The Strive To End Apartheid

Kristen Kohles

11/18/10

Human Geography

Striving to End Apartheid

            The year 1948 was the beginning of it all. It was then that the white South African electorate voted into power a political party that stood for Afrikaner domination and total racial segregation (Readers Digest). This became known as the apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid is a social policy or racial segregation involving political, economic, and legal discrimination against people who are not white (Readers Digest). Although this total separation became an official policy after the victory of the National Party election, its foundation had been laid nearly half a century before by British Government officials, in another policy called segregation (Readers Digest). The whites benefited from the apartheid, while the blacks and other non-white groups suffered. It took so long to end the apartheid because the whites were highly favored and had a lot more power, money, and control.

Race laws touched every aspect of social life. There were laws that prohibited the marriage between non-whites and whites, some authorizing ``white-only'' jobs, and others restricting each “group” to its own residential and trading sections of cities and towns (Readers Digest). This restriction was done by controlling the purchase or occupation of land or dwellings in specified areas (Readers Digest). All blacks were required to carry ``pass books,” which contained fingerprints, a photo and information that gave them access to non-black areas (The History of Apartheid in South Africa). 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 History of Apartheid in South Africa). The colored category included major subgroups of Indians and Asians. Classification into these categories was based on appearance, social acceptance, and descent (The History of Apartheid in South Africa). A person could not be considered white if one of his or her parents were non-white (The History of Apartheid in South Africa). The determination that a person was ``obviously white'' would take into account ``his habits, education, and speech and deportment and demeanor'' (The History of Apartheid in South Africa).

 Black South Africans were steadily deprived of fundamental rights and liberties (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). They were not allowed to participate in the political life of the country, and subject to repressive laws and regulations (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). There were ten reserves called "Bantustans" (or the so- called "homelands") assigned to Africans, one for each of the "national units" of the African population as defined under the apartheid system (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). These were scattered into 81 separate and un-attached pieces of land (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). Although Africans outnumbered Whites by more than 4 to 1, these reserves constituted only 13 per cent of the land in South Africa and contained some of the most barren and unfertile areas (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). This was known as The Bantu Authorities Act, established in 1951, and was a basis for ethnic government in these African reserves (Readers Digest). This was another one of the government’s priorities, to strip Africans of the last remainders of their access to the white political system (Readers Digest). These homelands were independent states to which each African was assigned by the government and all political rights, including voting, held by an African were restricted to the designated homeland (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). 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 (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). This eventually made them aliens to their own country, applying that Africans living in the homelands needed passports to enter South Africa (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology). From 1976 to 1981, four of these homelands were created, denationalizing nine million South Africans (The UN and Apartheid: A Chronology).  

            Until 1991, South African law divided the population into four major racial categories: Blacks, Whites, colored and Indian/Asian (Demographics of South Africa 2). Although this law has been abolished, many South Africans still view themselves and each other according to these categories (Demographics of South Africa 2). South Africa has a population of over 47 million people of diverse origins, languages, cultures and beliefs. According to the demographics of South Africa, the population is divided into the four major racial categories (Demographics of South Africa). The Blacks constitute 79.5% of the total population and are further divided into several ethnic groups including those from Angola and Mozambique (Demographics of South Africa). The Whites constitute approximately 13% of the demographics of South Africa (Demographics of South Africa). They are primarily descendants of Dutch, French, English, and German settlers who began arriving at the Cape in the late 17th century (Demographics of South Africa 2). Coloreds are a mixed race and make up 9% of the population while Asians make up 2.5% (Demographics of South Africa). Coloreds are mixed-race people primarily descending from the earliest settlers and the indigenous peoples (Demographics of South Africa 2). Most Asians descend from Indian workers brought to South Africa in the mid-19th century to work on the sugar estates in Natal (Demographics of South Africa 2). The demographics of South Africa stand out for its ethnic diversity (Demographics of South Africa).

The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, spent decades in South Africa's prisons (The World Fact book). Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the system's eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule (The World Fact book).

            Nelson Mandela was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. In Transkei South Africa on July 18, 1918, he was born Rolihlahla Mandela (Nelson Mandela – Biography). His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the Tembu Tribe (Nelson Mandela – Biography). Mandela himself was educated and qualified in law by 1942 (Nelson Mandela – Biography). He then joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948 (Nelson Mandela – Biography). He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was found innocent in 1961(Nelson Mandela – Biography).

After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the ANC (Nelson Mandela – Biography). In June 1961, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics (Nelson Mandela – Biography). Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labor (Nelson Mandela – Biography). In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and the “Umkhonto we Sizwe,” formatted by Mandela, were arrested (Nelson Mandela – Biography). Mandela was brought to stand trial with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence (Nelson Mandela – Biography). On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment (Nelson Mandela – Biography).

During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily and he consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom (Nelson Mandela – Biography). Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990 (Nelson Mandela – Biography). Even though he was in jail for a while, his work was remembered and carried on. In 1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa, Mandela was elected President of the ANC (Nelson Mandela – Biography).

Many people were striving to end apartheid and the Africans had many supporters. "Sun City" was a protest song written by Steven Van Zandt and recorded by Artists United Against Apartheid to convey opposition to the South African policy of apartheid in 1985 (Artists United Against Apartheid). In 1991 President de Klerk obtained the repeal of the remaining apartheid laws and called for the drafting of a new constitution (South Africa under apartheid). The apartheid was finally ended in 1994 when the first free multiracial elections were held (South Africa under apartheid). Millions of new voters chose from The Afrikaner National Party, the black supremist Inkatha Freedom Party, and the moderate ANC (South Africa under apartheid). The ANC received the most votes and Nelson Mandela was elected President by the new Parliament (South Africa under apartheid). Apartheid was officially over.

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