group areas act essay grade 9

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• Introduction

Passage, enforcement, and impact

Challenges, repeal, and legacy.

• What is apartheid?
• When did apartheid start?
• How did apartheid end?
• What is the apartheid era in South African history?

Group Areas Act

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• Table Of Contents

Group Areas Act , one of three acts, the first promulgated in 1950, in South Africa that provided for the division of the country into areas based on racial categories determined by the government. This occurred during the country’s apartheid era, when the white minority government implemented policies that sanctioned racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against the nonwhite majority. The act was used primarily to push nonwhites out of areas in which they had previously settled. After its enactment, the Group Areas Act was amended on a nearly yearly basis and was reenacted twice, with the passage of the Group Areas Acts of 1957 and 1966; the final version of the law was not repealed until 1991.

Racial segregation had long existed in South Africa, but the rise of the National Party —a political party dedicated to policies of white supremacy that held executive power from 1948 until 1994—greatly extended the enactment and enforcement of racial segregation with its apartheid policies, the Group Areas Act being among the most significant. The act used the Population Registration Act (also passed in 1950) for definitions of the racial categories into which the country would be divided. People were classified as either native (also called Black or Bantu), Coloured (those of mixed race), or white; a fourth category, Asian (also called Indian), was later added.

The Group Areas Act became law on July 7, 1950. It stated that the government could designate certain geographic areas for use by a single race, though the law itself did not actually create any specific group areas; the designation of such areas came later. The Group Areas Act was administered by the minister of the interior and the Land Tenure Advisory Board (in 1955 renamed the Group Areas Development Board, later the Community Development Board). The board would research and draw areas that its members considered to be apt for segregation and submit a map to the minister, who in turn would approve the creation of the new areas. The South African authorities began to enforce the act after the passage of additional laws, beginning in the mid-1950s, that dictated where certain races could and could not live and provided the procedural apparatus necessary for the expropriation of land, the resettlement of people no longer allowed to remain where they had been living, and the development of reclaimed land.

The Group Areas Act restricted all ownership in the newly formed areas to the races that were designated to reside there. However, while Black South Africans were barred from doing business in white areas, white South Africans and government agencies continued to own much of the land in Black areas, being exempt from the language of their own law. In 1959 the Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act created 8 (later expanded to 10) Bantu homelands , or Bantustans. These regions were granted some semblance of self-rule, which allowed the South African government to further ignore their needs and placed responsibility for infrastructure on the residents.

Shelter and relocation costs were not considered when regions were created and maps redrawn; enforcement was left to other government departments. In the mid-1950s the police began to remove residents from their homes and communities in great numbers and to relocate them to new racially designated zones. These residents were not allowed to return; nonwhites who encroached on the new white lands had to carry documents to prove that they were permitted in prohibited zones ( see pass law ).

Enforcement of the Group Areas Acts meant that people were torn from their communities and families with little notice; those who defied the new racial borders were fined or imprisoned. Newly defined areas exploded in population. As a result, many South Africans, no longer having suitable accommodations, lived in makeshift homes. Relocation was enforced brutally. In one instance, in 1955 thousands of police officers descended on Sophiatown, a cosmopolitan and culturally significant, predominantly Black suburb of Johannesburg , and removed the Black residents. Some were taken in vans and left in the wilderness outside what is now Soweto . Another infamous instance of forced relocation involved the razing of District Six, a lively mixed-population neighborhood of Cape Town , that in 1966 was designated by the government as an area only for the white population. At least 60,000 people were relocated, most of them to the barren outskirts of town, and the area was cleared by bulldozers.

