acts Flashcards
National Party Manifesto
1948
sauer report-“apartheid was the only way forward, or it would mean suicide for the white race”
- wanted to enforce pass laws more heavily
-D.F Malan
-black people should have no political rights
- aim was achieved as apartheid was enforced
- nationalist party victory
United party manifesto
1948
Fagan report - they tried to discourage migrant labour and black homes in controlled townships
-Jan Smuts
-said total segregation would fail- modern industry needs black population living permanently in towns close to workplaces
mixed marriages act/ mortality act
1949/1950
- whites not allowed to have sex or marry across racial boundaries
- aim was to stop mixing between races = further segregation
- black SA’s couldn’t be with who they wanted
- this was achieved
population registration act
1950
- all SA’s separated into 4 categories
1) black 2) white3) Indian 4) coloured - did tests to find out your race(pencil in hair)
- this impacted black SA’s as apartheid laws could easily be applied to their race
- was achieved as they were placed in groups
Group areas act
1950
- 3.5 black SA’s were forced out of their homes
- only 2% were white
- they aimed to clean out ‘black spots’
- this meant black SA’s had to leave their homes
group areas act info
- sophiatown- took 6 years and housed nearly 60,000 people
- durban- housed around 450k people- 1/2 being indian
- District-60,000 people removed and buildings bulldozed
Suppression of communism act
1950
- tried banning communism
- aim to ban any radical group against SA government
- black SA’s couldn’t stand up against SA government - if they did they could be punished
urban areas act
1950
- if they had worked there for 10+ years, loved their for 15+ years or born there they would get urban rights
- aim was to limit urban residency for black SA’s
- black SA’s couldn’t live where they wanted
Bantu authorities act
1951
- known as great apartheid
- aimed to separate races into self-governing African units
- national party argued this separate development meant races could develop in ways they were best skilled to
Defiance campaign
26th June 1952
-civil disobedience
-ANC organised- strategy was for groups of volunteers to break racially based restrictions such as curfews and segregated facilities
-8,000 volunteers involved -6,000 arrested
ANC membership increased from 4,000
—>100,000
Pass laws, urban areas act, natives abolition of the pass act
1952(+1956)
- every adult had to carry a pass book which should be presented on demand or face arrest= show their rights to work in certain areas
- if they had worked they’re for 10+ years, lived they’re for 15+ or born there, they would get ur an rights
- aim was to limit urban residency for black SA’a
before 1948 all men had to carry a pass- was extended to all women and enforced more brutally
Criminal Law amendment act
1953
- only whites could vote
- stripped blacks of their vote to participate in the national governments of SA
- instead,blacks only had the right to vote for puppet governments in their territory
they did not secure the 2/3rd majority required to change constitutional rights but removed the votes from cape coloured anyway- when this was legally challenged, they packed senate and supreme court with afrikaner supporters and judges to uphold the new law
effective as increased vote to 6000,000 in 1953 beating the united party and remained in power for over 40 years giving increasing numbers of government jobs to afrikaner’s
Bantu education act
1953
- objective was to work black people into lower-level jobs
- armed guards in schools= impacted lessons
- children forced to be taught in Afrikaans= not they’re native language = useless
- large classes- cramps classrooms(80)- no concentration
Seperate enmities act
1953
- known as petty apartheid
- enforced the segregation of all public facilities
- the main aim was to eliminate any and all contact between white people and other races
- sights for areas for “europeans only”
- the act stated that facilities provided for the different races need not to be equal, with the result that the white areas were always of a better standard and more convenient than for other races
Congress of the people
26th- Freedom charter written- 1955
- listing core beliefs =people submitted suggestions
- called for democratic SA+non racial SA
- gained international support
- gave the ANC manifesto- membership went from 7,000–> 100,000
Separate representation of voters act
1956
- only whites could vote
- stripped blacks of their rights to participate in the national government of SA
- instead, blacks only had the right to vote for puppet governments in their territory
- New, however, only removed final group of coloured people to have the vote
Treason Trial
1956
- 18 months after the creation of the freedom charter, on dec 5th authorities arrested 156 of those who attended the Klipton meeting and charged them with high treason
- AND leaders arrested
