Apartheid In South Africa
“Where one was allowed to live and work could rest on such absurd distinctions as the curl of ones hair or the size of one’s lips.” –Nelson Mandela
A policy called Apartheid was put in place in South Africa. Apartheid is racial segregation, and had severe consequences on the non-white portion of those living in South Africa.
This policy was brought about because it was believed that the blacks would ‘swamp’ the far less in numbers whites.
Another aim for these policies was that the whites would claim all of the prosperous areas of living in South Africa, while the Blacks would be moved into newly created ‘homelands.’
In the 20th Century, Blacks in South Africa had restrictions in almost every area of their lives. Blacks were made to live in areas called Reserves, which made up just 13% of the land in South Africa. It was extremely difficult for Black people to purchase land outside of these reserves. This was under The Natives Land Act, which came about in 1913, making it the first legislation to officially introduce segregation in South Africa.
The Natives Urban Areas Act followed in 1923, which disallowed the moving of non-whites into the cities, which had been labeled as white only areas. If granted a working passed, to be carried at all times, Blacks were able to work in these white areas, but not live here. In 1926, a Colour Bar Act was passed which restricted Blacks from having skilled jobs, and instead were resigned to less skilled jobs such as working in South Africa’s gold and diamond mines.
National Party won the elections in 1948, which lead to an even bigger increase in the segregation between races in South Africa.
After World War Two, there was an influx of half a million Blacks into the cities, all of them seeking work. They were forced to work in shanty towns, which were extremely unsanitary and disease ridden. Drunkenness and violence were not uncommon.
The thinking behind the National Party was that South Africa was not one nation. Instead it was four: White, Black, Coloured and Indian. The parties aim was to enforce the complete separation of these races through ‘grand apartheid laws’.
In 1950 they introduced the Population Registration Act, which meant that all South Africans had to be classified as a specific race. Because the focus was on appearance, some families could be spilt up into different races.
To further increase segregation between races, the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act was passed in 1949, as well as the Immorality Act of 1950. This made it illegal for a white person and someone of another race to marry, or have sexual relations with each other.
After being classified into specific racial groups, it was easier for the races to be sorted into separate living areas. The Group Areas Act in 1950 but it very clear that there were specific areas in which each race had to live. The best areas were reserved for whites, and those who were not white were forced to move out to the outer areas of the city. This meant long travels in order to get to work, placing many no-whites out of work. Blacks were at risk of being arrested if they were in the wrong areas, especially if they were not carrying a Passbook which was to be carried at all times. These books contained a persons name, address, racial category, employment status, photograph and fingerprints. These passes had great control over the people’s lives, and there are commonly seen as symbols of hate during the apartheid period.
In 1951 a step was taken in an attempt to remove Blacks as citizens of South Africa. The Bantu Authorities Act was aimed at making Blacks citizens of only one of the ten ‘homelands.’ It was hoped that because Blacks were no longer citizens of South Africa, the homelands that they were confined to live in would become self-governed, meaning that the whites in South Africa could no longer be ‘swamped’ by the Black majority.
After this act was passed, 3.5 million blacks were forced to relocate over the next 30 years. Blacks were being sent to areas that were already largely overcrowded such as Ilinge, Sada and Dimbaza. These areas in which they were forced to live offered no forms of work, and the soil was too poor to grow sufficient crops.
By the 1980s, it was not uncommon for there to be protests against relocation. Two million people that the government had planned to relocate never did so.
All aspects of life in South Africa were segregated, from bus stops, to hospitals, ambulances and blood transfusions. As well as this it was disallowed for sports teams to be of mixed races.
“Where one was allowed to live and work could rest on such absurd distinctions as the curl of ones hair or the size of one’s lips.” –Nelson Mandela
A policy called Apartheid was put in place in South Africa. Apartheid is racial segregation, and had severe consequences on the non-white portion of those living in South Africa.
This policy was brought about because it was believed that the blacks would ‘swamp’ the far less in numbers whites.
Another aim for these policies was that the whites would claim all of the prosperous areas of living in South Africa, while the Blacks would be moved into newly created ‘homelands.’
In the 20th Century, Blacks in South Africa had restrictions in almost every area of their lives. Blacks were made to live in areas called Reserves, which made up just 13% of the land in South Africa. It was extremely difficult for Black people to purchase land outside of these reserves. This was under The Natives Land Act, which came about in 1913, making it the first legislation to officially introduce segregation in South Africa.
The Natives Urban Areas Act followed in 1923, which disallowed the moving of non-whites into the cities, which had been labeled as white only areas. If granted a working passed, to be carried at all times, Blacks were able to work in these white areas, but not live here. In 1926, a Colour Bar Act was passed which restricted Blacks from having skilled jobs, and instead were resigned to less skilled jobs such as working in South Africa’s gold and diamond mines.
National Party won the elections in 1948, which lead to an even bigger increase in the segregation between races in South Africa.
After World War Two, there was an influx of half a million Blacks into the cities, all of them seeking work. They were forced to work in shanty towns, which were extremely unsanitary and disease ridden. Drunkenness and violence were not uncommon.
The thinking behind the National Party was that South Africa was not one nation. Instead it was four: White, Black, Coloured and Indian. The parties aim was to enforce the complete separation of these races through ‘grand apartheid laws’.
In 1950 they introduced the Population Registration Act, which meant that all South Africans had to be classified as a specific race. Because the focus was on appearance, some families could be spilt up into different races.
To further increase segregation between races, the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act was passed in 1949, as well as the Immorality Act of 1950. This made it illegal for a white person and someone of another race to marry, or have sexual relations with each other.
After being classified into specific racial groups, it was easier for the races to be sorted into separate living areas. The Group Areas Act in 1950 but it very clear that there were specific areas in which each race had to live. The best areas were reserved for whites, and those who were not white were forced to move out to the outer areas of the city. This meant long travels in order to get to work, placing many no-whites out of work. Blacks were at risk of being arrested if they were in the wrong areas, especially if they were not carrying a Passbook which was to be carried at all times. These books contained a persons name, address, racial category, employment status, photograph and fingerprints. These passes had great control over the people’s lives, and there are commonly seen as symbols of hate during the apartheid period.
In 1951 a step was taken in an attempt to remove Blacks as citizens of South Africa. The Bantu Authorities Act was aimed at making Blacks citizens of only one of the ten ‘homelands.’ It was hoped that because Blacks were no longer citizens of South Africa, the homelands that they were confined to live in would become self-governed, meaning that the whites in South Africa could no longer be ‘swamped’ by the Black majority.
After this act was passed, 3.5 million blacks were forced to relocate over the next 30 years. Blacks were being sent to areas that were already largely overcrowded such as Ilinge, Sada and Dimbaza. These areas in which they were forced to live offered no forms of work, and the soil was too poor to grow sufficient crops.
By the 1980s, it was not uncommon for there to be protests against relocation. Two million people that the government had planned to relocate never did so.
All aspects of life in South Africa were segregated, from bus stops, to hospitals, ambulances and blood transfusions. As well as this it was disallowed for sports teams to be of mixed races.