Part One - Features of Apartheid Flashcards
Dr Daniel Malan and the National Party
In 1948 the National Party led by Dr Daniel Malan comes into power. They believe that black and white people should be kept apart. This was shown in their introduction of laws called the Apartheid Laws.
Verwoerd - 1958
When Daniel Malan died in 1959 Verwoerd was made prime minister, who also believed in the supremacy of white people. He often said that Apartheid was a “policy of good neighborliness”.
Bantustans
Bantustans were homelands made for black people that were supposed to be self-governing and independent, however the white government had the power to overpower these rules.
Problems with the Bantustans
- Only 13.7% of land set aside for these.
- Poor quality farming.
- Few Jobs
- Overcrowding
- Residents would lose their rights anywhere else in South Africa.
- In reality were a source of cheap labour for white people.
- Old people, wives and children could be forced to live in Bantustans.
Black People that Worked in White Areas
- Become a migrant worker and live in a hostel away from their family.
- Commute daily. Some people spent up to 8 hours a day travelling there and from work.
- Live in a squatter camp with their family. If caught they would be forced to move back to the bantustans and lose their job.
Education
Black people were not allowed to be taught in the same way as White people. The point of a black child’s education was to teach them to ‘know their place in society’ and make sure they didn’t learn necessary skills to get high paying jobs in the future.
Banning
The banning of publications, organisations and individuals to stop their freedom of travel, association and speech.
Detentions
In 1963 the government introduced the General Law Amendment Act allowed them to detain a person without trial for ninety days. Becoming knows as the 90-day detention law.
Censorship
The governments took control of the media. Films were censored and books were taken out of circulation. This stopped the public (and other countries) from knowing the reality of what was happening in South Africa.
Forced Removals
Forced Removals is when a country’s government forces people to go from one place where they have been living to a different place. The Group Areas Act of 1950 gave the government power to tell people of different where they were able to live and go to.
Sophiatown
On the 9th of February 1955 two thousand police armed with sten guns and rifles were sent to Sophiatown. They destroyed Sophiatown and removed 60,000 inhabitants. These people were moved to Meadowlands, in Soweto. The houses had no toilets, water and electricity, they had no idea about the housing conditions.
Sophiatown became a white area that was renamed ‘Triumph’.
Why did the government dislike Sophiatown?
Sophiatown was a township known for its gangsters, musicians, artists and other social and antisocial activities that generated income. Therefore they saw it as as threat.
