Week 1 - Apartheid & Its Legacy (Ch. 2) PDF

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Political Science 114, Term 2 Week 1 Apartheid and Its Legacy (Ch. 2)1. HISTORY OF SEGREGATION Segregation and oppression within South Africa began much earlier than 1948 (when the National Party took office). The original constitution of the Union of South Africa (1909) contained many discriminator...

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Political Science 114, Term 2 Week 1 Apartheid and Its Legacy (Ch. 2)

1. HISTORY OF SEGREGATION

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Segregation and oppression within South Africa began much earlier than 1948 (when the National Party took office).

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The original constitution of the Union of South Africa (1909) contained many discriminatory provisions as a result of the incorporation of traditions from former Boer republics (Transvaal and Orange Free State) and the British Colonies (Natal and the Cape).

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After 1909, a wave of new discriminatory laws was introduced by the Union of SA’s Parliament:

1913 & 1936 -> Native Land Act saw only 13.7% of land allocated to Africans. 1936 -> Voting rights for qualified African males in the Cape were abolished. 1923 & 1937 -> The first “pass” system, called the Urban Areas Act, came into effect in order to control the movements of African peoples (weren’t allowed to live near whites, restricted access to urban areas, ect). Other restrictions -> Colour bar prevented most Africans from becoming skilled workers, African trade unions weren’t recognised, and strikes were forbidden.

2. WHAT WAS NEW ABOUT “APARTHEID”?

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The principles of Apartheid were the combined creation of the National Party, the Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk), and the Afrikaner Broederbond (secretive Afrikaans society). The general ideas underlying Apartheid were developed in the mid-1930’s.

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Rather than a series of haphazard discriminatory laws (as seen in History of Segregation above), Apartheid was a firm idea which included a long list of goals which were planned to be passed into law. Apartheid gave strong focus to the goals of segregation and discrimination.

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Apartheid would be different from the historic segregation and discrimination in that it was now not only racial discrimination and mild segregation that would be pursued, but the complete seperation  of different racial groups (Apartheid = apartness).

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This extreme approach was due largely to an influential report published in 1948 by the Sauer Commission. The Sauer Report’s extreme recommendations contrasted sharply with another report developed by the Fagan Commission.

Fagan Report: During WWII, there was a large flow of Africans from rural to urban areas. This report argued that this flow was natural and irreversible and should actually be facilitated (regulated) to ensure a steady flow of needed labour into cities. Sauer Report: In contrast, the Sauer Report argued that this flow of Africans could be reversed and was only temporary. While very rough, the report would go on to detail almost every policy initiative that would later be undertaken in pursuit of Apartheid. The report concluded that the ideal goal would be the complete separation (apartness = Apartheid) of native and white peoples. This became the rough blueprint for what would follow.

3. APARTHEID AND THE 1948 ELECTIONS

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The National Party was a nationalist movement (similar to other anti-colonialist movements), focusing on a National idea (an Afrikaans country) and Afrikaaner volk (nation) unity.

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Apartheid was used as an electoral promise, to some extent, to motivate the Afrikaaner people to vote for the National Party (in part leading to the electoral victory of 1948, which was the first solid step towards the realisation of Apartheid).

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In 1948, the National Party (with the Afrikaner Party) won the general election. This ushered in a government committed to Apartheid, which they claimed would “safeguard the future of whites”.

Why did the NP win in 1984? -

NP policies were a logical extension of pre-existing racial prejudice within South Africa. These ideas were not seen as wildly unorthodox at the time.

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The NP played into prejudicial white fears of the “black peril” (swart gevaar), arguing that without them in power whites would be “swamped by the black hordes.”

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Due to the type of electoral system at the time (first-past-the-post majoritarian system), the NP was able to win the election despite not actually receiving the most votes (they won the most parliamentary seats).

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The NP were able to rely on a large contingent of young, radicalized Afrikaners to vote for them (more so than other parties could rely on their youth).

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The idea of a reunified Afrikaner volk a  nd an independent Afrikaans republic was very popular at the time due to a huge upswell of Afrikaans sentiment (as a result of the 1938 celebration of the Great Trek). The NP was able to tap into this nationalism for support.

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The NP argus that only they would be able to fix the problems of the growing militancy of the black opposition (ANC and ANCYL) and the rapid flow of Africans into urban centers (Sauer report), using the policies of Apartheid.

