Apartheid

Clash of people Under the leadership of Shaka, the Zulu tribe pushed into southern Africa. (late 1700’s) The defeated were shoved south as they advanced. They would settle in northern South Africa. 1652, The Dutch had settled in what as now Cape Town. They treated the locals as inferior. In the early 1800’s the British won control of the Cape Colony. The Dutch (AKA the Boers) moved north.

Only known drawing of Shaka standing with the long throwing assegaiassegai and the heavy shield in four years before his death

The Boers moved into the lands conquered recently by the Zulus. In 1867 and 1884, diamonds were discovered where the Boers had moved. A struggle ensued in 1902 for this land in what was known as the Boer War. British won and created the Union of South Africa and granted it self- government.

Only white men were allowed to vote. Boers made up the majority of the white population and gained control of the South African government.

Whites make up 16 percent of South Africa’s population. The majority of South Africans—70% are black. 11% are mixed and 3% are Asian.

Origin of Apartheid In 1948, the Nationalist party came to power in South Africa. Most were descendents of Dutch settlers who held on to views of white supremacy. They set up the strict legal system of apartheid (rigid separation of races)— segregation already existed. Passes were required to leave designated areas for particular ethnic groups.

A segregated beach in South Africa, (UN Photo# C)

A passbook that the South African blacks are required to carry. Blacks and Coloureds were compelled to carry identity documents. These identity documents became a sort of passport by which migration to so-called 'white South Africa could be enforced. Blacks were prohibited from living in (or even visiting) 'white' towns without specific permission. (UN Photo# )

Standing around as the dreaded police van goes by. During the times of Apartheid these vans, usually Bedfords, would patrol "White areas" in search of Blacks without passes. The passes gave "non-Whites" permission to be in a "White area".

Inhabitants of Ekuvukene, a "resettlement" village in the black "homeland" called KwaZulu in Natal.

A rural area in Ciskei, one of the apartheid-era "homelands"Ciskeihomelands _Africa_in_the_apartheid_era

Umbulwana, Natal in Umbulwana was called "a black spot" because it is in a "white" area. It was eventually demolished and the inhabitants forced to move to identically numbered houses in "resettlement" villages in their designated "homelands." Millions of black South Africans were forcibly "resettled" in this way. (UN Photo# )

During the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, the government implemented a policy of 'resettlement', to force people to move to their designated 'group areas'. Some argue that over three and a half million people were forced, through this policy, to resettle during that period.

The most well-publicised forced removals of the 1950s occurred in Johannesburg, where people were moved to the new township of Soweto (an acronym for South Western Township). Despite the heavy influx of people into the township, Soweto was situated far from the city centre and the all-important work places, and contained few amenities. Johannesburg Soweto Houses in Soweto, a black township. (UN Photo# C)

South African police at Alexandra Township in (UN Photo# )

At home in the township of KwaMashu, just outside of Durban, Natal. This area has seen plenty of violence between the ANC and the Inkatha movement.