RACIAL SEGREGATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Racial segregation in South Africa was a major issue across the country which affected people’s lives especially for those who were non-white. This system was called as Apartheid which was a Afrikaan word standing for discrimination (HistoryExtra, 2015). In other words, Apartheid describes political and economic system of racial discrimination which was imposed by the white minority on non-white people (HistoryExtra, 2015). In this article, how the apartheid system started and affected society politically, economically as well as socially will be explained.

OCCURRENCE OF APARTHEID SYSTEM

The apartheid system was implemented by the governing party which was the National Party of South Africa (HistoryExtra, 2015). The system started in 1948 and lasted until 1994 (Kiddle, 2021). In the elections of 1948, the National Party got into power and in the following years new apartheid laws were made. The new laws enforced more strictly on non-white people (Kiddle, 2021). Under this system, the society in South Africa was divided according to their race and different races were forced to live separately from each other (Kiddle, 2021). Race discrimination was not a new phenomenon to South Africa, as racial legislation in the country could be seen back then in 1806 (HistoryExtra, 2015). However, segregation was extended greatly with the Population Registration Act of 1950.(HistoryExtra,2015). According to this act, South African society would be divided into four categories: Bantu (black South Africans), Coloured (those of mixed race), White and Asian (Indian and Pakistani South Africans (HistoryExtra, 2015). The Act was designed to protect white supremacy in the country (HistoryExtra, 2015).

EFFECTS OF APARTHEID ON SOCIETY

The effects of apartheid were felt in every aspect of the daily life of South African society, particularly on non-whites (HistoryExtra, 2015). They were overcome badly by political, economical and social conditions because of the system that was imposed. For instance, the social lives of non-whites affected in a way that they were not allowed to live in the areas which belonged to the white minority. This was because of several land acts which set aside more than 80 percent of the country land for the white minority. In addition to this, non-whites were supposed to carry documents in order to authorize their presence in restricted areas (History, 2010). Moreover, the government divided public facilities, ambulances, hospitals, buses into whites and non-whites in order to inhibit communication between races (History, 2010). This establishment reached the target by limiting the activity of non-white labor unions, denying non-white participation in national government, and restricting the political rights of non-whites (History, 2010).

 

 

Additionally, racial segregation affected the lives of the people who were non-whites economically. To exemplify, they were forced to live in black homelands where they were given permission to run businesses. If non-whites wanted to live and work in designated white areas, they had to obtain permission from the government (HistoryExtra, 2015).

DISOBEDIENCE OF APARTHEID LAWS AND DEFIANCE CAMPAIGN

In 1952, the Defiance Campaign which was the first non- violent political campaign took place. It lasted about four months and 8,000 volunteers rejected obeying the laws of apartheid by refusing to carry passes, violating curfews, and using public places and services designated for white use only (HistoryExtra, 2015). The Defiance Campaign, run by the African National Congress (ANC) as well as the South African Indian Congress, generated an immerse movement for freedom with South Africa itself (HistoryExtra, 2015). At the time, Nelson Mandela was president of the ANC Youth League (HistoryExtra, 2015). He was a volunteer in chief of the 1952 Defiance Campaign. He went on to play a leading role in generating large-scale resistance to apartheid (HistoryExtra, 2015). However, Mandela’s involvement in both peaceful and armed resistance caused him to be sentenced to 27 years in 1962 which he was exposed to inhumane conditions in prison (HistoryExtra, 2015).

Besides this, the Defiance Campaign and resistance to apartheid attracted the attention of the United Nations (HistoryExtra, 2015). In 1973, the UN denounced apartheid, but the situation escalated in 1976 when police opened fire with tear gas and bullets on children in Soweto (HistoryExtra, 2015). The violence caused an outrage and the UN imposed an embargo on the sale of arms to South Africa in 1985 followed by economic sanctions from the UK and US (HistoryExtra, 2015).

PRESIDENCY OF NELSON MANDELA AND ABOLISHMENT OF APARTHEID LAWS

The last president came in the office during the apartheid era was Frederik Willem de Klerk (Kiddle, 2021). In 1990, President Frederik de Klerk began negotiations with Mandela to end apartheid (History, 2010). In the same year, the world also saw Nelson Mandela get out of prison where he continued to conduct the campaign (HistoryExtra, 2015). The negotiations between Frederik de Klerk and Nelson Mandela were so successful and Nelson Mandela was elected to the presidency of South Africa after multi-racial elections took place in April, 1994 (Kiddle, 2021). Eventually, he became the first black person to be president in South Africa, and the apartheid system as well as its laws were abolished in 1994 (Kiddle, 2021).

 

 

In conclusion, racial segregation was a system in South Africa that affected the lives of people who were non-whites. Additionally, black people in South Africa were deprived of human rights politically, socially, and economically which they could not be the same as the white minority living in South Africa. Thanks to Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk, this system that imposed white supremacy came to an end. Nelson became a figure of equality and when he died, he became one of the greatest men ever to live on planet earth (History, 2010). Today, there are a lot of monuments left in the memory of Nelson (History, 2010).

 

 

 

 

WORK CITED

Kiddle (2021). “Apartheid facts for kids” Kiddle Encyclopedia. Available at

https://kids.kiddle.co/Apartheid#:~:text=Apartheid%20was%20a%20political%20and,1948%20until%20the%20early%2D1990s.

History (2010).”Apartheid” A&E Television Networks. Available at

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/apartheid

HistoryExtra (2015). “Your guide to apartheid” BBC History. Available at

https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/apartheid-facts-history-south-africa-dates-when-start-end-laws-nelson-mandela-affect-impact/