More than twenty years after the repeal of the group areas act, south africa is facing a number of challenges with regards to housing, spatial planning and urban development. The primary purpose of apartheid laws was to promote the superiority of whites and to establish and elevate the minority white regime. The group areas act was a trio of acts passed by the south african parliament in 1950 during the apartheid era. Group areas act was the title of three acts of the parliament of south africa enacted under the apartheid government of south africa. It was this law which allowed for the creation of separate areas for each racetr. Conceptually and analytically, this study was influenced by the statecentred approach to human geography which emphasises the concrete role of the state and its various apparatus and. This act established the distinct areas of south africa in which members of each race could live and work, typically setting aside the best urban, industrial, and agricultural areas for whites. The national party of south africa creates the native land act. These laws and many other laws oppressed nonwhite south africans and ensured white supremacy in years to come. The country is struggling to unite its people of different races all because of how the aparthied policy has psychogically damaged them. Indian and other discriminatory legislation against black groups intact.
This act shall be called the group areas act, 1950. Group areas act no 41 according to this act, urban areas were to be divided into racially segregated zones where members of one specific race alone could live and work thompson 1990. Apartheid was a system in south africa that segregated and discriminated against some people because of their skin color. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of urban apartheid. Group areas act people of certain races were relocated to designated areas.
Introduced and rescinded a short summary the absurdity of apartheid legislation, which incorporated legislation passed by the minority white governments prior to 1948, is reflected in. Between the passage of the group areas acts of 1950 and 1986, about 1. In practice this act and two others 1954, 1955, which became known collectively. The group areas act of 1950 established residential and business sections in urban areas for each race, and members of other races were barred from living, operating businesses, or owning land in them. Race classification act noneuropean citizens were classified according to race. The group areas act, of 1950, built upon earlier laws and separated specific areas of the country for blacks and whites. Group areas act, yaitu undangundang yang mengatur pemisahan tempat tinggal orangorang kulit putih dan kulit hitam. The group areas act gaa systematized segregation in the control of transfers of land and immovable property property which cannot be moved without being severely altered or destroyed, like a house as well as occupation rights throughout the union of south africa, with the exception of reserves. This very much applies when examining contemporary political, economic and cultural struggles in south africa. The country is struggling to unite its people of different races all because. This mumbojumbo fell away when the act was repealed, but the memory of its provision will live on for a long time to come 1950. Basically, the group areas act was designed to separate the races geographically in south africa. Forced removals from areas like cato manor mkhumbane in durban, and district six in cape town, where 55,000 coloured and indian people were forced to move to new townships on the cape flats, were carried out under the group areas act of 1950. Group areas act, 1950, south africa history bibliographies in harvard style.
The implementation of apartheid the prohibition of mixed marriages act, no 55 of 1949 the immorality amendment act, no 21 of 1950 the population registration act, no 30 of 1950 the prevention of illegal squatting act, no 52 of 1951 the group areas act, no 41 of 1950 the bantu education act, no 47 of 1953. Group areas act of 1950 south african history online. The group areas act was the beginning of true apartheid in south africa, established by the government in 1950 as a way to officially segregate the people and to steal the best lands for the. Apartheid was that each group should develop separatly and achive autonomy in its area. Aparthied has promoted and sustained racism between the people of south africa. Apartheid as a system was obsessed with separating the citizens of south africa on a racial basis. Under the group areas act, all blacks living in socalled white areas had to be removed. Mixed marriages act marriages between different races was prohibited.
The entire population was to be segregated and allocated separate residential areas. Group areas act the group areas act of 1950 set out a tone of racial segregation. In the 1950 s, the people of sophiatown were removed to meadowlands,an area of soweto set aside for african occupation only. In 1992, a whitesonly referendum approved the reform process. The group areas act was fashioned as the cornerstone of apartheid policy and aimed to eliminate mixed neighbourhoods in favour of racially segregated ones which would allow south africans to develop separately south african institute for race relations, 1950. Thousands of africans were uprooted and moved into racially segregated neighborhoods in cities or to reserves which by the 1970s. The second pillar of grand apartheid was the group areas act of 1950. Apartheid black tribal areas, secured, not defined, by the 19 land act. The apartheid system in south africa attracted unwanted negative attention from the international community to the country through its constant violence and. The best areas and the majority of the land was reserved for whites. The act marked off areas of land for different racial groups, and made it illegal for people to live in any but their designated areas. Specific communities were set aside for each of the races white, colored, mixed race or indian and native africanblack. Understand the meaning and analyze the impact of apartheid on south africa. This act separated living areas where white people were given the most privilege.
South african urban historical research has also provided a clearer understanding of such themes as housing policy, urban native administration and influx control, but has. Laws from south africas apartheid era black and education. Group areas development act, act no 69 of 1955 natives prohibition of interdicts act, act no 64 of 1956 denied black people the option of appealing to the courts against forced. Jan 19, 2015 despite its formal ending twenty years ago, apartheid s damning legacy persists in south africa. The group areas act was fashioned as the cornerstone of apartheid policy and aimed to eliminate mixed neighbourhoods in favour of racially. Apartheid legislation in south africa starting in 1948, the nationalist government in south. More than twenty years after the repeal of the group areas. The laws strengthened the segregation of blacks and whites. Mar 20, 2020 in order to illustrate everyday reality under apartheid, visitors to the museum are arbitrarily classified as either white or nonwhite. If you were an african living in an area not designated for your race, the government could forcibly move you to an area set aside for. The group areas act established separate sections for each race. Ebook or pdf edited book email encyclopedia article govt. Until then, most settlements had people of different races living side by side.
