1994 South African general election

1994 South African general election
All 400 seats in the National Assembly ; 201 seats needed for a majority
Registered	22,709,152
Turnout	86.87% ( 17.39pp)
State President before election; F. W. de Klerk ; NP	Elected President; Nelson Mandela ; ANC

Last updated May 11, 2024

General elections were held in South Africa between 26 and 29 April 1994.^[1] The elections were the first in which citizens of all races were allowed to take part, and were therefore also the first held with universal suffrage. The election was conducted under the direction of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), and marked the culmination of the four-year process that ended apartheid.

Millions queued in lines over a four-day voting period. Altogether, 19,726,579 votes were counted, and 193,081 were rejected as invalid. As widely expected, the African National Congress (ANC), whose slate incorporated the labour confederation COSATU and the South African Communist Party, won a sweeping victory, taking 62 percent of the vote, just short of the two-thirds majority required to unilaterally amend the Interim Constitution. As required by that document, the ANC formed a Government of National Unity with the National Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party, the two other parties that won more than 20 seats in the National Assembly. The governing National Party polled just over 20%, and was thus eligible for a post of Vice President to incumbent president De Klerk. The new National Assembly's first act was to elect Nelson Mandela as President, making him the country's first black chief executive. He then appointed the Cabinet of Nelson Mandela.

The date 27 April is now a public holiday in South Africa, Freedom Day.

Background

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) entered the election late, and it was added to the already-printed ballot papers by means of a sticker.^[2] In rural areas with limited infrastructure, people queued "for days" in order to vote.^[2]

The Conservative Party, the official opposition in the outgoing National Assembly, did not contest the elections. The Herstigte Nasionale Party, which had run in the white-only elections in 1989 also chose not to run.

Results

National Assembly

The 400 members of the National Assembly were chosen from party lists in proportion to each party's share of the national ballot.



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	12,237,655	62.65	252
	National Party	3,983,690	20.39	82
	Inkatha Freedom Party	2,058,294	10.54	43
	Freedom Front	424,555	2.17	9
	Democratic Party	338,426	1.73	7
	Pan Africanist Congress	243,478	1.25	5
	African Christian Democratic Party	88,104	0.45	2
	Africa Muslim Party	34,466	0.18	0
	African Moderates Congress Party	27,690	0.14	0
	Dikwankwetla Party	19,451	0.10	0
	Federal Party	17,663	0.09	0
	Minority Front	13,433	0.07	0
	Sport Organisation for Collective Contributions and Equal Rights	10,575	0.05	0
	African Democratic Movement	9,886	0.05	0
	Women's Rights Peace Party	6,434	0.03	0
	Ximoko Progressive Party	6,320	0.03	0
	Keep It Straight and Simple Party	5,916	0.03	0
	Workers' List Party	4,169	0.02	0
	Luso-South African Party	3,293	0.02	0
Total		19,533,498	100.00	400

Valid votes		19,533,498	99.02
Invalid/blank votes		193,112	0.98
Total votes		19,726,610	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		22,709,152	86.87
Source: African Elections Database

Senate

The 90 members of the Senate were chosen, 10 from each province, by the newly elected provincial legislatures. Each province's Senate seats were allocated in proportion to the parties' representation in the provincial legislature.

Determination of seats in the Senate as a consequence of the 26–29 April 1994 provincial elections
Party		EC	FS	G	KZN	M	NW	NC	NP	WC	Total

	African National Congress	9	8	6	3	8	8	5	10	3	60
	National Party	1	1	2	1	1	1	4		6	17
	Inkatha Freedom Party				5						5
	Freedom Front		1	1		1	1	1			5
	Democratic Party			1	1					1	3
Total		10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	90
Source: Constitution of South Africa^[3]

In 1997, on the adoption of the final Constitution, the Senate became the National Council of Provinces; its political makeup remained the same, but members were divided into permanent and special delegates, as described in the following table.

