Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith

Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith
Created	4 January 1974
Signatories	Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Harry Schwarz
Purpose	Provide a blueprint for government of South Africa by consent and racial peace in a multi-racial society

The Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith was a statement of core principles laid down by South African political leaders Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Harry Schwarz on 4 January 1974. It was signed in Mahlabatini, KwaZulu-Natal, hence its name. Its purpose was to provide a blueprint for government of South Africa by consent and racial peace in a multi-racial society, stressing opportunity for all, consultation, the federal concept, and a Bill of Rights. It also first affirmed that political change must take place though non-violent means. It was the first agreement in apartheid South Africa by acknowledged black and white political leaders that subscribed to such principles.^{[1][page needed]} Final negotiations, which embodied many of the Declaration's principles, took place between President F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in the early 1990s.