The Independence of Bophuthatswana: History, Struggle, and Decolonization

Bophuthatswana's independence on January 2, 1978: Bophuthatswana was one of the apartheid-era Bantustans in South Africa. On January 2, 1978, it became the third homeland to be granted independence, after Transkei and Ciskei. The independence of Bophuthatswana was not recognized internationally, as the homeland system was seen as a means to strip black South Africans of their rights. The authoritarian regime of Lucas Mangope ruled Bophuthatswana until its reintegration into South Africa in 1994