White South Africans voted in a historical referendum on March 17, 1992, to end the 40-year-old system of apartheid, with 68.73% of voters supporting the reforms which eventually led to ending white minority rule.
The referendum posed the question to white voters, if they supported the continuation of the negotiated reforms aimed at a new constitution, which began on February 2, 1990, under State President F.W. de Klerk. With 85.08% of the registered white voters participating, the "Yes" side won a landslide victory with 1,924,186 votes (68.73%) against 875,619 "No" votes (31.27%).The referendum also marked the last time only the white electorate participated in a national election. The result enabled negotiations that led to the first non-racial, democratic elections in April 1994, electing Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa.
