South African Election Guide: Road from Sharpeville to sanity
1948: National Party elected on apartheid ticket
1960 March: police kill 69 anti- apartheid protestors in Sharpeville
October: South Africa leaves Commonwealth
1961: ANC launches armed struggle under Mandela
1964: Mandela, Sisulu and other ANC associates sentenced to life in prison
1976: More than 600 blacks die in year-long unrest triggered by Soweto schoolchildren's uprising
1984: ANC-Inkatha power-struggle erupts in Natal, leading to 20,000 deaths by April 1994
1986: Nationwide state of emergency declared
1990 2 February: President de Klerk legalises ANC
11 February: Mandela released
May: ANC and government meet formally for first time to remove obstacles to talks, such as release of political prisoners
August: ANC suspends armed struggle
1991 June: parliament repeals residential segregation and race-classification laws
December: multi-party constitutional negotiations begin
1992 March: 68.7 per cent of white voters opt for political reform in national referendum
June: ANC breaks off talks with government following massacre of 42 in Boipatong township by Inkatha supporters 'and police'
September: Mandela and De Klerk meet to break deadlock and sign 'record of understanding', clearing way for resumption of constitutional talks
1993 May: multi-party Negotiating Council agrees to hold elections by end April 1994
November: Negotiating Council adopts South Africa's first democratic constitution
December: parliament approves new constitution, killing off apartheid
1994 March: white gunmen routed by Bophuthatswana army, precipitating decision of Afrikaner Volksfront leader, Constand Viljoen, to drop resistance option and take part in the elections
19 April: Buthelezi announces Inkatha participation in elections.
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