Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
Actually they ended it because of the war - they were already moving towards ending it before the war but the shock of the nuclear strikes on the country and the realization of how Africa's nations were falling apart showed the white leaders of the country that they had two choices - keep it going and watch South Africa descend into total chaos as so many other nations had or end it in the name of national unity and survival. And with the world falling apart the argument for ending it was very persuasive indeed.
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I don't see this happening in the Twilight War timeline for a number of reasons.
South Africa at this time was actually very self sufficient and very wealthy. The UN embargo worked both ways, the world wanted South African gold, diamonds and rare metals. What the South Africans couldn't make or produce themselves they found ways to obtain through various means. They also built up links with other isolated countries in the world, notably Israel.
The South African armed forces was also by far the most powerful and best trained in the whole of Africa. They could have taken on a dozen other African countries and held their territory or even beaten them. All of the African countries who had bad relations with South Africa were dependent on military aid, notably from the Soviet Union and other East Bloc countries. South Africa wasn't dependent on anyone.
South Africa's white population was very militarised, far more so than any other Western culture. The South African military (excluding the air force and navy) had only 20,000 volunteer troops. But the white male population was required to do 12 months in the military, which added over 40,000 troops every year. They were then requited to serve part time for another 12 years with the Citizen Force which gave the South African military a reserve of nearly 400,000 men at any time. Another 300,000 older men were also available through voluntary para-military service with the Active Citizen Force Reserve and the Home Defence Commandos. White South African males were generally armed, knew how to use weapons, were military trained and were familiar with military tactics. This was especially so with White Afrikaners who were very nationalist and pro-apartheid, and made up the majority of the 170 Home Defence Commando battalions.
The Apartheid system never actually broke down even when the entire world condemned it, and did its best to sanction the South African government. It only ended when the South African white government ended it. Within South Africa the black anti-apartheid movement was actually quite weak in comparison to rebel movements in other African or Third World countries. The ANC had more power outside of South Africa. The Black population also feared the South African security services who had a ruthless reputation, and they feared white retaliation against them even more.