Apartheid | South Africa, Definition, Facts, Beginning, & End

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class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/apartheid">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/91833-050-2C7F06C2/beach-South-African.jpg" data-href="/media/1/29332/95471" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/91833-004-B48689F9/beach-South-African.jpg" alt="racially restricted beach in apartheid-era South Africa" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/193807-050-54BC8409/sign-exhibition-part-South-Africa-Apartheid-Museum.jpg" data-href="/media/1/29332/232528" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/193807-004-F47E2C0E/sign-exhibition-part-South-Africa-Apartheid-Museum.jpg" alt="apartheid-era sign" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/129967-050-A03E06DA/territories-Bantustan-South-Africa.jpg" data-href="/media/1/29332/129344" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/129967-004-D482B1FB/territories-Bantustan-South-Africa.jpg" alt="Bantustans" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/south-africa-apartheid/310119" data-href="/media/1/29332/310119" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" 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class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"> <em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </button> </a> </div> <figcaption class="card-body"> <div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"> <span> <a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/91833-050-2C7F06C2/beach-South-African.jpg" data-href="/media/1/29332/95471">racially restricted beach in apartheid-era South Africa</a> <span><span>Sign at a beach in Durban, South Africa, in 1989, during the apartheid era. It restricted use of the beach to “members of the white race group,” in accordance with South Africa's racial segregation laws of the time. Legislated apartheid ended in the early 1990s.</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>apartheid</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">social policy</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="29332"> <button class="js-tooltip btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border pr-10 border-2" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="more_vert"></em> More Actions </button> <div class="md-more-popover popover popover-sm p-0 font-14 z-1"> <div> <button class="js-print-modal-button js-modal gtm-topic-tool btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=29332] .md-print-modal" > <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="print"></em> Print </button> <div class="md-print-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10">print</em> Print </div> <div class="mt-20 mb-10"> Please select which sections you would like to print: </div> <form action="/print/article/29332" method="post" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <div class="print-box-items"> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li><label><input class="mr-10" type="checkbox" name="sequence[]" value="0">Table Of Contents</label></li> </ul> </div> <input type="submit" class="btn btn-blue md-disabled" value="Print" /> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-modal qa-cite-modal-button btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=29332] .md-cite-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="verified"></em> Cite </button> <div class="md-cite-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom mb-15"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10">verified</em>Cite </div> <div class="font-serif"> While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-28T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 28, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Afrikaans: </dt> <dd>“apartness”</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Daniel-F-Malan" topicid="359504">Daniel F. Malan</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Hendrik-Frensch-Verwoerd" topicid="626778">Hendrik Verwoerd</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Johannes-Gerhardus-Strijdom" topicid="569087">Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/place/South-Africa" topicid="555568">South Africa</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/pass-law" topicid="445623">pass law</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/racial-segregation" topicid="488135">racial segregation</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/apartheid"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What is apartheid? <\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "<em>Apartheid<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Afrikaans-language\">Afrikaans<\/a>: \u201Capartness\u201D) is the name of the policy that governed relations between the white minority and the nonwhite majority of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/South-Africa\">South Africa<\/a> during the 20th century. Although racial segregation had long been in practice there, the apartheid name was first used about 1948 to describe the racial segregation policies embraced by the white minority government. Apartheid dictated where South Africans, on the basis of their race, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, and whether they could vote. Events in the early 1990s marked the end of legislated apartheid, but the social and economic effects remained deeply entrenched. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>When did apartheid start? <\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Racial segregation had long existed in white minority-governed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/South-Africa\">South Africa<\/a>, but the practice was extended under the government led by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/National-Party-political-party-South-Africa\">National Party<\/a> (1948\u201394), and the party named its racial segregation policies <em>apartheid<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Afrikaans-language\">Afrikaans<\/a>: \u201Capartness\u201D). The Population Registration Act of 1950 classified South Africans as Bantu (black Africans), Coloured (those of mixed race), or white; an Asian (Indian and Pakistani) category was later added. Other apartheid acts dictated where South Africans, on the basis of their racial classification, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, whether they could vote, who they could associate with, and which segregated public facilities they could use. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How did apartheid end? <\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Under the administration of the South African president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/F-W-de-Klerk\">F.W. de Klerk<\/a>, legislation supporting apartheid was repealed in the early 1990s, and a new constitution\u2014one that enfranchised blacks and other racial groups\u2014was adopted in 1993. All-race national elections held in 1994 resulted in a black majority government led by prominent anti-apartheid activist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Nelson-Mandela\">Nelson Mandela<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/African-National-Congress\">African National Congress<\/a> party. Although these developments marked the end of legislated apartheid, the social and economic effects of apartheid remained deeply entrenched in South African society. