Apartheid – Resistance

Read the second part about apartheid in South Africa (link below) – from “Apartheid in PracLce”
to and including “FighLng Back Against Apartheid”. You may also listen to the podcast while
you’re reading (use headphones). Complete the comprehension task given below. Be prepared
to present your ideas to your peers. hGp://noirehistoir.com/blog/apartheid-in-south-africa/

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Using the informaLon in the arLcle, take a note of 5-6 significant developments (can also
be a citaLon) and equip them with a suitable emoji such as:
! = angry # = sad % = disappointed ' = funny
" = surprised $ = happy & = suspicious …= own meaning

New laws categorizing Ridiculous tests by local The forced removal of

South Africans into race- officials for race Black people from areas
based groups and classification, and the set for White people,
requiring them to carry relocating them to
potential for people to be overcrowded townships
passes. reclassified multiple where they couldn't own
times. property.
these laws sparked anger as they

segregated society and took away individual

/ surprising to think about the sad to think
freedoms absurd nature of these tests and the about the families
constant uncertainty people faced uprooted and
pushed into
conditions of poverty

Black men and later women The formation and activism of

were required to carry
passbooks, which controlled
their movements and ensured
a supply of Black labor.
The government retribalized
Black South Africans, selling the ANC, including figures like
Nelson Mandela and Winnie
their land to White farmers
and leaving the former Mandela, in fighting back
against apartheid.
owners impoverished.

it's suspicious how

because it's disappointing that a
the government took because despite the bleakness
system could be so exploitative,
intentional measures to of the apartheid era, the rise of such
controlling not only where people could
divide, control, and resistance movements and figures
go but also making them reliant on exploit the majority brought hope and inspiration to
oppressive work conditions. population many
Apartheid in Practice
New laws were introduced to further divide South Africans by categorizing the population into race-based groups of Bantu (Black), White, Asian
(Indian or Pakistani), and Coloured (mixed race). Individuals were registered and required to carry passes which contained information about
their identity, race classification, current employer, police record, etc. The group to which they were assigned would dictate where they could
go, how they should be treated, what resources they could use, what types of jobs they could have, etc.
The official implementation of apartheid created a hierarchy with Black people at the bottom, White people at the top, and Coloured and
Asians in the middle. But the race classifications were decided by local officials and based on their opinions. Some people have features that
easily align with stereotypical race-based traits while others are more ambiguous. To classify these unclear cases officials used ridiculous tests
that weren’t based on any kind of science. They might test hair texture, examine the color of genitals, require paternity tests, etc.
People could also petition to have their classification changed and a person’s classification could be challenged by others. This meant that a
person could be reclassified multiple times in their lifetime. And each move into or out of a group would affect where they could live, if they
could continue to live with their family, where they could go to school, where they could work, etc. Having your classification challenged could
mean possibly losing everything.
Also, when sex and marriage between Whites and non-Whites were outlawed, it was not implemented as a rule going forward. It was a rule
that applied to present and pre-existing interracial relationships. And because race classifications were applied to the individual, a parent’s race
did not necessarily extend to their children. For example, in a situation where there was a White father, Black mother, and thus Coloured
children the family could be legally required to separate with one of the parents being forced to leave the household.
Theoretically, apartheid was to function as a system where its people were separate but equal. In practice, this was not the case. Racial groups
were not allowed to live in proximity to each other or have interactions. The government did not provide them with the same resources and
actively blocked non-White efforts to make progress. Some Black people who lived in areas that had been set aside for White people were
removed and relocated to reserves. In effect, this meant that Black people were forced out of cities into ramshackle townships on the outskirts
that were overcrowded and where they could not own property.
Initially, only Black men over the age of 16 were required to carry passbooks but eventually, women were required to carry passbooks as well.
To remain valid, amongst other items, a passbook needed to have the signature of the bearer’s current employer. Combined with laws that
prohibited Black people from striking, this essentially guaranteed a steady supply of Black labor. As it meant that to avoid arrest Black people
would have to maintain employment regardless of the work conditions.
Passes also dictated where Black people could go as they were required to live on the city outskirts or the more distant homelands. Moving
about within White cities would be difficult if a passbook did not list the individuals as being employed in the area. Checkpoints and roadblocks
were set up to ensure that Black people who worked in the city did not also live there or attempt to remain overnight. This effectively turned
cities into state-sanctioned sundown towns.
Many Black women did not have employment options that would provide the necessary validation that would allow them to maintain their
passbooks. The police would often raid the Black townships and being found without a pass could result in arrest and/or fines. So even if a
husband was able to find work in the city and live on the outskirts he might still have to live separately from his wife and children. Most often,
women and children remained in the reserves surviving as best as they could and only saw their husbands and fathers when circumstances
allowed.
Apartheid didn’t just separate South Africa by race. Before the arrival of colonists, the indigenous people who inhabited South Africa were not
the monolith, “Black.” They consisted of various tribes that were spread out across the land. The group that was referred to as Bantu (Black)
accounted for the majority of South Africa’s population. To guard against a potentially overwhelming uprising, the government retribalized
Black South Africans. They were divided by tribe and pushed on to specific reserves in often remote areas which would come to be known as
“Bantu Homelands” or “Bantustans.” The land which they formerly inhabited was sold at a discount to White farmers. These sales generated no
revenue for the former Black owners and having lost their land which was often their livelihood, they were left poverty-stricken.
With both direct and indirect assistance from the government in the form of competitive restrictions on other racial groups, most White South
Africans were fairly comfortable. Relegated to less desirable jobs, land, schools, etc. Black South Africans and other groups faced great
difficulties just trying to survive. As was to be expected, they had been fighting back and would continue to resist.
Fighting Back Against Apartheid
Several groups and organizations had formed over the years in opposition to laws and initiatives that were intended to relegate Black South
Africans to the lowest rungs of society2. One of the most prominent and enduring was the African National Congress (ANC) which was originally
comprised of educated Black people. With its relatively elitist beginnings, the group began by lobbying those in power going so far as to send a
delegation to London which proved unsuccessful.
Back home, the ANC continued its work to improve conditions for Black people in South Africa. During the 1940s a group of young activists
would emerge within the group and go on to become prominent figures in the fight against apartheid. Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter
Sisulu, and others would play key roles in the ANC. In response to the legalization of apartheid in 1948, the ANC would launch the Programme
of Action one year later.
The ANC planned to fight back against apartheid through peaceful protests, demonstrations, marches, strikes, and other forms of civil
disobedience. They upped the ante with their Defiance Campaign a few years later, where participants broke apartheid laws intending to be
arrested and overwhelming the prison and judicial system. Over the years thousands of protesters would be arrested and prominent ANC
members would be harassed and put on trial repeatedly. The group would come to represent and work towards a South Africa that provided all
citizens equal rights regardless of race and an equal share of the country’s resources and wealth.
History often focuses on the achievements and contributions of men. And the story of the fight against apartheid in South Africa is sometimes
told through this lens. But, the reality was that many women were a part of the anti-apartheid movement. Of course, there were women such
as Winnie Mandela and Albertina Sisulu who were the well-known wives of ANC leaders and activists in their own rights. But there were also
women such as Miriam Makeba, Charlotte Maxeke, Josephine ‘Josie’ Palmer (Mpama), and Madie Hall Xuma.

2 less social power and status