Apartheid in South Africa: A Brief History of Apartheid and Why It Matters
Photo by DEZALB on Pixabay
The African National Congress (ANC) has been the dominant party in South Africa since 1994. Its majority rule and Nelson Mandela’s legacy as an anti-apartheid martyr have led many to believe that the country is now free of racial tensions. However, it could not be further from the truth. The reality is that Apartheid is still alive and well in South Africa, with a different name; “Africa-apartheid.” The economic and social disparity between the black majority and the white minority has reached an alarming rate. These problems did not appear overnight but instead are the result of centuries of mistreatment and neglect by European settlers dating back to the beginnings of Dutch colonial rule in 1652. From then until now, there have been five stages of Apartheid in South Africa: Colonialism, Legislation, Segregation, Integration, and Neo Apartheid or New Apartheid
Colonialism
South Africa was economically and socially advanced during the 19th century compared to other parts of Africa. The world’s focus on the continent meant that European countries were looking to expand their empires, resulting in the colonization of Africa. The Dutch East India Company was the first to settle in South Africa, followed by the British, French, and Germans. All of these European colonial powers treated the native Africans as inferior to themselves, resulting in violent and discriminatory treatment that would set the stage for the future of Apartheid.
Legislation
The British were responsible for the first legislation like the Natives Land Act of 1913, which restricted black Africans to just 7% of the country’s land. These laws would later be continued and expanded under the National Party’s apartheid policy in the 1930s. The Population Registration Act of 1950, which classified the South African population based on race, and the Bantu Education Act of 1953, which segregated black students from white, were just two examples of policies intended to maintain the economy and social order of the country.
Segregation
During the early 20th century, the National Party was rising to power and implementing stricter laws regarding race relations. The Group Areas Act of 1950, which forced people of different races to live separately, was just one example of segregation. Public facilities, such as hospitals, schools, and even public transportation, were segregated based on race. Even cemeteries were separate, with whites being buried in cemeteries with proper markings while blacks were buried in cemeteries without any markings. The passage of the Bantu Authorities Act of 1951 and the Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act of 1970 completed the apartheid system by removing black South Africans from the population count for parliamentary representation, denying them the right to vote.
Integration
By the 1970s, the apartheid government was looking for a way to ease the racial tensions in the country. A new integration policy was implemented that attempted to level out some of the existing racial inequalities. Blacks were allowed to vote and given the opportunity to pursue better careers. While this new policy eased some racial tensions, it was not enough to end the apartheid system.
Neo Apartheid
The integration policy was abandoned in the 1980s when the apartheid government struggled to maintain power. A new approach of neo-apartheid was put into place that looked to segregate the races further while ignoring the economic and social disparity between them. Neo-apartheid has resulted in worsening the country’s problems and is mainly responsible for the economic and social inequality in South Africa today.
Conclusion
South Africa has been plagued by racial conflict since its first contact with Europeans. The idea of Apartheid was first introduced by the British in the late 19th century and was later adopted by the National Party in the 1930s. Five stages of Apartheid can be identified since the introduction of the system. The first stage is colonialism, followed by legislation, segregation, integration, and neo-apartheid. South Africa has a long history of racism and inequality, and these problems have only gotten worse since Apartheid ended in the 1990s.
