SUMMARY

AWB, while at its inception denouncing violent strategies for its extra-parliamentary struggle, turned to more radical means as the Government of South Africa initiated negotiations on political reform and a transition from apartheid to majority rule.

Towards the end of the 1980s the leader of AWB stated that the group would not peacefully accept any moves towards power-sharing with the non-white population of South Africa. This negotiated transition towards majority rule, and the denial of the group’s demands for a separate ‘homeland’ for the Afrikaner people, was viewed by AWB's leaders as treason towards its people, prompting the leadership to state that they were “ready to fight” for what they perceived as their rights. Following these statements the group embarked, mainly from 1993 and into 1994, on a campaign of sabotage and bombings.

Violence as such was not aimed exclusively at blacks, as might be expected in regard to the group’s racist ideology, but instead aimed mainly at targets that could destabilize the transition to the ANC’s takeover and black majority rule. ANC offices were, however, some of the main targets, but mostly in attacks that left no deaths.

Cadres of AWB committed several acts of sabotage, mainly aimed at infrastructure, throughout 1993 and 1994, with bombs being the most common mean used. Shootings however also occurred.

AWB first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 1994, when the one-sided violence resulted in more than 25 civilian deaths (this threshold was not reached during the first year of the violent campaign). The threshold was reached in April of 1994 when the group claimed responsibility for a bombing that took place before the elections and killed 21 civilians.