Vol 13, No 2 (1994)

It is a review of the 1994 election in South Africa from a variety of perspectives. The negotiation process from 1990 until 1993 was embedded in the dynamics of negotiation communication. Critical remarks are made regarding voter education and the various other structures organisationally involved with the election. The following statements: that the process was carried by political expectations about the election and not so much by the administration and organisation thereof; that State information must be completely divorced from the political party in power; and that a law in respect of freedom of information is essential. The election campaign is discussed from the perspective of policy communication, political rhetoric, propaganda techniques, the advertising campaign and the way in which the media handled the election. The statement is made that the election results prove that it was a symbolic election a racial election and that theWillem de Klerk is Spesiale Professor verbonde aan die Department Kommunikasie aan die RAU en bekende politieke analis en kommentator.The political climate in the country changed from pessimism to optimism within days after the election, is briefly discussed. Issues expected to receive attention in political discourse over the next three years, are summarised.A few research themes and fields of application for Communication Science in the context of South African politics, are explored

The Media Monitoring Project (MMP) was the leading organisation monitoring the total output of news in radio, television and print before and during South Africa's first democratic elections in April 1994. The main objective of the MMP was to monitor the vertical top-down distribution of information from powerful media institutions to citizens many of whom were first-time voters, the majority illiterate, unfamiliar with the concept of human rights and not accustomed to the language of democracy.
After the elections the MMP has had to change its role from vertical to horizontal monitoring and to observe the equal distribution of Information TO all citizens, and FROM all citizens, and ensure that channels of access are available to all citizens. As Hamelink states: "Conventional human rights thinking focuses the vertical state-citizen on relation. This ignores the possibility that concentration of power in the hands of Individuals can be as threatening as state power Whenever citizens pursue different economic interests, individual human rights will be under serious threat. Citizens also need to be protected from each other" 

As South Africa moved from formal apartheid to multi-party elections between February 1990 and April 1994, a unique testing ground for theories of media and democracy became available for analysis. Political struggles and discourses at every level of state and civil society were dominated by the demands of pressure groups, some with military support. Little agreement existed on what constituted democracy, on how such a practice could be attained, and whether or not a single nation could be forged out of the linguistic, cultural, ethnic, racial, class and geographical patchwork into which South Africa has been fragmented by apartheid. 

The first new political dispensation in South Africa encouraged scholars to study political communication with a renewed interest. At the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 275 students were involved in a survey to determine their future expectations and their sources of political information. It was found that the most negative expectations, which the students identified, included the following: more unemployment and poverty, the introduction of reverse discrimination, unsafe living conditions, emigration of whites and far-reaching increases in taxation. Positive expectations that were raised included more foreign investments, better relations with overseas countries and increased entrepreneurship. Students used primarily television, radio and newspapers as sources of political information, whilst friends and family were not as information as popular a Source of was anticipated by Nimmo's study (1978) in the USA. The study indicated that there was difference in the usage of media individuals with more positive expectations against those who inclined to have more negative expectations.

Many countries in the developed world are currently being restructured into Post-Fordist economies or 'Information societies'. Communication technology, computers and satellites are now at the cutting edge of socio-economic development. South African decision makers ignore these developments at their own peril. This country sits at a cross-roads. Will we see socio-economic and communication policies which facilitate South Africa's development into a post-Fordist economy or will the country be trapped into a Fordist backwater? This article argues in favour of South African's taking the plunge into an 'Information society'. More importantly, the potential for using Post Fordist 'information technology' for creating a more democratic society is examined.

The first Southern African cartoonists were probably the Stone Age Bushman whose drawings adorn rock faces in this part of the continent. Modern cartoonists may use more sophisticated equipment but their drawings, although on recyclable print, also reflect a particular part of our history. The following view of Schoonraad et al (1989:15: "A collection of cartoons covering a particular period, will present an unequalled graphic history of political and current events" They also add that the state of any nation is reflected by its newspaper cartoons Geipel 1972 argues that to the historian, cartoons represent priceless primary source of information about fleeting modes and morals of the passing generations. Few commentators Pretoria will disagree that the run-up to the 1994-election can be regarded as one of the most crucial moments in South African history. The focus will only be on the editorial cartoon usually found on the centre pages of Sunday and daily newspapers and not on comic strips of which the majority are from US-syndications. The only local comic strips that provide (198 social and political commentary are "Ben, Babsie en Famille" and "Louis die Laeveld Leeu".

None