Strictly star Oti Mabuse to star in BBC docy about Apartheid in South Africa

Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation that dictated the social structure in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s, after white South Africans voted in a referendum to abolish it on March 17, 1992. voted after decades of racial strife.

Apartheid was characterized by an authoritarian political culture rooted in white supremacy, or ‘boss cap’, which entrenched South Africa’s minority white population as the dominant group in politics, society and the economy.

According to the apartheid system of social stratification, white citizens had the highest status in the country, followed by Asians and Coloreds, followed by black Africans.

Before 1948, some aspects of apartheid were in place and enforced by South Africa’s white minority regime, segregating public facilities and separating black Africans from other races. This was known as “little apartheid,” while “great apartheid” dictated housing and employment by race.

As a codified system of racial stratification began to take shape in South Africa under the Dutch Empire in the eighteenth century, the first apartheid law was passed in 1949 – the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, 1949, closely followed by the Immorality Amendment Act from 1950 .

This made it illegal for most South Africans to parry or have sexual relations across the racial divides defined by the classifications that would follow.

Pictured: Photograph taken March 1, 1989, of a sign reading “Whites Only / Slegs Blankes” in the empty mining town of Carletonville due to black consumer protest following the reintroduction of traditional apartheid law

The Population Registration Act of 1950 classified all South Africans into one of four racial groups based on appearance, known ancestry, socioeconomic status and cultural lifestyle: ‘Black’, ‘White’, ‘Coloured’ and ‘Indian’. The last two classifications contain several subclassifications.

Places of residence were determined by racial classification, and between 1960 and 1983, 3.5 million black Africans were taken from their homes and forced into segregated neighborhoods.

These were some of the largest mass evictions in modern history, with legislation and relocations primarily designed to limit South Africa’s black population to ten designated “homelands,” four of which became independent states. The South African government announced that the relocated people would lose their citizenship.

However, the authoritarian system of racial oppression did not go unnoticed abroad, and apartheid led to much resistance. It was often condemned in the United Nations and resulted in an extensive arms and trade embargo, as well as cultural boycotts, such as asking artists not to display their work in the country.

South Africa was also boycotted in the sporting world, with FIFA banning the football team from major events. white South Africans cited the lack of international sport as one of the three most damaging consequences of apartheid.

1959: South African police beat black women with batons after they raided and set fire to a beer hall in protest against apartheid, Durban, South Africa

In South Africa and abroad, some of the most influential social movements of the twentieth century emerged as a result of the oppression, and opposition to the system grew increasingly militant in the 1970s and 1980s as countries – such as Sweden – provided support to the ANC.

Rising resistance led to brutal repression by the ruling National Party government, with continued sectarian violence resulting in thousands killed or imprisoned by officials, including the anti-apartheid movement’s most prominent figure, Nelson Mandela, who served 27 years in prison. was sitting. and was leader of the African National Congress (ANC).

Statistics show that between 1960 and 1994, the Inkatha Freedom Party was responsible for 4,500 deaths, the South African security forces were responsible for 2,700 deaths, and the ANC was responsible for 1,300 deaths.

Government agents killed opponents both in South Africa and abroad, and carried out cross-border military and air strikes against suspected ANC and PAC bases. In return, the resistance groups detonated bombs in restaurants, shopping malls and government buildings. A state of emergency was declared in 1985.

While South Africa underwent some reforms to the system, such as allowing Indian and Colored political representation in parliament, this did little to satisfy the majority of activist groups who wanted apartheid to be abolished.

Finally, in 1987, the then-ruling National Party entered into negotiations with the ANC – the leader of the anti-apartheid movement – ​​to end segregation and introduce majority rule, leading to Mandela’s release in 1990.

Apartheid legislation was repealed on 17 June 1991, with the 1992 referendum called two years earlier by then state president FW de Klerk. In his opening speech to parliament in 1990, De Klerk announced that the ban on certain political parties such as the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party would be lifted and that Nelson Mandela would be released.

Pictured: South African anti-apartheid leader and member of the African National Congress (ANC) Nelson Mandela waves to the press as he arrives at Elysee Palace, June 7, 1990

On March 21, 1990, South West Africa became independent under the name of Namibia and in May of that year the government began talks with the ANC. In June, the state of emergency was lifted and the ANC agreed to a ceasefire.

In 1991, laws restricting land ownership, segregated living quarters, and the classification of people by race were abolished.

The National Party and Democratic Party campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote, while the conservative pro-apartheid right wing was led by the Conservative Party, which campaigned for a ‘no’ vote.

De Klerk, who led the negotiations with Mandela to abolish apartheid, risked his political career for the referendum. He would have resigned and a general election would have been held had the ‘no’ passed. However, with support from abroad, the media and major political parties, there was a good chance that the ‘No’ campaign would not take place.

Although there were questions about the decision to allow only whites to vote in the referendum, the result of the election was an overwhelming victory for the ‘yes’ side (by 68.73 percent), resulting in the abolition of apartheid, while universal suffrage was abolished. introduced two years later.

In the subsequent 1994 election – the first fully representative democratic election – Nelson Mandela was elected South Africa’s first black president, holding the position from 1994 to 1999.