On November 2, 1983, a referendum on a new constitution was held in South Africa, giving the white people the choice to adopt or reject the 1983 Constitution. The Tricameral Parliament was established by this constitution, in which coloured and Indian South Africans would be represented in distinct parliamentary chambers, while black South Africans would remain unrepresented. The referendum passed with 66.3% of voters voting “Yes,” and the new constitution went into effect on September 3, 1984.
WHAT CAUSED THE REFERENDUM?
The Senate was disbanded in 1981, and the President’s Council was established as an advisory body comprised of sixty nominated members from the white, colored, Indian, and Chinese populations. Following Prime Minister P.W. Botha’s request, the President’s Council submitted a series of ideas for constitutional and political reform in 1982. This proposal asked for “power sharing” amongst the white, colored, and Indian groups.
The ruling National Party (NPright )’s wing opposed the idea, and a number of its MPs, led by Dr. Andries Treurnicht, a cabinet minister and the NP’s Transvaal provincial leader, formed the Conservative Party (CP) to fight for the restoration of apartheid in its original form. Botha, on the other hand, remained in favor of enacting the President’s Council recommendation, and the NP administration adopted a new constitutional framework in 1983. A referendum was called to gauge popular support for the proposals among white voters. The New Republic Party, led by Vause Raw, backed the new constitution while continuing to advocate for black representation in Parliament.
