Cape First

Sort of, but not really America had been looking for a way to intervene in South Africa with the intent to reform from as early as the Truman administration. However, they struggled to build a West-friendly liberation movement, and the BCP/AZAPO, which had both American and British Intel ties, were mostly wiped out by the Soviet client party, the ANC. When the Spanish and Portuguese dictatorships were deposed in 1974/75, Kissinger went on a whirlwind tour of Africa promoting decolonisation. They wanted to outflank the Soviets among African nationalists. At the same time, they needed to restrict Soviet access to oil - they saw peak domestic capacity by the early 70s, so Angola was crucial, but they were in Soviet hands. The Soweto uprising gave Kissinger a leverage point, and he cornered Vorster. Basically the deal was, Vorster joins the embargo on Rhodesia, and starts dismantling he colour bar and initiating constitutional reform, and the US will give them limited cover to pin down the Soviets in Angola. Once the Angolan problem was concluded, we were told to pack it all up, and we did. De Klerk was recruited as a CIA contact in 1973 through the USIA, so hia career and administration were given a lot of support But they just kept giving away ground with every negotiation, and the ANC got a lot of concessions. That said, the Americans and the permanent local oligarchy got the last say, and we got an anti-protectionist, anti-developmental, welfare state in the Fabian mould, designed around public-private partnerships, cartelism and patronage