From the 1950s, apartheid laws like the Group Areas Acts were challenged across South Africa. Large demonstrations against them were regularly quashed with violence. Increasing pressure—both from within South Africa and from abroad—and a troubled economy compelled the South African government to gradually begin offering, in the 1980s, some reforms to apartheid policy and then, after F.W. de Klerk became president in 1989, to institute reforms in earnest. The final version of the Group Areas Act was repealed in 1991 by the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act as part of the end to legislated apartheid. Still, the Group Areas Acts left a legacy of communal trauma and poor infrastructure. After the country’s first elections by universal suffrage, in 1994, Pres. Nelson Mandela ’s new government inherited these problems. His administration, and those of his successors, made strides toward addressing the housing shortage and the issue of land ownership, but the legacy of the Group Areas Acts remained visible in the distribution of poverty in the country.

Group Areas Act No. 41 of 1950

South Africa's Apartheid Segregation Act

 William Campbell/Getty Images

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On April 27, 1950, the Group Areas Act No. 41 was passed by the apartheid government of South Africa. As a system, apartheid used long-established race classifications to maintain the dominance of the colonial occupation of the country. The primary purpose of apartheid laws was to promote the superiority of whites and to establish and elevate the minority white regime. A suite of legislative laws was passed to accomplish this, including Group Areas Act No. 41, as well as the Land Act of 1913 , the Mixed Marriages Act of 1949 and the Immorality Amendment Act of 1950 : all of these were created to separate the races and subjugate nonwhite people.

South African race categories were set up within a few decades after the discovery of diamonds and gold in the country during the mid-19th century: native-born Africans ("Blacks," but also called "kaffirs" or "Bantu"), Europeans or European-descended ("Whites" or "Boers"), Asians ("Indians") and mixed raced ("Coloured"). The 1960 South African census showed that 68.3% of the population were African, 19.3% were White, 9.4% Coloured, and 3.0% Indian.

Restrictions of the Group Areas Act No. 41

The Group Areas Act No 41 forced physical separation and segregation between races by creating different residential areas for each race . Implementation started in 1954 when people were first forcibly removed from living in "wrong" areas, leading to the destruction of communities.

The Act also restricted ownership and the occupation of land to groups as permitted, meaning that Africans could neither own nor occupy land in European areas. The law was also supposed to apply in reverse, but the result was that land under Black ownership was taken by the government for use by whites only.

The government set aside ten "homelands" for relocated non-white residents, mostly scattered bits of unwanted territories, based on ethnicity among the Black communities. These homelands were granted "independence" with limited self-rule, the main purpose of which was to delete the homeland residents as citizens of South Africa, and cut back on the government's responsibility for providing housing, hospitals, schools, electricity, and water supplies.

Implications

However, the Africans were a significant economic source in South Africa , in particular as a labor force in the cities. Pass Laws were established to require non-whites to carry passbooks, and later "reference books" (similar to passports) to be eligible to enter the "white" parts of the country. Worker's hostels were established to accommodate temporary workers, but between 1967 and 1976, the South African government simply stopped building homes for Africans at all, leading to severe housing shortages.

The Group Areas Act allowed for the infamous destruction of Sophiatown, a suburb of Johannesburg. In February 1955, 2,000 policemen began removing Sophiatown residents to Meadowlands, Soweto and established the suburb as an area for whites only, newly called Triomf (Victory). In some cases, the nonwhites were loaded onto trucks and dumped into the bush to fend for themselves. 

There were serious consequences for people who didn't comply with the Group Areas Act. People found in violation could receive a fine of up to two hundred pounds, prison for up to two years, or both. If they didn't comply with forced eviction, they could be fined sixty pounds or face six months in prison.

Effects of the Group Areas Act

Citizens tried to use the courts to overturn the Group Areas Act, though they were unsuccessful each time. Others decided to stage protests and engage in civil disobedience, such as sit-ins at restaurants, which took place across South Africa during the early 1960s.

The Act hugely affected communities and citizens across South Africa. By 1983, more than 600,000 people had been removed from their homes and relocated.

