BLM & Modern Repercussions of Apartheid
By Afek Shamir, 7/28/2020
By Afek Shamir, 7/28/2020
Apartheid: the ideology supported and adopted by the National Party of South Africa in 1948. The prevalence of this ideology created a system whereby racial segregation was institutionalized. This policy was engraved into the very core of South African society, and hence, the country still experiences remnants of racial distrimination socially, politically, and economically.
Following the Second World War, the Afrikaner National Party won the general election under the slogan “Apartheid” (translating to “apartness”). Their goal was not only to separate South Africa’s white minority from the non-white majority, but also to separate non-whites from each other, and divide black South Africans along tribal lines in order to decrease their political strength.
Apartheid created a reality where racial groups were forcibly segregated. The government banned marriages between whites and people of other races and prohibited sexual relations between ethnicities. The Population Registration Act of 1950 explicitly classified all South Africans by race: Bantu (black Africans), Colored (mixed race), Asian (Indian and Pakistani), and White. This classification resulted in cases where families were split. In some situations, the government classified parents as white and children as colored. Furthermore, South Africa implemented ‘pass laws’, which forced non-white citizens to carry an internal passport at all times. This system was designed to segregate the population, minimize movement of citizens, and allocate migrant labor.
Resistance to Apartheid grew as the years went on, ranging from non-violent demonstrations, protests and strikes to political action and gradually, armed resistance. The African National Congress (ANC) and other resistance organizations, organized mass meetings where attendees protested and burned their pass books. The most notorious demonstration was in 1960, at the black township of Sharpesville, where police opened fire on a group of unarmed blacks associated with the Pan-African Congress (PAC). At least 67 blacks were killed and more than 180 were wounded. Sharpesville was a turning point in resistance against Apartheid, because many anti-Apartheid leaders reached the conclusion that they could not achieve their objectives by peaceful means. Hence, both the PAC and ANC established military wings.
Under pressure from the United Nations and the international community, the South African government gradually began to accept that Apartheid was nearing its end. The United Nations General Assembly had consistently denounced apartheid. Specifically, the UN Security Council voted to impose a mandatory embargo on the sale of arms to South Africa. Additionally, by 1985, both the United Kingdom and United States imposed economic sanctions on the country.
ANC leader Nelson Mandela, released from prison in February 1990, worked closely with President F.W. de Klerk's government to draw up a new and just constitution for South Africa. After both sides made concessions, they reached agreement in 1993, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize that year for their efforts. The new constitution, which enfranchised blacks and other racial groups, took effect in 1994; elections that year led to a coalition government with a nonwhite majority, marking the official end of the Apartheid system. Since this date, the ANC has won every election in South Africa.
Thee repercussions of Apartheid are strongly evident in modern South Africa. From an economic standpoint, black communities are still greatly poorer than white communities. As of 2015, unemployment among black South Africans stood at 39 percent, compared to 8.3 percent among whites. Notably, South Africa is currently one of the most corrupt countries in the world, primarily due to the inherited bureaucracy and political culture originating in the Apartheid era. Evidently, the 2017 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, which assigned South Africa an index of 43 out of 100, whereby countries with scores below 50 are believed to have serious corruption issues. Lastly, the embedded inequality in the nation means that black citizens are far more vulnerable than white citizens. This racial inequality is a factor to explain that the recent coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting predominantly black areas.
Apartheid was ended roughly thirty years ago, yet its effects are still felt by South African society to this very day. The issues that corrupt bureaucracies carry are immense and cause the non-white communities of South Africa to remain to be the victims of a system that entraps them economically and socially.
Following the Second World War, the Afrikaner National Party won the general election under the slogan “Apartheid” (translating to “apartness”). Their goal was not only to separate South Africa’s white minority from the non-white majority, but also to separate non-whites from each other, and divide black South Africans along tribal lines in order to decrease their political strength.
Apartheid created a reality where racial groups were forcibly segregated. The government banned marriages between whites and people of other races and prohibited sexual relations between ethnicities. The Population Registration Act of 1950 explicitly classified all South Africans by race: Bantu (black Africans), Colored (mixed race), Asian (Indian and Pakistani), and White. This classification resulted in cases where families were split. In some situations, the government classified parents as white and children as colored. Furthermore, South Africa implemented ‘pass laws’, which forced non-white citizens to carry an internal passport at all times. This system was designed to segregate the population, minimize movement of citizens, and allocate migrant labor.
Resistance to Apartheid grew as the years went on, ranging from non-violent demonstrations, protests and strikes to political action and gradually, armed resistance. The African National Congress (ANC) and other resistance organizations, organized mass meetings where attendees protested and burned their pass books. The most notorious demonstration was in 1960, at the black township of Sharpesville, where police opened fire on a group of unarmed blacks associated with the Pan-African Congress (PAC). At least 67 blacks were killed and more than 180 were wounded. Sharpesville was a turning point in resistance against Apartheid, because many anti-Apartheid leaders reached the conclusion that they could not achieve their objectives by peaceful means. Hence, both the PAC and ANC established military wings.
Under pressure from the United Nations and the international community, the South African government gradually began to accept that Apartheid was nearing its end. The United Nations General Assembly had consistently denounced apartheid. Specifically, the UN Security Council voted to impose a mandatory embargo on the sale of arms to South Africa. Additionally, by 1985, both the United Kingdom and United States imposed economic sanctions on the country.
ANC leader Nelson Mandela, released from prison in February 1990, worked closely with President F.W. de Klerk's government to draw up a new and just constitution for South Africa. After both sides made concessions, they reached agreement in 1993, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize that year for their efforts. The new constitution, which enfranchised blacks and other racial groups, took effect in 1994; elections that year led to a coalition government with a nonwhite majority, marking the official end of the Apartheid system. Since this date, the ANC has won every election in South Africa.
Thee repercussions of Apartheid are strongly evident in modern South Africa. From an economic standpoint, black communities are still greatly poorer than white communities. As of 2015, unemployment among black South Africans stood at 39 percent, compared to 8.3 percent among whites. Notably, South Africa is currently one of the most corrupt countries in the world, primarily due to the inherited bureaucracy and political culture originating in the Apartheid era. Evidently, the 2017 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, which assigned South Africa an index of 43 out of 100, whereby countries with scores below 50 are believed to have serious corruption issues. Lastly, the embedded inequality in the nation means that black citizens are far more vulnerable than white citizens. This racial inequality is a factor to explain that the recent coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting predominantly black areas.
Apartheid was ended roughly thirty years ago, yet its effects are still felt by South African society to this very day. The issues that corrupt bureaucracies carry are immense and cause the non-white communities of South Africa to remain to be the victims of a system that entraps them economically and socially.