The National State of Emergency Pamphlet

The National State of Emergency is an original South African government-issued pamphlet published in June 1988 during one of the most significant and controversial periods in the country’s modern history. Produced by the Bureau for Information, this 12-page publication explains and justifies the continuation of the National State of Emergency declared by the apartheid government under State President P. W. Botha.

The booklet outlines the government’s official position regarding political unrest, security legislation, public order, emergency powers, media restrictions, and the perceived threat posed by revolutionary movements. It includes statements by P. W. Botha, explanations of the legal basis for emergency regulations, discussions on media controls, and statistical graphs illustrating government claims regarding violence, terrorism, business confidence, and the effects of emergency measures.

Today, this publication serves as an important primary historical source documenting the official narrative and propaganda of the South African government during the final years of apartheid. It provides valuable insight into the state’s justification for extraordinary legal powers and offers researchers, historians, collectors, and students a rare glimpse into official government communication at the time.

Increasingly sought after by collectors of South African political history, apartheid-era documents, Africana, liberation struggle material, Cold War history, and government publications, this original pamphlet represents an authentic piece of South Africa’s complex twentieth-century history.

Whether acquired for historical research, museum collections, university libraries, or private Africana collections, The National State of Emergency remains an increasingly collectible and thought-provoking publication from a pivotal period in South African history.

Condition – Very Good

1988 stapled pamphlet. Clean and complete with light handling wear consistent with age.