Initial determination of delegates to the National Council of Provinces at the adoption of the new Constitution on 4 February 1997
Party		Delegate type	EC	FS	G	KZN	M	NW	NC	NP	WC	Total

	African National Congress	Permanent	5	4	3	1	4	4	3	6	2	32	60
	African National Congress	Special	4	4	3	2	4	4	2	4	1	28	60
	National Party	Permanent	1	1	1	1	1	1	2		3	11	17
	National Party	Special			1				2		3	6	17
	Inkatha Freedom Party	Permanent				3						3	5
	Inkatha Freedom Party	Special				2						2	5
	Freedom Front	Permanent		1	1		1	1	1			5
	Democratic Party	Permanent			1	1					1	3
Total			10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	90
Source: Constitution of South Africa^[3]

Provincial legislature results

Members of the provincial legislatures were elected from party lists in proportion to each party's share of the provincial ballot.

Party	EC	FS	G	KZN	M	NW	NC	NP	WC
	ANC	48	24	50	26	25	26	15	38	14
	National	6	4	21	9	3	3	12	1	23
	IFP	0	0	3	41	0	0	0	0	0
	Freedom Front	0	2	5	0	2	1	2	1	1
	Democratic	1	0	5	2	0	0	1	0	3
	PAC	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
	ACDP	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1
	Minority Front	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–
Total		56	30	86	81	30	30	30	40	42

Eastern Cape



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	2,453,790	84.35	48
	National Party	286,029	9.83	6
	Democratic Party	59,644	2.05	1
	Pan Africanist Congress	59,475	2.04	1
	Freedom Front	23,167	0.80	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	14,908	0.51	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	5,050	0.17	0
	African Democratic Movement	4,815	0.17	0
	Merit Party	2,028	0.07	0
Total		2,908,906	100.00	56

Valid votes		2,908,906	99.55
Invalid/blank votes		13,248	0.45
Total votes		2,922,154	100.00
Source: Election Resources

Free State



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	1,037,998	76.65	24
	National Party	170,452	12.59	4
	Freedom Front	81,662	6.03	2
	Pan Africanist Congress	24,451	1.81	0
	Dikwankwetla Party	17,024	1.26	0
	Democratic Party	7,664	0.57	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	6,935	0.51	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	6,072	0.45	0
	African Democratic Movement	2,008	0.15	0
Total		1,354,266	100.00	30

Valid votes		1,354,266	99.25
Invalid/blank votes		10,286	0.75
Total votes		1,364,552	100.00
Source: Election Resources

Gauteng



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	2,418,257	57.60	50
	National Party	1,002,540	23.88	21
	Freedom Front	258,935	6.17	5
	Democratic Party	223,548	5.32	5
	Inkatha Freedom Party	153,567	3.66	3
	Pan Africanist Congress	61,512	1.47	1
	African Christian Democratic Party	25,542	0.61	1
	Federal Party	16,279	0.39	0
	Africa Muslim Party	12,888	0.31	0
	Women's Rights Peace Party	7,279	0.17	0
	Luso-South African Party	5,423	0.13	0
	Dikwankwetla Party	4,853	0.12	0
	African Democratic Movement	4,352	0.10	0
	Ximoko Progressive Party	3,275	0.08	0
Total		4,198,250	100.00	86

Valid votes		4,198,250	99.40
Invalid/blank votes		25,383	0.60
Total votes		4,223,633	100.00
Source: Election Resources

KwaZulu/Natal



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Inkatha Freedom Party	1,844,070	50.32	41
	African National Congress	1,181,118	32.23	26
	National Party	410,710	11.21	9
	Democratic Party	78,910	2.15	2
	Minority Front	48,951	1.34	1
	Pan Africanist Congress	26,601	0.73	1
	African Christian Democratic Party	24,690	0.67	1
	Freedom Front	18,625	0.51	0
	Africa Muslim Party	17,931	0.49	0
	African Democratic Movement	8,092	0.22	0
	Workers International to Rebuild the Fourth International	4,626	0.13	0
Total		3,664,324	100.00	81

