Emergency Lifted
Allows the 1985 state of emergency to lapse.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1986 in South Africa
Explore 13 historical events and records for South Africa in 1986.
Historical records for South Africa in 1986
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 13 of 13 unique records.
13Unique records
1 of 1Page
13Named events on this page
5Named people on this page
2Places on this page
March
Partial Emergency Ends
The respite from emergency rule lasts only several months.
May
Election
Wins an overwhelming majority in the white-only election
June
Emergency Rule Expanded
Security forces receive extensive powers of detention and censorship.
Nationwide State of Emergency
Declares a nationwide state of emergency.
Arrest of Zwelakhe Sisulu
South African journalist Zwelakhe is Sisulu arrested
Other events (month unknown)
Archbishop
Appointed Archbishop of the Church of South Africa
Books
Pass books are abolished
General
Appointed General Secretary of the South African Communist Party
Lagislation-Pass Laws
Abolition, lifts restrictions on the movement of non-whites
Pass Laws
Abolition, lifts restrictions on the movement of non-whites
Reform of Government
Pass books are abolished
Report
Enforces a reporting ban in South Africa
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.