See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak and Publish no Evil: The Relationship between P.W. Botha and the Pro-establishment Afrikaans Press during the 1980s

Abstract

English

In the greater history of apartheid the Afrikaans newspapers of Nasionale Pers stood steadfastly behind the National Party and its policy of separate development. With the eruption of the violent political crisis of the 1980s, the government of P.W. Botha tried, to a growing extent, to place media coverage of the country’s political crisis under State-control through a series of laws. Gradually the situation started to affect the Government’s relationship with the Afrikaans press. The latter undoubtedly still was a supporter of the National Party, but its relationship with the Government started to sway. While the Afrikaans press, compared to its past, became politically more independent – the Botha Government demanded greater loyalty. Previously, problems between press and Party had been solved behind the scenes, but now the Government – and the State President in particular – did not hesitate to berate the press publicly. This article focuses on how the once warm, symbiotic relationship between the National Party and the Afrikaans press, cooled drastically in the 1980s. 

Afrikaans

Sien niks boos, hoor niks boos, sê en publiseer niks boos: Die verhouding tussen P.W. Botha en die pro-establishment Afrikaanse pers gedurende die 1980’s

In die breë geskiedenis van apartheid het die Afrikaanse dagblaaie van Nasionale Pers bankvas agter die Nasionale Party en sy beleid van afsonderlike ontwikkeling gestaan. Met die gewelddadige politieke krisis wat in die 1980’s uitgebars het, het die regering van P.W. Botha tot ’n groeiende mate gepoog om die media-dekking van die land se politieke krisis onder Staatsbeheer te plaas deur middel van ’n mengelmoes van wette. Stelselmatig het die situasie begin om ook die regering se verhouding met die Afrikaanse pers te affekteer. Laasgenoemde was weliswaar nog steeds ’n onbetwisbare ondersteuner van die Nasionale Party, maar sy verhouding met die regering het begin wankel. Terwyl die Afrikaanse pers, anders as in die verlede, meer polities onafhanklik geraak het – het die Botha-regering groter lojaliteit geëis. Vantevore is probleme tussen pers en Party agter die skerms beredder, maar nou het die regering – en die Staatspresident by name – nie meer gehuiwer om die pers in die openbaar aan te spreek nie. Die artikel fokus op hoe die eens warm, simbiotiese verhouding tussen die Nasionale Party en Afrikaanse pers in die 1980’s drasties afgekoel het.