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| The History of Apartheid in South Africa
The History of Apartheid in South Africa
The History of Apartheid in South Africa
South Africa (see
map) is a
country blessed with an abundance of natural resources including fertile
farmlands and unique mineral resources. South African mines are world leaders in
the production of diamonds and gold as well as strategic metals such as
platinum. The climate is mild,
reportedly resembling the San Francisco bay area weather more than anywhere in
the world. South Africa was colonized by the English and
Dutch in the seventeenth century. English domination of the Dutch descendents
(known as Boers or Afrikaners) resulted in the Dutch establishing the new
colonies of Orange Free State and Transvaal. The discovery of diamonds in these
lands around 1900 resulted in an English invasion which sparked the Boer War.
Following independence from England, an uneasy power-sharing between the two
groups held sway until the 1940's, when the Afrikaner National Party was able to
gain a strong majority. Strategists in the National Party invented apartheid as
a means to cement their control over the economic and social system. Initially,
aim of the apartheid was to maintain white domination while extending racial
separation. Starting in the 60's, a plan of ´´Grand Apartheid'' was
executed, emphasizing territorial separation and police repression.
With the enactment of apartheid laws in 1948,
racial discrimination was institutionalized. Race laws touched every aspect of
social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites,
and the sanctioning of ´´white-only'' jobs. In 1950, the Population
Registration Act required that all South Africans be racially classified into
one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed decent).
The coloured category included major subgroups of Indians and Asians.
Classification into these categories was based on appearance, social acceptance,
and descent. For example, a white person was defined as ´´in
appearance obviously a white person or generally accepted as a white person.'' A
person could not be considered white if one of his or her parents were
non-white. The determination that a person was ´´obviously white''
would take into account ´´his habits, education, and speech and
deportment and demeanor.'' A black person would be of or accepted as a member of
an African tribe or race, and a colored person is one that is not black or
white. The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for
the classification of the citizenry. Non-compliance with the race laws were
dealt with harshly. All blacks were required to carry ´´pass books''
containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas.
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In 1951, the Bantu Authorities Act
established a basis for ethnic government in African reserves, known as
´´homelands.'' These homelands were independent states to which each
African was assigned by the government according to the record of origin (which
was frequently inaccurate). All political rights, including voting, held by an
African were restricted to the designated homeland. The idea was that they would
be citizens of the homeland, losing their citizenship in South Africa and any
right of involvement with the South African Parliament which held complete
hegemony over the homelands. From 1976 to 1981, four of these homelands were
created, denationalizing nine million South Africans. The homeland
administrations refused the nominal independence, maintaining pressure for
political rights within the country as a whole. Nevertheless, Africans living in
the homelands needed passports to enter South Africa: aliens in their own
country.
In 1953, the Public Safety Act and the
Criminal Law Amendment Act were passed, which empowered the government to
declare stringent states of emergency and increased penalties for protesting
against or supporting the repeal of a law. The penalties included fines,
imprisonment and whippings. In 1960, a large group of blacks in Sharpeville
refused to carry their passes; the government declared a state of emergency. The
emergency lasted for 156 days, leaving 69 people dead and 187 people wounded.
Wielding the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, the white
regime had no intention of changing the unjust laws of apartheid.
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The penalties imposed on political protest, even non-violent protest, were
severe. During the states of emergency which continued intermittently until
1989, anyone could be detained without a hearing by a low-level police official
for up to six months. Thousands of individuals died in custody, frequently after
gruesome acts of torture. Those who were tried were sentenced to death,
banished, or imprisoned for life, like Nelson Mandela.
The apartheid policy was highly effective of
achieving its goal of preferential treatment for whites, as is demonstrated by
the statistics in Figure 1.
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