30 Million New Voters : For the first time, black South Africans will vote

For 350 years, election day has meant absolutely nothing to the huge black majority in South Africa. Apartheid denied millions of black men and women the right to vote in their native land. That prohibition, among other racial restrictions, guaranteed generations of white minority rule. But those days will soon be over. A historic reform is expected to extend the ballot to all South Africans next spring.

The first universal election is tentatively scheduled for April 27, 1994. The election date is important because it holds out hope to 30 million black South Africans. The date holds a promise of tangible reform for those who have tired of waiting for change. It symbolizes that they will soon have a say in how their own country is governed.

The date resulted from months of hard negotiations between the South African government, the African National Congress and other political parties. Progress has not come easily. Disagreements have prompted stalemates. The waves of black violence have derailed the talks. Revelations of white complicity in black massacres have slowed the negotiations. In the face of obstacles, South African President Frederick W. de Klerk and ANC President Nelson Mandela have persevered in the task at hand--and with each other and their constituencies. What South Africans will actually vote on has not been finalized. However, most parties have agreed to election of a constituent assembly to serve as the first fully integrated parliament, which would write the new constitution.

But not everyone has agreed. Perhaps the April deadline will put pressure on the holdouts. Inkatha, the Zulu-based political party led by Chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, is among the major opponents to speedy reform. Buthelezi makes no secret of his own national ambitions and works hard to limit the future role of the ANC, which enjoys the support of most black South Africans. But Buthelezi cannot stop progress. As the April deadline approaches, he will have to find some compromise that guarantees a voice in the government for his minority party or risk sitting on the sidelines when the new government is formed.

White right-wing groups, which cherish the status quo of white domination, are also hellbent on blocking any transfer of power. The election date puts them on notice to join the consensus or join the exodus.

South Africa is moving irreversibly to democracy. Black South Africans will not be denied a vote. The April 27 election date moves this historic process one step closer.