1994 in South Africa saw the transition from South Africa's National Party government who had ruled the country since 1948 and had advocated the apartheid system for most of its history, to the African National Congress (ANC) who had been outlawed in South Africa since the 1950s for its opposition to apartheid. The ANC won a majority in the first multiracial election held under universal suffrage. Previously, only white people were allowed to vote. There were some incidents of violence in the Bantustans leading up to the elections as some leaders of the Bantusans opposed participation in the elections, while other citizens wanted to vote and become part of South Africa. There were also bombings aimed at both the African National Congress and the National Party and politically-motivated murders of leaders of the opposing ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).[1]
11 – The Freedom Front submits their list of candidates, but the Inkatha Freedom Party fails to meet the Independent Electoral Commission's new cut-off.
12 – Dr. Tjaart van der Walt is appointed as Bophuthatswana's new administrator.
15 – South Africa's new national flag, designed by State Heraldist Fred Brownell, is unveiled.
16 – State President FW de Klerk announces that the government had made a number of contingency plans to prevent the right-wing from attempting to take over authority over towns as part of their resistance against the new constitution.
16 – Ciskei's government agrees to pay pension benefits to public servants who threatened "Bophuthatswana-style action" if their demands were not met.
21 – The Inkatha Freedom Party rejects an initiative by President De Klerk to bring it into the election and starts planning a campaign of opposition to the Interim Constitution and April's election.
21 – Prisoners begin nationwide protests for the right to vote.
21 – Twenty-one prisoners are killed in a cell fire at the Queenstown Prison.
21 – About 2,000 prisoners break out of their cells and toyi-toyi in the courtyards at Pietermaritzburg Prison.
26 – KwaZulu Chief Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi meets State President F.W de Klerk for talks about contingency planning for strife-torn KwaZulu-Natal.
26 – The home of African National Congress regional premier candidate Jacob Zuma is torched by a mob in Nxamalala, near Nkandla, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
27 – Disgruntled nuclear and rocket scientists threaten to expose South Africa's closely guarded secrets about the arms programme unless they are paid RM4.5 in retrenchment benefits.
28 – More than thirty people are killed and hundreds injured in battles in the Johannesburg area as tens of thousands of Zulus converge on the city centre to demonstrate their support for King Goodwill Zwelithini.
28 – The Shell House massacre occurs when security guards at Shell House, the African National Congress HQ in Jeppe Street, Johannesburg, open fire on demonstrators.
28 – More than 200 people are arrested in Phuthaditjhaba, QwaQwa after a march by thousands of public servants on the homeland's parliament deteriorated into violence and South African Defence Force troops are sent in.
29 – Mangosuthu Buthelezi states that the Inkatha Freedom Party will fight the African National Congress "to the finish" unless the elections are postponed.
29 – The Transitional Executive Council recommends emergency measures in KwaZulu-Natal.
April
1 – A state of emergency is declared in KwaZulu-Natal.
6 – A joint committee consisting of the Independent Electoral Commission, KwaZulu and the South African Government concludes that elections would be impossible in KwaZulu under present conditions.
14 – International mediation fails to break the constitutional deadlock between the African National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party.
14 – A television debate between F.W de Klerk and Nelson Mandela results in no clear winner.
14 – Lesotho's Deputy Prime Minister, Selometsi Baholo, is shot dead by dissident soldiers during an apparent kidnapping attempt.
15 – Five days of intensive meetings between Mangosuthu Buthelezi, F.W de Klerk and Nelson Mandela start with the Kenyan roving ambassador Professor Washington Okumu brokering the negotiations.
24 – Nine people are killed and 92 injured in central Johannesburg when a 90kg car bomb explodes just before 10am on the corner of Bree and Von Wielligh Streets outside the African National Congress regional and national headquarters.
25 – A bomb explodes at a taxi rank near the Randfontein station, with no injuries.
5 – Bill Clinton, President of the United States, announces the doubling of $600,000,000 of United States foreign aid to South Africa over the next three years.
6 – South Africa establishes diplomatic relations with Ghana, Mali and Senegal.
^Jeffery, Anthea (2009). People's War - New Light on the Struggle for South Africa (1st ed.). Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN978-1-86842-357-6.
^South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended
^Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. pp. 49–52, 60.