Colored people suffered significantly because housing for them was often postponed because plans for zoning were primarily focused on races, not mixed races. The Group Areas Act also hit Indian South Africans especially hard because many of them resided in other ethnic communities as landlords and traders. In 1963, approximately a quarter of Indian men and women in the country were employed as traders. The National Government turned a deaf ear to the protests of the Indian citizens: in 1977, the Minister of Community Development said that he wasn't aware of any cases instances in which Indian traders who were resettled that didn't like their new homes.

Repeal and Legacy

The Group Areas Act was repealed by President Frederick Willem de Klerk on April 9, 1990. After apartheid ended in 1994, the new African National Congress (ANC) government headed by Nelson Mandela was faced with an enormous housing backlog. More than 1.5 million homes and apartments in the urban areas were located in informal settlements without property titles. Millions of people in rural areas lived in terrible conditions, and urban Blacks resided in hostels and shacks. The ANC government promised to build one million homes within five years, but most of them were of necessity located in developments on the outskirts of cities, which have tended to sustain existing spatial segregation and inequality.

Great strides have been undertaken in the decades since apartheid ended, and today South Africa is a modern country, with an advanced highway system and modern homes and apartment buildings in the cities available to all residents. While nearly half of the population was without formal housing in 1996, by 2011, 80 percent of the population had a home. But the scars of inequality remain. 

• Bickford-Smith, Vivian. " Urban History in the New South Africa: Continuity and Innovation since the End of Apartheid. " Urban History 35.2 (2008): 288–315. Print.
• Christopher, A.J. " Apartheid Planning in South Africa: The Case of Port Elizabeth ." The Geographical Journal 153.2 (1987): 195–204. Print.
• ---. " Urban Segregation in Post-Apartheid South Africa ." Urban Studies 38.3 (2001): 449–66. Print.
• Clark, Nancy L., and William H. Worger. "South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid." 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2016. Print.
• Maharaj, Brij. " Apartheid, Urban Segregation, and the Local State: Durban and the Group Areas Act in South Africa ." Urban Geography 18.2 (1997): 135–54. Print.
• ---. " The Group Areas Act and Community Destruction in South Africa ." Urban Forum 5.2 (1994): 1–25. Print.
• Newton, Caroline, and Nick Schuermans. " More Than Twenty Years after the Repeal of the Group Areas Act: Housing, Spatial Planning and Urban Development in Post-Apartheid South Africa ." Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 28.4 (2013): 579–87. Print.
• What Was Apartheid in South Africa?
• The End of South African Apartheid
• Understanding South Africa's Apartheid Era
• A Brief History of South African Apartheid
• South Africa's Apartheid Era Population Registration Act
• Women's Anti-Pass Law Campaigns in South Africa
• The Origins of Apartheid in South Africa
• The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act
• Grand Apartheid in South Africa
• Pre-Apartheid Era Laws: Natives (or Black) Land Act No. 27 of 1913
• Apartheid Era Signs - Racial Segregation in South Africa
• South African Apartheid-Era Identity Numbers
• South Africa's Extension of University Education Act of 1959
• What Is a Literacy Test?
• Pass Laws During Apartheid
• Quotes From PW Botha, Prime Minister of South Africa

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The South African Government passes the Group Areas Act

SEM, Group Areas Act , from South End Museum , [online], Available at southendmuseum.co.za [Accessed: 20 April 2010]|DISA, Group Areas Act , Act No 41 of 1950 , from Digital Innovation South Africa , [online], Available at disa.ukzn.ac.za [Accessed: 20 April 2010]|  Giliomee.H, (2003), The Afrikaners , (Paarl, South Africa: Tafelberg Publishers Ltd)

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Apartheid Essay for Grade 9 Examples: 300 -1000 Words

The apartheid era in South Africa was a time of extreme racial segregation and discrimination that lasted from 1948 to 1994. Writing an essay about this complex subject requires an understanding of history, social dynamics, and human rights. This guide will help you break down the topic into manageable parts for a well-structured essay.

