Sequel to Long Walk to Freedom - Revision 9 - Chapter 1 Page 10

Chris Hani But the death of one of them nearly plunged the whole country into a costly bloodbath. The assassination of Chris Hani, one of South Africa's most popular leaders, on 10 April 1993, and who could have fairly easily risen to the highest position in government, almost precipitated a calamitous crises. Hani's popular following was outraged. Tens of thousands spontaneously poured out to streets throughout the country. Wide ranges of other South Africans were numbed with shock. As the country teetered, the ANC President was given air time on SATV to broadcast to the nation, appealing for discipline, and to avoid giving way to provocation. Many commentators on our negotiated transition were later to observe that the effective transfer of power from the National Party of De Klerk to the ANC occurred not with the elections in April 1994, but in this critical week one year earlier.