Apartheid

=== Tricameral parliament ===
{{Main|Tricameral Parliament}}
In the early-1980s, Botha's National Party government started to recognise the inevitability of the need to reform the apartheid system.<ref>Knox, Colin; Quirk, Pádraic (2000). ''Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, Israel and South Africa: transition, transformation and reconciliation.'' Palgrave Macmillan. p. 151.</ref> Early reforms were driven by a combination of internal violence, international condemnation, changes within the National Party's constituency, and changing demographics{{snds}}whites constituted only 16% of the total population, in comparison to 20% fifty years earlier.<ref>Beinart, William (2001). ''Twentieth-century South Africa''. Oxford University Press. p. 202. {{ISBN|978-0-19-289318-5}}.</ref>

In 1983, a new constitution was passed implementing what was called the Tricameral Parliament, giving Coloureds and Indians voting rights and parliamentary representation in separate houses{{snds}}the House of Assembly (178 members) for Whites, the House of Representatives (85 members) for Coloureds and the House of Delegates (45 members) for Indians.<ref>Taylor & Francis Group (2004). ''Europa World Year Book 2, Book 2.'' Taylor & Francis. p. 3841.</ref> Each House handled laws pertaining to its racial group's "own affairs", including health, education and other community issues.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/12/23/s-africa-approves-charter/8af5f9d9-8e1b-49f2-bc61-5978df4a1be9/ |last=Taylor |first=Paul |date=23 December 1993 |title=S. Africa Approves Charter; White-Led Parliament Votes for Constitution Canceling Its Powers. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=4 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104213139/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/12/23/s-africa-approves-charter/8af5f9d9-8e1b-49f2-bc61-5978df4a1be9/ |url-status=live }}</ref> All laws relating to "general affairs" (matters such as defence, industry, taxation and Black affairs) were handled by a Cabinet made up of representatives from all three houses. However, the White chamber had a large majority on this Cabinet, ensuring that effective control of the country remained in the hands of the White minority.<ref>Wople, Harold (1990). ''Race, class & the apartheid state.'' Africa World Press. p. 93. {{ISBN|978-0-86543-142-3}}.</ref><ref>Marais, D. (1989). ''South Africa: constitutional development, a multi-disciplinary approach.'' Southern Book Publishers. p. 258. {{ISBN|978-1-86812-159-5}}.</ref> Blacks, although making up the majority of the population, were excluded from representation; they remained nominal citizens of their homelands.<ref>Lötter, Hennie P. P. (1997). ''Injustice, violence and peace: the case of South Africa.'' Rodopi. p. 49. {{ISBN|978-90-420-0264-7}}.</ref> The first Tricameral elections were largely boycotted by Coloured and Indian voters, amid widespread rioting.<ref>"Cops fight crowds at S. Africa elections." ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]].'' 28 August 1984.</ref>