Section 1: Introduction to Apartheid

• Background : Explain what apartheid was, when it began, and who was involved.
• Thesis Statement : Summarise your main argument or perspective on apartheid.
• Keyword : Apartheid, racial segregation.

Section 2: Implementation of Apartheid Laws

• Introduction : Detail how apartheid laws were created and implemented.
• Examples : Mention laws such as the Population Registration Act, Group Areas Act.
• Keyword : Laws, racial classification.

Section 3: Effects on South African Society

• Introduction : Describe how apartheid affected different racial groups.
• Examples : Provide real-life examples, like forced relocations.
• Keyword : Discrimination, societal impact.

Section 4: Resistance to Apartheid

• Introduction : Explain how individuals and groups resisted apartheid.
• Examples : Talk about movements like the ANC, people like Nelson Mandela.
• Keyword : Resistance, liberation movements.

Section 5: End of Apartheid

• Introduction : Discuss how apartheid came to an end and the transition to democracy.
• Examples : Refer to negotiations, elections, and the role of global pressure.
• Keyword : Democracy, reconciliation.
• Summary : Recap the main points and restate your thesis.
• Closing Thoughts : Offer a reflection on the legacy of apartheid in contemporary South Africa.

Additional Tips

• Use Simple Language : Write in a way that’s easy to understand.
• Use South African Context : Focus on facts and examples relevant to South Africa.
• Research : Back up your points with well-researched facts and theories.

Introduction

Apartheid , a system of racial segregation that lasted from 1948 to 1994, defined a dark era in South African history. It dictated where people could live, work, and even socialise, based on their racial classification. This essay will explore the genesis of apartheid, its impact on South African society, the brave resistance against it, and finally, its dismantling.

Section 1: Implementation of Apartheid Laws

In 1948, the National Party came to power and implemented apartheid as a legal system. The Population Registration Act classified South Africans into four racial categories: Black, White, Coloured, and Indian. Following this, the Group Areas Act designated different living areas for each racial group. These laws not only separated people but ensured that the majority of the country’s resources were reserved for the white minority.

Section 2: Effects on South African Society

The effects of apartheid were profound and painful. Black South Africans were forcibly relocated to townships with poor living conditions. The Bantu Education Act provided an inferior education for Black children, preparing them only for menial jobs. Families were torn apart, and non-white South Africans were treated as second-class citizens, all in the name of maintaining white supremacy.

Section 3: Resistance to Apartheid

Despite the oppressive regime, many South Africans resisted apartheid. The African National Congress (ANC) and other liberation movements organised protests and strikes. Icons like Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu fought tirelessly against the system. The Soweto Uprising in 1976, where students protested against the use of Afrikaans in schools, is a stark example of how even the youth were involved in the struggle.

Section 4: End of Apartheid

The journey to end apartheid was long and fraught with challenges. International pressure, economic sanctions, and internal unrest gradually weakened the apartheid government. Negotiations began, leading to the release of political prisoners like Mandela. In 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections, in which all racial groups could vote, marking the official end of apartheid.

Apartheid was a system that caused immense suffering and division in South Africa. Its impact is still felt today, as the country grapples with issues of inequality and racial tension. However, the end of apartheid also symbolises the triumph of justice, human rights, and the indomitable spirit of the South African people. The lessons learned from this period continue to shape South Africa’s journey towards a more inclusive and compassionate society. The story of apartheid is not just a history lesson; it is a guide for future generations about the importance of unity, resilience, and the continuous pursuit of equality.