- trial against the 30 remaining defendants began in august 1959
- no evidence that any of the defendants were guilty - march 1961
- brought international attention to the resistance campaign
- arrests allowed them to meet and cement relationships they wouldn’t have if they weren’t attending trial together
- dramatised apartheid to the outside world
- However, the ANC were left without any strong leadership for a significant amount of time- led to the split in the ANC
Potato boycott
1957-1959
- ANC sponsored
- because of the harsh conditions potato workers endured
- potatoes rot quickly and stocks pulled up as people refused to buy them
- in august 1959 farmers began to improve working conditions and the boycott was hailed a success
PAC founded
1957
- Robert Sobukwe formed new organisation separate from the ANC
- blamed the failures of the ANC on the willingness to work with other groups
- many members saw whites as the enemy and must be expelled form SA
- opposed communism
- main difference between ANC and PAC was over the africanist policy
Zeerust uprising
1957
- imposition of passes for women living in the Zeerust area of Western Transvaal
local chief denied enforcing this measure and was dismissed
wide spread protest as a result
men and women living in Johannesburg charted buses to join the protest
many arrested
women in Zeerust meanwhile forced to carry their passes by a special police force
Bantu self- government act
1959
set up 8 self-governing homelands in which black Africans were to be citizens
by making these ‘homelands’ independent, and removing them officially from south African statistics, whites would become the largest ethnic group
this act was key for GRAND apartheid and was the start of ambitious plans to making the Bantustans separate, independent countries
PAC created
1959
formed in 1959 due to the ANC treason trial
membership exceeded ANC by as many as 25,000
Shaprville massacre
21 march - 1960
21st march a crowd estimated as many as 20,000 gathered outside Sharpville policed station
1pm police began shooting at the crowd- 69 demonstrators were killed, 70% of whom shot in the back as they attempted to flee
arrested some of PAC members
state of emergency declared on 30th march 1960
massacre caused international outrage
UN called for abolition of apartheid
ANC and PAC declared illegal organisations
April 8th 1960
- under the unlawful organisations act
SA left commonwealth
June 1961
Verwoerd’s attended his final conference and decided to withdraw membership in the face of criticism over apartheid- main stumbling block to continued membership was Verwoerd’s refusal to accept diplomats from newly independent African countries.
Mandela set up MK
16th December 1961
Umkhonto we Sizwe
set up by Mandela and other leading members of the ANC
the group rejects all-out war and the killing of innocent civilians and therefore target important unstaffed locations like electricity pylons
later during the campaign there was some deaths caused by MK guerrilla fighters. - 30 members of various security forces and 100 civilians- 130
in next 18 months 200 attacks took place
John Vorster appointed minister of justice
July 1961
sabotage act
1962
carried the death penalty, electric shocks allowed
guilty was implied, you had to prove yourselves innocent
Mandela arrested
August 1962
accused of incitement to strike and travelling alone without a passport
sentenced to 5 years in prison without parole
General law amendment act
May 1963
allowed authorities to arrested anyone for 90 days without having to bring charges against them or even giving them a lawyer
once the initial 90 days was up it could be extended for a further 90 days
’Sobukwe clause’ allowed security forces to keep people in prison beyond the end of their sentence (Sobuwke was the first victim he was imprisoned until may 1969 and then kept under house arrest) = even denied treatment for the cancer that killed him in February 1978
Rivonia trial
1964
began October 1963
defendants charged with incitement to cause violent revolution.
drew huge media attention and was covered around the world
four-hour speech by Mandela in which he admitted the charges that he belonged to the ANC and MK and again justifying the ANC struggle against apartheid
sentenced to life imprisonment
SA banned from the olympics
1964
Bantu law amendment act
January 1964
came into effect on 1st January
gave authorities power to deport any Africans from any urban areas for no reason whatsoever
Formation of SASO( south African students organisations)
Biko formed the SASO as part of the black consciousness movement
encouraging black SA to take pride in being black, refuse to accept white supremacy and to celebrate black history
in 1975 SASO banned but continues underground
Soweto uprising
June 1976
Soweto was one of the biggest townships- problem with overcrowding
protests against being taught in Afrikaans
10,000 students meant to take part in a joyful march
police shooting at random
Hector Pieterson photo
Terrorism act
1976