Valid votes		3,664,324	98.94
Invalid/blank votes		39,369	1.06
Total votes		3,703,693	100.00
Source: Election Resources

Mpumalanga



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	1,070,052	80.69	25
	National Party	119,311	9.00	3
	Freedom Front	75,120	5.66	2
	Pan Africanist Congress	21,679	1.63	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	20,147	1.52	0
	Democratic Party	7,437	0.56	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	6,339	0.48	0
	African Democratic Movement	5,062	0.38	0
	Right Party	921	0.07	0
Total		1,326,068	100.00	30

Valid votes		1,326,068	99.06
Invalid/blank votes		12,631	0.94
Total votes		1,338,699	100.00
Source: Election Resources

North-West



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	1,310,080	83.33	26
	National Party	138,986	8.84	3
	Freedom Front	72,821	4.63	1
	Pan Africanist Congress	27,274	1.73	0
	Democratic Party	7,894	0.50	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	5,948	0.38	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	5,570	0.35	0
	African Democratic Movement	3,569	0.23	0
Total		1,572,142	100.00	30

Valid votes		1,572,142	98.81
Invalid/blank votes		18,974	1.19
Total votes		1,591,116	100.00
Source: Election Resources

Northern Cape



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	200,839	49.74	15
	National Party	163,452	40.48	12
	Freedom Front	24,117	5.97	2
	Democratic Party	7,567	1.87	1
	Pan Africanist Congress	3,765	0.93	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	1,688	0.42	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	1,610	0.40	0
	African Democratic Movement	734	0.18	0
Total		403,772	100.00	30

Valid votes		403,772	99.13
Invalid/blank votes		3,534	0.87
Total votes		407,306	100.00
Source: Election Resources

Limpopo



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	1,759,597	91.63	38
	National Party	62,745	3.27	1
	Freedom Front	41,193	2.15	1
	Pan Africanist Congress	24,360	1.27	0
	United People's Front	10,123	0.53	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	7,363	0.38	0
	Ximoko Progressive Party	4,963	0.26	0
	Democratic Party	4,021	0.21	0
	African Democratic Movement	3,662	0.19	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	2,233	0.12	0
Total		1,920,260	100.00	40

Valid votes		1,920,260	99.29
Invalid/blank votes		13,702	0.71
Total votes		1,933,962	100.00
Source: Election Resources

Western Cape



Party		Votes	%	Seats
	National Party	1,138,242	53.25	23
	African National Congress	705,576	33.01	14
	Democratic Party	141,970	6.64	3
	Freedom Front	44,003	2.06	1
	African Christian Democratic Party	25,731	1.20	1
	Pan Africanist Congress	22,676	1.06	0
	Africa Muslim Party	20,954	0.98	0
	Islamic Party	16,762	0.78	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	7,445	0.35	0
	Wes-Kaap Federaliste Party	6,337	0.30	0
	South African Women's Party	2,641	0.12	0
	Green Party	2,611	0.12	0
	African Democratic Movement	1,939	0.09	0
	Workers International to Rebuild the Fourth International	855	0.04	0
Total		2,137,742	100.00	42

Valid votes		2,137,742	99.50
Invalid/blank votes		10,714	0.50
Total votes		2,148,456	100.00
Source: Election Resources

Legacy

Following the elections, 27 April subsequently became a national public holiday, Freedom Day.^[4]

In a Sunday Independent article on the 20th anniversary of the election, Steven Friedman, who headed the IEC's information analysis department during the election, stated that the lack of a voters roll made verifying the results of the election difficult, and there were widespread accusations of cheating.^[2] Friedman characterised the election as a "technical disaster but a political triumph", and intimated that the final results were as a result of a negotiated compromise, rather than being an accurate count of the votes cast, stating that it was impossible to produce an accurate result under the circumstances that the election was held. He wrote that he believed that the result of the election, which gave KwaZulu-Natal to the IFP; gave the National Party 20% of the vote share, and a Deputy President position; and held the ANC back from the two-thirds majority with the ability to unilaterally write the final constitution, helped prevent a civil war.^[2]

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References

↑ South Africa: Parliamentary Chamber: National Assembly: Elections held in 1994 Inter-Parliamentary Union
1 2 3 4 "The bargain that saved us in 1994". The Sunday Independent.
1 2 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 , Schedule 6: "Transitional Arrangements", item 7.
↑ "S Africa marks democracy anniversary". aljazeera.com.