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South Africa’s Group Areas Act and Quotidian Resistance in a Small South African Town

The Group Areas Act, passed in 1952, was one of the main pillars of the apartheid project in South Africa. The Act gave life to the notorious Group Areas Board (GAB), which presided over the forced removal of people from racially mixed districts in large cities and tiny rural towns across the country. In the ensuing decades, the GAB created racially segregated residential districts, which reserved the central business districts and modern infrastructure of urban areas for whites. Forced removals, which occurred in earnest during the 1970s and 1980s, were notoriously brutal and deeply intrusive into the lives of ordinary people. But in the small town of Mokopane, which lies in the Limpopo province of South Africa, the forced removals and racial segregation of the central business district did not occur. In this post I argue that even the best organised empirical researcher needs to be prepared to change tack in the course of fieldwork and remain tenacious in their dedication to answering the questions they have posed.

The Indian merchant population (people of Indian origin, which the apartheid government referred to simply as “Indian”) that populated small towns in the Northern Transvaal, first traversed the region as itinerant merchants during the late 1800s. The Group Areas Act was, as historian Dan O’Meara writes , used as a tool to reduce the commercial threat Indian traders posed to the aspirant Afrikaner middle-class, by removing Indian traders from thriving commercial centres in urban areas to dedicated shopping centres at the urban peripheries. This forced removal famously occurred in Johannesburg where Indian traders were removed from their stores in Fourteenth Street, Vrededorp to the Oriental Plaza. But in Mokopane, the GAB did not forcibly remove Indian traders from their stores in the centre of the town. I was preoccupied with finding the reason for this when I began fieldwork.

My fieldwork produced conflicting and much more nuanced accounts than I had predicted. In interviews, some Indian traders, who owned stores in the town and who had lived through this period, said their stores remained in their historic sites because of the traders’ resistance to the GAB officials. Another affected storeowner, however, told me that he remained mystified about the reasons that the GAB abandoned its plans. He had launched legal action against the GAB and voiced his discontent at a consultation meeting convened by GAB officials. But on the face of it, neither of these actions proved conclusive and the authorities did not explain, to him or anyone else, their ultimate decision to refrain from forced removals. It became clear that I needed to look elsewhere to answer my research question.

I then thought that perhaps the historical immersion of Indian traders in the socioeconomic fabric of the town was an important factor. In a letter to the government, which I found at the National Archives of South Africa, a white resident of Mokopane voiced his opposition to the removals because of his longstanding relationship with Indian traders. During times of drought, which periodically struck the district, they had extended long lines of credit to struggling farmers, and so over the years had become a part of the social life of the town. While this letter indicated the existence of less racial hostility than in the imaginary of apartheid planners, its influence on the decision-making of the GAB was unclear.

Eventually, I found the official explanation in the archives of the Mokopane municipality. The plan to move Indian traders had come to a halt because of the imperatives of a concomitant prong of the apartheid project: that of improving the economic prospects of the African homelands to facilitate their transformation into self-governing entities. The Lebowa homeland bordered the town of Mokopane and government officials believed that Indian traders would best serve shoppers from the homeland by remaining in their historic stores in the centre of town. The demarcated shopping area where the GAB planned to move the traders was too far removed from this consumer traffic.

While I was pleased at the discovery of an official explanation, I was disappointed that in the end, the machinery of the GAB remained decisive in determining action. In other words, the resistance of ordinary people was not enough to counter its might. It was nonetheless clear that the commercial success of Indian traders played a role in the government’s decision and their agency could thus be located in an area outside of outright protest; one in which their relative economic prosperity helped to overcome their political precarity in unexpected ways. This complicated the image of resistance I had at the commencement of the research, one that situated resistance exclusively within the sphere of protest politics. In order to understand the importance of residents’ quotidian activity and the social history of the town, I had to revise my initial assumptions and pursue the reason for the absence of forced removals through diverse historical sources.

About the Author

Dr. Faeeza Ballim

Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Historical Studies, University of Johannesburg, University of Johannesburg

Faeeza Ballim is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Johannesburg. She has a special interest in science and technology studies and economic history. Her book, Apartheid's Leviathan: Electricity and the Power of Technological Ambivalence, was published by Ohio University Press in April 2023.

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The Group Areas Act in South Africa (1950)

Subject: History

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

20 May 2020

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