The Role of Non-Violent Resistance in South Africa: Black Labor Movements and the Prophetic Church in the Spiral of the Apartheid State, 1980-1989

Abstract

Against enormous odds, non-violent resistance proved to be a major factor in the downfall of apartheid in South Africa, and the establishment of a democratic black majority government, despite predictions that the transition could come about only through a violent revolutionary cataclysm. Two explanatory factors contributed to the downfall of apartheid. The first factor was the ability of the anti-apartheid opposition to take advantage of the system's economic dependence on a coopera­tive black labor force that mobilized and organized itself to bring apartheid structures to a virtual standstill throughout the 1980s. The second factor was the long tradition of non-violent resistance, which has deep roots in what will be termed a prophetic mode of expression. This expression was nurtured by church leaders of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). More broadly, this article seeks to help fill a telling gap in academic literature and provide insight that will enable policymakers and others to comprehend, promote, and rein­ force the positive contribution that religious or spiritual influences can bring to conflict resolution and mediating conflict in deeply divided societies. Finally, this article, based upon the logic and evidence of the South African case, offers attributes religious organizations need to possess to advocate and mediate change in society.