Simone Lawson
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the South African government between 1948 and 1994. During this time, apartheid policy determined where South Africans could live and work, the type of education they could receive, and whether they could vote, based on their race. In the early 1990s, under the administration of South African President F.W. de Klerk, legislation supporting apartheid was repealed, and a new constitution was adopted in 1993. This constitution, which enfranchised Black citizens and other racial groups, took effect in 1994, and elections that year led to a coalition government with a non-white majority, marking the official end of the apartheid system.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who ended apartheid in South Africa | Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National Congress (ANC) party, was elected as the first black president of South Africa in 1994, marking the end of apartheid |
| Who enacted the new constitution | The new constitution was negotiated by the Constitutional Assembly, working from principles contained in the interim Constitution, and was provisionally adopted on 8 May 1996 |
| What was the previous situation | Apartheid was a system of racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-whites in South Africa, enforced by the white minority government |
| When did apartheid end | Apartheid officially ended in 1994 with the adoption of a new constitution and all-race national elections that resulted in a black majority government |
| Who was involved in ending apartheid | Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, who was the president of South Africa at the time, worked together to negotiate and end apartheid |
| What were the key features of the new constitution | The new constitution enfranchised Black citizens and other racial groups, allowing for a South Africa that was not ruled by racial discrimination |
| What were the key issues addressed | Addressing racial segregation, political and economic discrimination, and ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all citizens regardless of race |
| What were the key challenges | Negotiations between the ANC and the National Party (NP) were challenging due to differences in preferred government structures, with the ANC favoring a highly centralized government and the NP advocating for a federal system |
| When did negotiations for the new constitution begin | Negotiations for a new constitution began in 1990 after Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the ban on the ANC was lifted |
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What You'll Learn
South Africa's first democratic elections
The elections were the culmination of a four-year process that ended apartheid. The process began in 1990, when South African President F. W. de Klerk decided to negotiate to end apartheid. De Klerk lifted the ban on the African National Congress (ANC) and other opposition groups, and released Nelson Mandela from prison.
In the years leading up to the election, South Africa faced international condemnation, internal political violence, a failing economy burdened by international sanctions, and the heavy costs of national security. The country's white minority government, led by the National Party, had extended the policy of racial segregation and given it the name "apartheid". Apartheid dictated where South Africans could live and work, the type of education they could receive, and whether they could vote, who they could associate with, and which segregated public facilities they could use.
The first democratic elections in South Africa were largely peaceful, with a sense of euphoria gripping voters from all races, especially those opposed to apartheid. Around 20 million South Africans queued over a four-day voting period, with an 86.9% voter turnout. The ANC won the election with 62.65% of the vote, just short of the two-thirds majority required to unilaterally amend the Interim Constitution. The new National Assembly's first act was to elect Nelson Mandela as President, making him the country's first black chief executive.
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The end of legislated apartheid
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-whites in South Africa during the 20th century. The term "apartheid", meaning "apartness" in Afrikaans, was first used around 1948 to describe the racial segregation policies embraced by the white minority government led by the National Party. While racial segregation had existed in South Africa prior to 1948, the National Party extended and formalized these policies under apartheid. The Population Registration Act of 1950 classified all South Africans as either Bantu (Black Africans), Coloured (mixed-race), or white, with an additional category for Asians (Indians and Pakistanis) added later. The Group Areas Act of 1950 established separate residential and business sections in urban areas for each race, displacing thousands of non-whites from areas designated for whites. The Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act of 1959 created 10 Bantustans, or homelands, for Black South Africans, with the intention of ultimately confining all Black South Africans to these areas and reducing the possibility of a unified Black nationalist movement.
Apartheid legislation dictated where people could live and work, the type of education they could receive, their freedom of movement, and whether they could vote, among other things. It was enforced through an extensive security and police force that routinely employed violence against Black South Africans. The United Nations frequently condemned apartheid and imposed international sanctions on South Africa, including arms and economic embargoes. Internal resistance to apartheid also grew during the 1970s and 1980s, leading to brutal crackdowns by the government and protracted sectarian violence.
In the late 1980s, South Africa's economy entered a deep recession, and large segments of the country became ungovernable. International sanctions and internal resistance forced the government to negotiate an end to apartheid. In 1989, President F.W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the African National Congress (ANC), a leading anti-apartheid political movement, and released their leader, Nelson Mandela, from prison. Negotiations between the National Party and the ANC resulted in the creation of an interim constitution, which was ratified in November 1993.
