Apartheid Regime in South Africa [UPSC NOTES]

Apartheid Regime in South Africa is an important topic in the world history sections of the UPSC Exam. Hence, for the IAS Exam, aspirants should know about the Apartheid Regime in South Africa, the role of Nelson Mandela, India’s relations with South Africa, and other related topics.

In this article, you can read in detail all about the Apartheid Regime in South Africa.

What is Apartheid?

Apartheid was a racist social, economic, and political system in South Africa that demanded the segregation of the nation’s population into white and non-white. Apartheid means “apartness” in the Afrikaans language.

Colonization of South Africa by Europeans: 

• About 2000 years ago, South Africa was colonized unofficially by a black group from the north.
  • However, this unofficial colonization started declining with the European interaction with South Africa in the 15th century while attempting to discover a trade route to the Far East via the southernmost cape of South Africa.  
• In 1652, official colonization was made by the Dutch VOC, which came to an end in 1806 when Britain finally took the country from the Netherlands.
• The colonization of South Africa by the British began in 1806 and ended in 1961 when South Africa became a republic.
• Though South Africa became a Republic, internal colonization by the white Afrikaners followed the British colonization in 1961. This internal colonization by the white Afrikaners came to an end when the country became a Democracy in 1994.

Why Was Apartheid Introduced In South Africa?

• Before 1948, racial segregation had long existed in the white minority government of South Africa.
• Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the South African polities were dominated by a determination to maintain white supremacy in the country and to segregate non-whites.
• When Pakistan and India got independence from Britain in 1947, there was an urge to suppress the voice of the non-whites to prevent mass rebellion against the polities of South Africa.
• The practice extended in 1948 when the National Party led by Daniel F. Malan won the South African election and implemented the apartheid philosophy. This government also aimed to silence the liberal opposition.

Policies Under The Apartheid System And Their Effect:

• No voting rights for the non-whites:
  • In 1909, the British Parliament passed the South Africa Act. This restricted the voting rights to whites only, and the right to vote was denied to the non-whites and blacks.
• Strict segregation:
  • The apartheid system prohibited blacks from living in white areas. More than 3 million black citizens were forced to move their homes to segregated neighbourhoods during the apartheid era in South Africa.
  • The Population Registration Act required registration and identification of the people into four different racial groups: White, Coloured, Bantu (Black African) and others.
    • This racial separation and classification was one of the “pillars” of apartheid, as the race of the individual was reflected in the Identity Number of the individual.
• Separate public institutions and public transportation:
  • Trains, buses, schools, hotels, hospitals, colleges, libraries, swimming pools, theatres, beaches, cinema halls, and other public institutions and transportation were all segregated for whites and non-whites.
  • The non-whites were not allowed to visit the churches where the whites worshiped.
• Restriction on blacks owning or renting land or property:
  • Ownership of land by the blacks was severely restricted by the Native Land Act of 1913. The blacks were restricted from occupying or renting property in the areas deemed as “white zones” unless the state gave permission to do so.
  • Working in the white areas was allowed only if they had permission.
• Ban on the formation of associations and protests:
  • Any formation of a political party or association, as well as protests against the discrimination, oppression, and segregation treatment were prohibited.
• Prohibition of mixed marriage:
  • The Prohibition of Mixed Marriage Act, 1949 forbade marriage between white people and the non-white. Several other acts were also passed which forbade extramarital relations between white people and blacks or people of any other race.

Nelson Mandela – Face of the Anti-Apartheid Movement:

• The African National Congress (ANC), through peaceful and non-violent means, started campaigning for full citizenship for all South Africans.
• Nelson Mandela became the face of the anti-Apartheid movement.
• The African National Congress (ANC) led by Nelson Mandela won South Africa’s first universal suffrage elections in April 1994 and was sworn in as the country’s President.
  • He was the first black President of the country and the first to be elected in a democratic election with full representation.
• To investigate the human rights violations during apartheid, he established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 1995.
• To help improve the living standard of the black population, he introduced education, housing, and economic development initiatives.

Read more on Nelson Mandela.

India and Apartheid: 

• After gaining its independence from the British in 1947, India vowed to oppose racism and colonialism in Asia and Africa.
• Long before the UN considered the matter, Mahatma Gandhi helped attract the attention of the international community to the issue of racism in South Africa.
• At the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955, India raised the racism issue in South Africa. This led to the support of other African and Asian nations against racialism.
• India stood against apartheid in many international organizations and forums. In 1960, India, along with the other newly independent African nations, requested the United Nations Security Council to consider imposing sanctions against South Africa.

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