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The NP pointed to the lackluster performance of the current United Party (UP) government under the rule of Smuts. They also pointed to the ‘horrific’ probability of Smut’s deputy, J.H. Hofmeyr, succeeding Smuts. Hofmeyer was mildly l iberal and so probably wouldn’t have been as radical as most Afrikaners would have preferred.

4. THE STAGES OF APARTHEID

1948-1958 (Consolidation under Malan & Strijdom): -

This was a period of consolidation of power and the establishment of Apartheid’s framework.

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NP’s parliamentary majority was enlarged by the allocation of seats to Namibia (which voted NP), lowering the voter age from 21 to 18 (larger radicalized Afrikaner youth vote), and by removing Coloured voters from the common voters roll (1956).

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The NP cabinet consisted solely of Afrikaners, with key governmental positions being given to members of the Afrikaners Broederbond.

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This saw the start of every aspect of daily life in SA becoming entwined with race through the enactment of the Pass Laws (1952) and the Bantu Education Act (1953).

1958-1966 (“High Apartheid” under Verwoerd): -

This saw the focus shift heavily onto “separateness” (the separate development of the races) with the creation of the bantu homelands (bantustans) through the Bantu Self-Government Act.

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Bantustans were designed as ‘homelands’ for different ethnic groups, allowing the different races to develop separately (though, ironically, the homelands were not f ree to determine the direction of that development). Black Africans were thus divided according to their ethnicity.

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This period also saw the massive intensification of security legislation due to increased African opposition (anti-pass law protests in March 1960).

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The African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) were banned.

1966-1990’s (Gradual Weakening under Vorster, Botha, and de Klerk): -

This period was characterised by increasing tension and competition within the NP and the gradual decline in strength of the Apartheid state.

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Inspired by the message of Black Consciousness (activist movement created by Steve Biko in the vacuum left by the banning of ANC & PAC), this period saw mass demonstrations such as the Soweto Uprising of 1976 in which thousands of black students took part.

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By the 1980’s most NP tradionalists (and their supporters) had realised that Apartheid had failed. Botha, who recognised this, began to relax restrictions but still refused to contemplate anything that would result in Africans becoming the dominant political force. Botha was then forced out of office and succeeded by de Klerk, who moved towards the end of Apartheid and a new democratic constituion.

5. LEGACIES OF APARTHEID

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For many South Africans, the end of Apartheid didn’t mean the end of the struggle. The legislation enacted during Apartheid had radically effected most of the African population, leaving scars that would last for decades and which SA still grapples with today.

Pass Laws: The pass laws enacted during Apartheid created a deep sense of contempt and distrust for law and law enforcement. This contempt didn’t just disappear overnight and still exists today, resulting in the complex relationship many communities still have with law enforcement. Migrant Labour System: The migrant labour system, in which men would periodically leave rural areas to work in the cities (for a limited time), destroyed the concept of a nuclear family for many black South Africans and left most children to be raised without a father. Group Areas Act: In order to enforce the apartness of Apartheid, communities (usually Africans and Indians) were forced from their homes in order to adhere to racial residential seperation. The classic example of this is District Six, in which a tight community was forcibly uprooted (and poorly compensated for their lost property) and shipped to different areas. This lack of community ties, it has been argued, has contributed to the gang violence endemic to Cape Town. Bantu Education Act: This legislation, which closed down missionary schools in favour of government run schools, resulted in most Africans who grew up under the Act receiving a very poor education. This has contributed massively to unemployment and slow growth in the country as many people were simply never educated properly and thus lack the skills to contribute to a modern economy. Security Legislation: The security legislation, which fermented so much anger, violence, and armed protest, has resulted in a culture in which violence is often the first resort. Economic Discrimination: Unable to properly participate in the economy during much of Apartheid, most black South Africans are far poorer (thus limiting their children’s opportunities) than their white conterparts, who were allowed to benefit from a strong economy and good opportunities (benefits which are passed on to their white children). Land Segregation: Most land in South Africa, both during and after Apartheid, is in the hands of white South Africans, despite black South Africans being the majority. The unequal distribution of land has led to huge wealth inequalities and the stifling of black agricultural development. It is also a deep symbolic insult, as most land in South Africa was either stolen through conquest or acquired through misunderstood treaties by the (white) colonial powers....