External links

US Department of the Army, South Africa Country Study, "The 1994 Elections"
IEC results for 1994 election
Proportional representation and alternative systems

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[1] South Africa: Parliamentary Chamber: National Assembly: Elections held in 1994 Inter-Parliamentary Union

[bargainFriedmanIol-2] 1 2 3 4 "The bargain that saved us in 1994". The Sunday Independent.

[ReferenceA-3] 1 2 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 , Schedule 6: "Transitional Arrangements", item 7.

[4] "S Africa marks democracy anniversary". aljazeera.com.

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v t e Elections and referendums in South Africa
General elections	1910 1915 1920 1921 1924 1929 1933 1938 1943 1948 1953 1958 1961 1966 1970 1974 1977 1981 1984 1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Provincial elections	1910 1917 1935 1936 1943 1949 1954 1959 1965 1970 1974 1981 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Municipal elections	1995–96 2000 2006 2011 2016 2021
Referendums	1960 1983 1992
See also: Elections and referendums in the Boer republics and South African colonies Elections and referendums in South African Bantustans

v t e Nelson Mandela
18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013 President of South Africa (1994–1999) President of the African National Congress (1991–1997)
Life	Early life Mandela and Tambo law firm UMkhonto we Sizwe 1955 Congress of the People Freedom Charter Treason Trial Rivonia Trial Robben Island Pollsmoor Prison Victor Verster Prison Negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa Liliesleaf Farm Mandela House and museum Nelson Mandela Children's Fund The Elders 70th Birthday Tribute 90th Birthday Tribute Awards and honours Death and state funeral attendees
Presidency	1994 election Presidency Government of National Unity Reconstruction and Development Programme Truth and Reconciliation Commission Constitution of South Africa 1995 Rugby World Cup Intervention in Lesotho Mahlamba Ndlopfu
Books and speeches	"I Am Prepared to Die" (1964 speech) Long Walk to Freedom (1994) Mandela: The Authorised Biography (1999) Conversations With Myself (2010) Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017)
Legacy and namesakes	Mandela Day Nelson Mandela Forum Nelson Mandela Institution 46664 concerts Mandela Rhodes Scholarship Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules) Nelson Mandela Challenge Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate Nelson Mandela Invitational Nelson Mandela International Airport Nelson Mandela Square Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality Mandela National Stadium Nelson Mandela Bridge Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital Ponts Nelson-Mandela Nelson Mandela University
Film depictions	Mandela (1987) Death of Apartheid (1995) Mandela (1996) Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation (1996) Mandela and de Klerk (1997) Goodbye Bafana (2007) Endgame (2009) Invictus (2009) Winnie Mandela (2011) Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) Mandela's Gun (2016)
Family	Ngubengcuka (great-grandfather) Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa (father) Nosekeni Fanny (mother) Evelyn Mase (wife) Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (wife) Graça Machel (wife) Makgatho Mandela (son) Makaziwe Mandela (daughter) Zenani Mandela-Dlamini (daughter) Zindzi Mandela (daughter) Ndileka Mandela (granddaughter) Mandla Mandela (grandson) Zoleka Mandela (granddaughter) Ndaba Mandela (grandson)
Related	African National Congress history International Tribute Concert Madiba shirt "Free Nelson Mandela" (song) "Mandela Day" (song) "Rise Up" (song) "Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)" (song) Nelson Mandela (EP) Atlanta sculpture Cape Town City Hall statue Johannesburg statue London statue Pretoria statue Washington, D.C. statue Ismail Ayob
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