Apartheid is an Afrikaans word that means “apartness” and this is exactly what the Apartheid policy did when it was introduced in South Africa, it set the races of the country apart. Apartheid laws were passed in South Africa in 1948 and this led to the division and isolation of the races. The Apartheid laws affected the social lives of the people of South Africa to a great extent. For instance, the non-whites of the country could not marry the whites, and “white-only” jobs were officially permitted in the country. The Population Registration Act was passed in 1950, and the population of South Africa was categorized into three categories, namely whites, blacks and coloreds. The Asians and Indians were categorized under the colored category.
The Bantu Authorities Act was enacted in 1951, and it allowed the South African locals living in the African reserves to set up an ethnic government. These South African reserves were separated into four homelands or states between 1976 to 1981with their own right to elect a leader. However, as a result of this, the 9 million citizens of these homelands were no longer regarded as citizens of South Africa, and therefore, could not be involved in the Parliament that had the ultimate authority over these homelands. The titular independence was refused by those administrating these homelands and they did their best to pressure the Parliament into allowing all South Africans to have equal political rights. These South Africans became alienated in their own country and could not enter South Africa without a passport.
The Criminal Law Amendment and Public Safety Act were also passed in 1953, as a result of which the government got the power to penalize anyone who tried to repeal any of the laws, or protest against them. During this time, many South Africans were fines, imprisoned and whipped. A state of emergency was declared by the government in 1960, when some of the local blacks from Sharpeville made the decision not to carry their passes. 69 people were killed and 187 were wounded during the 156 days that the Sharpeville incident lasted. The reason the white regime in the South Africa enacted these acts was to prevent the unfair laws of apartheid from changing. For the whites, the Apartheid policy prove to be highly effective since the 4.5 million white population had 87% of land allocated to them and was earning a 14:1 ratio of average earnings ("International day for").
The 1970s and 1980s were the years in which changes were made in the Apartheid policy in order to make it appear new. Internal and international pressures were increasing during these years, and South Africa was facing drastic economic difficulties. These were the years in which the young black South Africans were rapidly exposed to excessive politicization and as a result of the Soweto Uprising in 1976; they were able to express oppose the “Bantu education.” In 1983 a tricameral parliament was created in South Africa, in the 1986 the Pass Laws were abolished, and in the 1980s the two sides violently opposed each other to a great extent.
Nelson Mandela, who was released from jail in February in 1990 ("From apartheid") finally started disassembling the Apartheid system gradually. The first democratic elections in the history of South Africa took place in 1994, and every South African got the right to vote. Nelson Mandela was voted as the president of South Africa and a Government of National Unity was established soon after. Although the Apartheid policy had divided the South African races, as president, Nelson Mandela did his best to bring them together once again.
References
Apartheid. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nied.edu.na/divisions/projects/SEEN/SEEN Publications/Environmental Information Sheets/Poverty and Inequality/2. Apartheid.pdf
International day for the elimination of racial discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/sites/podcasts/files/learnenglish-central-articles-racial-discrimination.pdf
Jemison, E. L. (n.d.). The nazi influence in the formation of apartheid in south africa. Retrieved from http://www.tcr.org/tcr/essays/EPrize_Apartheid.pdf