Democratic constitutionalism in post apartheid south africa. It served as a powerful tool for state intervention in. Mar 20, 2020 in 1987 a powerful nongovernment delegation held talks with the anc in dakar. The group areas act gaa of 1950 was one of the key instruments used to reinforce the ideology of apartheid. The group areas act and the land acts maintained residential segregation. This act put an end to diverse areas and determined where one lived according to race. By early 1989 the nonracial mass democratic movement had swelled and returned to the streets. The south end museum presents its aims as depicting the tragedy and sorrow that resulted from forced removals, the group areas act and apartheid legislation15 this is demonstrated through a visual set up in the museum. Unlike bantu education, for example, the group areas act was not preceded by an elaborate and wellknown commission, chaired by a leading figure in the framing and development of apartheid policy like w. Because the south african apartheid was based on segregation laws, such as the group areas act, the law of the land, and passing and departure laws, which in turn are based on the belief of the dutch reformed church that the inequality of races is of divine will,1 zionisms exercise in racial discrimination not only depends on the. Group areas were created for the exclusive ownership and occupation of a designated group. Urban areas act and the 1950 group areas act are more striking than the discontinuities. Indians and coloreds were uprooted from homes at enormous cost to the families.
White people were permitted to live in cities and on the other hand, colored people were forced out and live in the farflung rural areas. Government institutions, scholars, ngos and local communities have been looking for innovative ways to improve the housing conditions of all south africans. The apartheid an afrikaan word meaning separate or apart legislation can be traced back in the 1950s thru the group areas act. With this special issue, we aim to demonstrate that. Each race group should have its own consolidated residential area. When attempting to understand our present, it is vital to begin with the past. As a system, apartheid used longestablished race classifications to maintain the dominance of the colonial occupation of the country. The impact of apartheid aft human rights resources. The primary event that was consistently identified by elders as a focal cause of change was the group areas act 1950, which was a policy of the south african apartheid government that resulted in the forced relocation of many members of the muslim community in and around cape town, south africa. The act was designed to restrict the black or colored race group to its own residential and trading area.
The effect of the group areas act is the basis of reconstructing a community of memory in south end. Jun 08, 2017 the group areas act was one of the cornerstones of grand apartheid. Sophiatown was a freehold township in johannesburg where a multiracial community thrived. This is one of the laws enacted during the period between 1948 and 1993. The south end museum presents its aims as depicting the tragedy and sorrow that resulted from forced removals, the group areas act and apartheid legislation15 this is. Journal of the african national congrau group areas act is one of apartheids pillars of all the repressive laws affecting the coloured and. This article gives an account of the social origins of south africas recently repealed group areas act. In 1988 nelson mandela, who was still in prison, issued an invitation to the government to negotiate an end to apartheid. African group areas act is one of apartheids pillars. The group areas act of 1950, however, was the core of apartheid in south africa. The government voted for the group areas act in 1915 which enforced the policy of keeping. Separate development policy under the prime ministership of hendrik verwoerd apartheid developed into a policy known as separate development, whereby each of the nine african bantu groups was to. Schools and health and welfare services for blacks, indians, and coloureds remained segregated and inferior, and most nonwhites, especially blacks, were still desperately poor.
To control the purchase or occupation of land or dwellings in a specified area under the act. This page focuses on the negative effects of what the apartheid system has brought to the country. Ultimately, nearly 600,000 coloured, indian and chinese people were moved in terms of the group areas. Apartheid and socioreligious change in the cape town muslim community, south africa. Timeline of apartheid the health and health system of south africa. Understand the meaning and analyze the impact of apartheid on south africa compare and contrast south african apartheid with racial segregation in the. The group areas act was one of the cornerstones of grand apartheid. Apartheid legislation in south africa ralph glucksmann. Once classified, visitors are permitted entry to the museum only through the gate allocated to their race group. Our research explored experiences related to culture, society. Tempat tinggal dipisahkan berdasarkan stratifikasi ras yang ada. Apartheid legislation in south africa starting in 1948. Democratic constitutionalism in postapartheid south.
Two years into apartheid rule, the group areas act was passed, forcing citizens out of urban areas, and into residential areas where they would be housed according to racial groups. Home origins the laws world reactions legacy bibliography although the apartheid legislation as a whole began once the national party came into power in 1948, there were many laws already in place from the previous british and afrikaner administrations. The group areas act of 1950 established residential and business sections in urban areas for each race, and members of other races were barred from. Apartheid laws were instituted to affect the lives of all south africans. The south african government passes the group areas act south. From apartheid to democracy the struggle for liberation. In 1994, the first democratic elections were held in south africa, with people of all races being able to vote. Understanding apartheid in south africa through the racial contract mavis b. Racial segregation, sanctioned by law, was widely practiced in south africa before 1948, but the national party, which gained office that year, extended the policy and gave it the name apartheid. Each race was allotted its own area, which was used in later years as a basis of forced removal. Apartheid laws prohibition of mixed marriages act 1949 made interracial marriage illegal immortality act 1950 made interracial sex illegal population registration act 1950 had to be registered in 1 of the 4 official race groups group areas act 1950 implemented racial zoning in urban areas.
Subject to the provisions of this act, all laws in force in. List of books and articles about apartheid online research. Population registration act, yaitu undangundang yang mewajibkan semua orang kulit hitam untuk mendaftarkan diri menurut kelompok suku masingmasing. The primary event that was consistently identified by elders as a focal cause of change was the group areas act 1950, which was a policy of the south african apartheid government that resulted. Group areas were created for the exclusive ownership and occupation of a designated group christopher 1994. The group areas act of 1950 divided the lands in which blacks and whites resided into distinct residential zones. Oral history interviews with elders of the cape town muslim community were conducted in order to record and explore the socioreligious changes that occurred over the last century. The group areas act was an explicit territorial strategy to implement apartheid ideology and constituted a major exercise in sociospatial engineering.
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