The Role of the Alternative Afrikaans Media in the Political Transformation Process in South Africa Abraham G. van der Vyver Abstract This chapter focuses on the role of alternative Afrikaans media during the process of political transformation in South Africa. Two initiatives, an alternative Afrikaans newspaper as well as a Travelling Rock Circus, branded as the Outlawed Tour, paved the way for the involvement of the Afrikaner youth in the political struggle to get rid of the despicable apartheid system. The formation of the newspaper, Die Vrye Weekblad, was aimed at exposing the strategies and deeds of a political regime that was at that stage using every possible means to keep political power out of the hands of the ANC. The editor of the newspaper, Max du Preez, became public enemy number one. He was continuously targeted by the apartheid government with law suits and threats of prosecution. The second initiative was conducted by a group of young rock musicians from within the Afrikaner community. They staged an Outlawed Tour, visiting university campuses and other venues that were frequented by the Afrikaner youth. Their songs, carrying messages of resistance, succeeded in ridiculing the apartheid regime. Although these initiatives were vehemently opposed by the Afrikaner establishment, they were enthusiastically supported by the Afrikaner youth, who was beginning to doubt the legitimacy of the unacceptable political dispensation under which they lived. Keywords Transformation; alternative; newspaper; music; rock circus; struggle; regime; apartheid. 1. Introduction This chapter focuses on the role of alternative Afrikaans media during the process of political transformation in South Africa. Special emphasis is placed on initiatives to combat apartheid that came about during the last decade of the so-called apartheid years (1948-1993). Afrikaans, the mother tongue of the majority of White South Africans, was the dominant official language during the apartheid years. It has now been relegated to one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. 82 Alternative Afrikaans A few important historical landmarks that preceded the replacement of the inhumane political system of apartheid with a fully­ fledged democracy will be outlined. It is important to note that Nelson Mandela was released during 1990 and that he became the president of the first legitimate democracy in South Africa in 1994. This remarkable turnabout was a result of a more tolerable approach instituted by F.W. de Klerk who succeeded P.W. Botha in 1988 as president of South Africa. During the time of the Botha regime, the country was run by a small group of securocrats with Botha as dictator and conductor. On the one side of the media spectrum the Afrikaans papers were distributing government propaganda. On the other side the conventional English press formed part of an opposition that tried in vain to stem the tide of apartheid. Harvey Tyson, the editor of a leading South African newspaper, wrote: "only the Progressive Party, the Black Sash, some clergy, some communists and the English language press offered any uncomfortable moral challenge to racism and the government's methods." Although there were a few sporadic attempts to inject some rational thought into the government's way of thinking, P.W. Botha was using his parliament to promulgate more and more emergency regulations. Regulations to curb the reporting powers of the media were introduced in a concerted effort to prevent media reporting on the atrocities conducted by government forces. During the period June to December 1986, a new set of severe media restrictions were announced by Botha's Cabinet. Grogan and Riddle wrote: "from mid June of 1986 some South African newspapers began to carry daily front page notices that they were being published under restrictions that amounted to censorship, and that what facts they were permitted to carry could be 'seriously misleading". Political power was in the hands of a small elite group who consisted of hand-picked extremists known as the Broederbond - it translates to Brotherhood. This organization has been operating under a veil of secrecy since 1948. This secret organization maintained strict control over all state budgets and government appointments. Membership was only by invitation and no critical thinking was allowed. It was restricted to Afrikaner males who were married to Afrikaner wives. No exceptions were made. The formation of an alternative Afrikaans newspaper and a number of initiatives from the spectrum of the performing arts caused an unexpected burst of resistance from the ranks of the Afrikaner youth. Although these initiatives from the cultural community were packaged in sugar-coated format, they carried hard-hitting political messages. The thought-provoking impact of these messages played an important role in .