The need for the government to preserve and extend its social base amongst sections of the black majority was increased by divisions within the white community, and in the growth of support for extreme conservative forces.
The parliamentary elections in 1989 had seen National Party support erode both to the extreme right and to the Democratic Party which favoured moving towards a non-racial constitution. While the initiative which the government launched in February 1990 meant that it effectively took over Democratic Party positions and drew away much of its support, the early part of 1990 saw a sharp rise in support for the Conservative Party, which is dedicated to defending the apartheid system.
This was accompanied by the growth of armed right-wing groups, both clandestine and open, and increasingly violent attacks on black people and organisations and activists opposed to apartheid. Support for the Conservative Party and links with armed groups were particularly strong in the SAP, which led to an announcement in April by the Minister of Law and Order that police would not be allowed to be members of political parties.
The Conservative Party attempted to use its control of local councils in the Transvaal and Orange Free State to inhibit or reverse moves away from segregation. In October, when the Separate Amenities Act was repealed and local negotiations over boycotts were making progress, Conservative-controlled councils in the Witwatersrand area and in the Eastern Transvaal cut services to townships.
Faced with the threat of a complete breakdown in local negotiations and the resumption of rent boycotts, the authorities restored services. The government also made clear that it would act against Conservative-controlled councils which defied the law. By the end of the year it appeared that the Conservative Party's political power had been ended by its failure to use its control of local authorities to oppose desegregation. In February 1991 the party leadership was reported to be divided over participation in the negotiations process.
