Political Science

South Africa is found in Africa and is located on the southern tip of the continent bordering the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Indian Ocean on the south and the east. South Africa is surrounded by other neighboring countries which include Namibia in the northwest, Zimbabwe and Botswana in the north, and Mozambique and Swaziland that are found in the northeast (Pearson Education, 2009). According to the CIA publications in the world fact book, South Africa has a population of about 49 million people (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010).

South Africa has a rich historical background that stretches from the discovery of the early hominids, the early inhabitants, the colonial period, the apartheid era, independence, and the post colonial eventualities (Government Communication and Information System, 2009). However, this paper will only focus on the South African history stating from the colonial period in the 19th century all the way to independence and the period after independence. South Africa was colonized by the British and the Dutch in turns. Under the Dutch rule, apartheid laws were passed and racial discrimination became institutionalized touching on all aspects of social life. People were classified into three major categories whites, blacks, and coloreds in accordance to the Population Registration Act (Dugard, Haysom  Marcus, 1992). Under the apartheid regime South Africa witnessed the lowest ebb of human atrocities in the years that saw many black Africans killed and abused.

Upon independence, there was need to heal and reconcile the country that had just witnessed mayhem of the highest order and therefore the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions were formed to restore trust and peaceful coexistence amongst the South Africans (Wilson, 2001). The truth commission helped in ending the apartheid through the provision of a forum that exposed the countrys gross misconduct in human rights abuses, and in turn provided amnesty and compensation to particular individuals hence promoting national cohesion and reconciliation.