In April 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections under universal suffrage, and Mandela was elected as the country's first black president. A new constitution, which enfranchised Black citizens and other racial groups, took effect that year, marking the official end of legislated apartheid. However, the social, economic, and political effects of apartheid remained deeply entrenched in South African society. Issues such as poverty, inequality, and political violence persisted, and access to education and land remained major challenges in post-apartheid South Africa.
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The legacy of apartheid
Apartheid in South Africa, which began in 1948, was a system of racial segregation and discrimination that governed relations between the white minority and the non-white majority. The apartheid government enacted laws that dictated where people could live and work, the type of education they could receive, whether they could vote, and who they could associate with, among other things. While the legislation that formed the foundation of apartheid was repealed in the early 1990s, the social and economic effects of apartheid remained deeply entrenched in South African society.
The apartheid government also implemented educational policies that disadvantaged Black and non-white students, creating disparities in access to quality education that continue today. Unequal access to education has contributed to the persistence of inequality and the lack of economic mobility for many South Africans.
Racial segregation and discrimination were central aspects of apartheid, and these attitudes and practices have left a lasting impact on South African society. Even though apartheid has ended, racism and discrimination against Black and non-white individuals continue to occur, perpetuating inequality and division. The spatial divide created by apartheid, with segregated communities and neighbourhoods, also mirrors the economic divide, with the wealth of the country concentrated in the hands of a small portion of the population, largely the white minority.
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The Group Areas Act of 1950
Apartheid in South Africa was a system of racial segregation and discrimination that governed relations between the white minority and the non-white majority during the 20th century. While racial segregation had a long history in South Africa, the term "apartheid" was first used around 1948 to describe the harsh racial segregation policies of the white minority government led by the National Party.
The Group Areas Act divided urban areas into different residential and business sections, each assigned to a specific racial group. These racial groups were defined by the Population Registration Act of 1950, which classified South Africans as either native (also called Black or Bantu), Coloured (mixed-race), or white. A fourth category, Asian (Indian and Pakistani), was later added. The Act established that each racial group could own land, occupy premises, and trade only in its designated areas. This effectively excluded people of colour from the most developed areas, which were restricted to whites, and forced many people of colour to commute long distances to work.
The enforcement of the Group Areas Act led to the forced removal of thousands of Coloured, Black, and Indian people from their homes and communities. They were relocated to new racially designated zones and were not allowed to return. Those who defied these new racial borders were fined or imprisoned. The Act also applied to businesses, with racial designations based on the individuals who held a controlling interest in the company.
The Group Areas Act was amended and reenacted multiple times, with later versions passed in 1957 and 1966. The final version of the law was repealed in 1991, as part of the broader repeal of apartheid legislation in the early 1990s. Despite the legal end of apartheid, its social and economic effects remained deeply entrenched in South African society.
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The Tricameral Parliament
The three-chambered parliament consisted of a (white) House of Assembly, a coloured) House of Representatives, and an (Indian) House of Delegates. The House of Assembly met in the Assembly chamber at the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town. The House of Representatives met in the former Senate chamber, and the House of Delegates met in a new building across the road from the Houses of Parliament, which also housed a chamber for joint sittings of the three houses of the Tricameral Parliament.
The government was led by a State President, who served as head of state and chief executive. The office of Prime Minister was abolished, and its powers were transferred to the State President, who was selected from among the members of the Tricameral Parliament by an 88-member electoral college composed of 50 Whites, 25 Coloureds, and 13 Indians. The State President appointed a Cabinet of ministers who would be in charge of "general affairs", as well as Ministers' Councils for each of the three parliamentary chambers to manage their "own affairs".
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Frequently asked questions
The end of apartheid in South Africa was brought about by a combination of internal and international resistance. The African National Congress (ANC) was a leading anti-apartheid political movement that played a crucial role in negotiating an end to the oppressive regime.
Nelson Mandela, the leader of the ANC, was imprisoned for 27 years for his anti-apartheid activities. He was released in February 1990 and worked closely with President F.W. de Klerk's government to draft a new constitution for South Africa. In 1994, Mandela became the first non-white president of South Africa, marking the official end of the apartheid system.
An interim constitution was ratified in November 1993, and a final constitution was provisionally adopted on 8 May 1996. The new constitution, which took effect in 1994, enfranchised Black citizens and other racial groups, allowing for a South Africa free from racial discrimination.
