Apartheid (document en anglais)

APARTHEID

Apartheid: the term, which means "set apart" in Afrikaans, means one of the darkest political regimes in modern history . It is a political system of racial discrimination established in 1948, following the election victory of the Afrikaner National Party Daniel Malan.

Theoretically, this policy was to "separate development" of communities across the country, in the words of the theorist, Dr. Verwoerd. In fact, apartheid is summarized in a racist ideology based on a myth: White would be the chosen people and find themselves threatened by interbreeding and the much larger black population.

FIRST LAW SEGREGATIONIST

In 1950, the government made the first vote of segregation laws. This text, known as the Population Registration Act, defines the four major racial groups to which each individual is systematically attached:

- Whites, mostly descendants of European immigrants among which we distinguish the Afrikaners (German or Scandinavian Dutch, French origin) and English. They represent just over 21% of the South African population at the time of implementation of apartheid.

- Blacks or Bantu, which represent nearly 67% of the population of South Africa in 1950.

- Métis or Colored (9%).

- Asians, mostly Indians (a little less than 3% .

SEPARATION

This text will serve as a basis for fifty others who have only one goal: to separate communities. Thus, in 1950, a law requiring each group to reside in urban residential areas predefined (Group areas Act, 1950).

In 1953, it is the services and public places that are the subject of separation (Reservation of separation Act, 1953) ... panels "Europeans Only", "Native only" and "Colored Only" become mandatory.

In 1959, the country is divided into several areas, geographically distinct, which each racial group is attached. Areas reserved for blacks, called Bantustans are supposed to become economic and administrative autonomy. But they only cover 13 % of the territory and are overcrowded. Worse, it is usually the poorest land without natural wealth and without industry.

Gradually, the segregation policy extends to all areas: geographic, economic, social ... But Black resistance and opposition of the international community will come to end in 1991. There was just 20 years old.

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