Following a visit to Nigeria by the state president, F.W. de Klerk, and his foreign minister Roelof "Pik" Botha a number of other African countries announced their willingness to improve their diplomatic relations with South Africa. Djibouti lifted all trade and travel restrictions it had imposed on South Africa, whilst Cote d'Ivore announced the establishment of full diplomatic relations, making it the second African country after Malawi to exchange ambassadors.

African National Congress (ANC) Deputy President Nelson Mandela stated that his party was prepared to abandon its long-held policy of nationalisation if the business community could provide an alternative which would redress the economic imbalances in the country. He further stated that nationalisation did not mean that the private sector would be excluded from certain areas of business, and said that the ANC welcomed dialogue with the business sector to ensure growth and equal distribution.

In an interview with the New Nation, Felix Ndimene alleged that the Selous Scouts of Pietersburg and Five Reconnaissance Regiment (5RR), part of the SA Special Forces, together with members of RENAMO, had been involved in train violence, particularly the Benrose massacre on 13 September 1990. He also named a Zimbabwean who had allegedly been involved in train attacks.

The African National Congress (ANC) activist, Mziwonke 'Pro' Jack was gunned down next to his home in Cape Town. Jack was a taxi conflict mediator in Cape Town when he was murdered. The escalating violence after the death of Jack developed a suspicion of police involvement and allegations that a third force was fanning the violence to destabilise the community.

At the height of township violence in Transvaal, President F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela held a series of meetings to discuss means of quelling the unrest. Following these deliberations the government announced 'Operation Iron Fist' to put down the fighting. These measures included a curfew; the cordoning off of hostels and squatter camps with razor wire; the use of aerial spray dyes; and, mounting light machine guns on armoured vehicles. Twenty-seven townships were placed under emergency rule.

The Rand Supreme Court sentences Jerry Richardson to death for the murder 14-year-old Stompie Seipei. Stompie Seipei was a child activist and member of the infamous Mandela Football Club established by Winnie Mandela as a front for the political mobilisation of township youths to stand against apartheid. Jerry Richardson abducted Seipei and three other boys near the Methodist Church (Manse), Soweto and took him to Winnie Mandela's home.

African National Congress's deputy president Nelson Mandela addressed a crowd of 300 000 in Port Elizabeth in what was described as South Africa's biggest ever political rally. Mandela announced to the crowd that he would be meeting President F.W. de Klerk in order to discuss the intensification of violence throughout the country, with specific reference to KwaZulu-Natal and the Rand where things were getting out of hand. On the very same day, Mandela flew to KwaZulu-Natal to see for himself what the violence had done to that region.

Negotiations between the National Sports Council (NSC) and the white South African Cricket Union (SACU) on the rebel cricket tour by Mike Gatting's England team, culminated in Dr Ali Bacher's statement on February 13, 1990. In the statement Bacher acknowledged that it was time to compromise and that the event had been overrun by the politics of the day. It also confirmed that the tour was divisive and had split the communities.

On this day in history, 4 of Winnie Mandela's (now Madikizela-Mandela) bodyguards, including Jerry Richardson and Jabu Sithole (coach of the Mandela United Football Club) were arrested at her home. The 4 were arrested in connection with the death of Stompie Mokhetsi Seipei, after rumors in mid-February that the Mandela United Football Club had brought the 4 youths to Winnie's home for interrogation. Jerry Richardson was later convicted of Stompie Seipei's murder and sentenced to death. The three surviving youths testified at Mr.

Despite an increasing outcry against Salman Rushdie's public lecture from the Islamic Council of Southern Africa, the Weekly Mail (now Mail and Guardian) announces that the public lecture will go ahead. The Weekly Mail invited him to give a public lecture on censorship. Many Islamic governments and other governments such as India and South Africa censored his book Satanic Versus. Many Islamic groups, including South African Muslims, accused Rushdie for committing blasphemy against Islam.