These developments both contributed to and were a development of changing political alliances.
Like the bantustans, the local authority structures in the urban townships came under intense pressure during the year as communities, taking advantage of the greater political space resulting from the unbanning of political organisations, took action over their living conditions and in support of political demands.
More police were deployed in defence of the councillors and unofficial forces went unchecked in the violence they used in support of the apartheid administration. However, by the second half of the year, popular action had substantially diminished the ability of the apartheid-created local authority system to administer the townships, and reduced the value of the councillors to Pretoria as an instrument for maintaining minority rule.
