where the conference would take place and were met there by the ANC delegation. During the conference, the delegates would attend receptions at Presidential Palace and the Minister of Educations residence. The conference began on 9 July and would end on 12 July. == Conference ==

The conference was opened by President Abdou Diouf and attended by his cabinet and members of the diplomatic community and then an address was given by Danielle Mitterrand. At the conclusion of the conference, a declaration was released by the participants stating that a negotiated settlement in South Africa was preferred and that main obstacle was the South African government's unwillingness to negotiate, and the delegates concern about the level of uncontrolled violence in the country. == Known participants ==

The South African group consisted of 61 members, including academics, writers, and politicians, many of them Afrikaners. The delegation included members affiliated with the Afrikaner Broederbond, a secretive but influential organization among Afrikaners. Pieter de Lange, a former Broederbond chairman, was an early internal advocate of opening dialogue with the ANC. According to Dr. von der Ropp, these participants took significant personal and political risks by engaging with a banned organization, and their presence marked a shift in Afrikaner civil society’s approach to apartheid. ANC • Thabo Mbeki • Kader Asmal • Selwyn Gross • Pallo Jordan • Brigitte Mabandla • Lindiwe Mabuza • Penuell Maduna • Mac Maharaj • Francis Melli • Reggie Mbono • Alfred Nzo • Tom Sebina • Essop Pahad • Albie Sachs • Tony Trew • Steve Tshwete IDASA • Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert • Dr. Alex Boraine • Professor Andre Du Toit - political scientist University of Stellenbosch • Professor Jaap Durand - academic • Jakes Gerwel - academic • Professor Lourens Du Plessis - University of Potchefstroom • Abraham Viljoen - brother of Constand Viljoen • Tommy Bedford - former rugby captain • Andre Brink - writer • Breyten Breytenbach - poet • Leon Louw - director Free Market Foundation • Lawrence Schlemmer • Christo Nel • Theuns Eloff - academic • Hermann Giliomee • Riaan de Villiers • Revel Fox - architect • Grethe Fox - actress • Manie van Rensburg - film director • Max du Preez - journalist Others • Abdou Diouf - Senegalese President • Boris Rubenovich Asoyan - Soviet Ambassador to Lesotho • Danielle Mitterrand - Wife of the French President • Dr. Klaus Baron von der Ropp - German Institute for International and Security Affairs • Vladimir Igorevich Tikhomirov - Soviet diplomatic expert on Southern African • Vasily Grigoryevich Solodovnikov - Soviet economist and former Soviet ambassador to Zambia • Professor Willem van Vuuren == Conclusion ==

At the end of the conference, the two groups left Senegal on a visit to Burkina Faso and Ghana. Forty South African delegates would return on 21 July 1987 and were met at the airport by a hundred demonstrators from the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging) led by Eugene Terre Blanche. Posters would accuse the delegates of being traitors, communists and terrorists. == References ==