Under Apartheid, Bantu was the name used for all Black people despite the fact that not all Black South Africans were members of the Bantu ethnic group. People considered to be of mixed race were labeled as Coloured and those of Indian and Pakistani descent were grouped into a category labeled Asian. Apartheid involved economic, political, educational, and other forms of oppression that restricted or denied the access of nonwhite people to resources and power.
People of color were required to use public facilities separate from those used by white people and to carry documents specifying whether they were allowed in certain areas. Laws made it illegal to marry or have children with a person classified as being of another race. The rights of people of color to unionize or participate in government were limited or denied. Certain groups were limited to certain jobs and were restricted from operating businesses in certain areas.
The anti- Apartheid movement led by Black and other South Africans of color gained international attention in the wake of several events in the second half of the 20th century. In , police violently suppressed protests in Sharpeville , shooting and killing 69 protesters and wounding many more. Later in the s, Nelson Mandela and other anti- Apartheid activists were imprisoned, with Mandela being sentenced to life.
In , activist and politician Steve Biko died from being tortured and beaten by police. In , on the 25th anniversary of what became known as the Sharpeville Massacre, police opened fire on protesters in Langa, killing The explicitly racist policies of Apartheid South Africa drew international condemnation, and apartheid was officially declared as a crime under international law by the United Nations in The U. After decades of resistance and international pressure, the South African system of Apartheid started to be dismantled in the early s.
Mandela, a leader in the political party known as the African National Congress ANC , which fought against Apartheid , was freed in Mandela worked with South African President F. Here are a few of the pillars on which it rested:. Population Registration Act, This Act demanded that people be registered according to their racial group.
This meant that the Department of Home affairs would have a record of people according to whether they were white, coloured, black, Indian or Asian. People would then be treated differently according to their population group, and so this law formed the basis of apartheid.
It was however not always that easy to decide what racial group a person was part of, and this caused some problems. Group Areas Act, This was the act that started physical separation between races, especially in urban areas.
The act also called for the removal of some groups of people into areas set aside for their racial group. Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act, This Act said that different racial groups had to live in different areas. Only a small percentage of South Africa was left for black people who comprised the vast majority to form their 'homelands'. This Act also got rid of 'black spots' inside white areas, by moving all black people out of the city. Well known removals were those in District 6, Sophiatown and Lady Selborne.
These black people were then placed in townships outside of the town. They could not own property here, only rent it, as the land could only be white owned. This Act caused much hardship and resentment. People lost their homes, were moved off land they had owned for many years and were moved to undeveloped areas far away from their place of work.
Resistance to apartheid came from all circles, and not only, as is often presumed, from those who suffered the negative effects of discrimination. Criticism also came from other countries, and some of these gave support to the South African freedom movements. At first, Mandela and his fellow members of the ANC used nonviolent tactics like strikes and demonstrations to protest apartheid. In , Mandela helped escalate the struggle as a leader of the Defiance Campaign, which encouraged Black participants to actively violate laws.
More than 8, people —including Mandela—were jailed for violating curfews, refusing to carry identification passes, and other offenses. See pictures from the life and times of Mandela. After serving his sentence, Mandela continued to lead protests against the government and, in , he, along with others, was tried for treason.
He was acquitted in and lived in hiding for 17 months after the trial. Over time, Mandela came to believe that armed resistance was the only way to end apartheid.
In , he briefly left the country to receive military training and gain support for the cause but was arrested and convicted soon after his return for leaving the country without a permit. They charged him and his allies with sabotage. Mandela and the other defendants in the ensuing Rivonia Trial knew they were sure to be convicted and executed. So they turned their show trial into a statement, publicizing their anti-apartheid struggle and challenging the legal system that oppressed Black South Africans.
It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live. He was allowed only one minute visit with a single person every year, and could send and receive two letters a year.
Confined in austere conditions, he worked in a limestone quarry and over time, earned the respect of his captors and fellow prisoners. He was given chances to leave prison in exchange for ensuring the ANC would give up violence but refused.
His supporters agitated for his release and news of his imprisonment galvanized anti-apartheid activists all over the world.
More than , black South Africans were arrested each year under these Pass Laws. In , the first significant, non-violent political campaign took place — the Defiance Campaign. For four months, more than 8, volunteers deliberately flouted the laws of apartheid by refusing to carry passes, violating curfews and using public places and facilities designated for white-use only.
Other episodes of resistance took place throughout the period, including demonstrations, protests, strikes, political action and eventually armed resistance. In , one act of protest saw at least 69 unarmed black people killed and wounded when the police opened fire at a protest in the poor black township of Sharpesville.
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