6 August 1990
Pretoria Minute advances negotiations
The government and ANC recommitted themselves to the Groote Schuur Minute, agreed further steps concerning political prisoners and exiles, and recorded the ANC's immediate suspension of armed actions.
View in timelineOn 6 August 1990, government and ANC delegations met in Pretoria and adopted the Pretoria Minute. They recommitted themselves to the Groote Schuur Minute, accepted the joint working group's report on political offences and agreed on further processes for releasing political prisoners and granting indemnity to returning exiles.
In the agreement the ANC announced that it was suspending armed actions with immediate effect, in the interests of moving towards a negotiated peaceful settlement. A further working group was tasked with addressing outstanding questions arising from that decision. uMkhonto we Sizwe remained in existence, while the detailed meaning and implementation of the suspension became the subject of the February 1991 D. F. Malan Accord.
Significance
The Pretoria Minute removed another major obstacle to negotiations and marked a strategic shift towards a negotiated settlement, although implementation disputes and political violence continued.
Why it matters
The agreement removed another major obstacle to constitutional talks and shifted the ANC's strategy towards achieving a democratic settlement through negotiation, although violence and disputes over implementation continued.