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What is the apartheid era in South African history? <\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The apartheid era in South African history refers to the time that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/National-Party-political-party-South-Africa\">National Party<\/a> led the country\u2019s white minority government, from 1948 to 1994. <em>Apartheid<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Afrikaans-language\">Afrikaans<\/a>: \u201Capartness\u201D) was the name that the party gave to its racial segregation policies, which built upon the country\u2019s history of racial segregation between the ruling white minority and the nonwhite majority. During this time, apartheid policy determined where South Africans, on the basis of their race, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, whether they could vote, who they could associate with, and which segregated public facilities they could use. " } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What is apartheid? </div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p><em>Apartheid</em> (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Afrikaans-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Afrikaans</a>: “apartness”) is the name of the policy that governed relations between the white minority and the nonwhite majority of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South Africa</a> during the 20th century. Although racial segregation had long been in practice there, the apartheid name was first used about 1948 to describe the racial segregation policies embraced by the white minority government. Apartheid dictated where South Africans, on the basis of their race, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, and whether they could vote. Events in the early 1990s marked the end of legislated apartheid, but the social and economic effects remained deeply entrenched. </p></div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/place/South-Africa/World-War-II" class="d-flex mt-15">South Africa: World War II</a>Learn more about apartheid within the context of South Africa’s broader history. </div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>When did apartheid start? </div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Racial segregation had long existed in white minority-governed <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South Africa</a>, but the practice was extended under the government led by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Party-political-party-South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">National Party</a> (1948–94), and the party named its racial segregation policies <em>apartheid</em> (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Afrikaans-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Afrikaans</a>: “apartness”). The Population Registration Act of 1950 classified South Africans as Bantu (black Africans), Coloured (those of mixed race), or white; an Asian (Indian and Pakistani) category was later added. Other apartheid acts dictated where South Africans, on the basis of their racial classification, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, whether they could vote, who they could associate with, and which segregated public facilities they could use. </p></div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/topic/National-Party-political-party-South-Africa" class="d-flex mt-15">National Party</a>Read more about the National Party. </div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/topic/race-human" class="d-flex mt-15">race</a>Read more about the concept of race. </div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How did apartheid end? </div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Under the administration of the South African president <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/F-W-de-Klerk" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">F.W. de Klerk</a>, legislation supporting apartheid was repealed in the early 1990s, and a new constitution—one that enfranchised blacks and other racial groups—was adopted in 1993. All-race national elections held in 1994 resulted in a black majority government led by prominent anti-apartheid activist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nelson-Mandela" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nelson Mandela</a> of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/African-National-Congress" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">African National Congress</a> party. Although these developments marked the end of legislated apartheid, the social and economic effects of apartheid remained deeply entrenched in South African society. </p></div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/biography/F-W-de-Klerk" class="d-flex mt-15">F.W. de Klerk</a>Learn more about F.W. de Klerk.</div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/biography/Nelson-Mandela" class="d-flex mt-15">Nelson Mandela</a>Learn more about Nelson Mandela. </div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="4"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What is the apartheid era in South African history? </div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The apartheid era in South African history refers to the time that the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Party-political-party-South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">National Party</a> led the country’s white minority government, from 1948 to 1994. <em>Apartheid</em> (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Afrikaans-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Afrikaans</a>: “apartness”) was the name that the party gave to its racial segregation policies, which built upon the country’s history of racial segregation between the ruling white minority and the nonwhite majority. During this time, apartheid policy determined where South Africans, on the basis of their race, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, whether they could vote, who they could associate with, and which segregated public facilities they could use. </p></div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/place/South-Africa/World-War-II" class="d-flex mt-15">South Africa: World War II</a>Learn more about apartheid within the context of South Africa’s broader history. </div></div></div><button class="show-more-button js-toggle-top-questions btn btn-unstyled font-14 d-flex pr-10 rounded-sm"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></button></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref210029"></span>apartheid</strong>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/policy-lottery" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">policy</a> that governed relations between <span id="ref210030"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South Africa</a>’s white minority and nonwhite majority for much of the latter half of the 20th century, sanctioning <span id="ref210031"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/racial-segregation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">racial segregation</a> and political and economic <span id="ref210032"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/discrimination-society" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">discrimination</a> against nonwhites. Although the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/legislation-politics" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">legislation</a> that formed the foundation of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="apartheid" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apartheid" data-type="MW">apartheid</a> had been repealed by the early 1990s, the social and economic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="repercussions" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repercussions" data-type="MW">repercussions</a> of the discriminatory policy persisted into the 21st century.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><em><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Truth-and-Reconciliation-Commission-South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">(Read Desmond Tutu’s Britannica entry on the apartheid commission.)</a></em></p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref348572"> <h2 class="h1">Apartheid legislation</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="232528" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/193807-050-54BC8409/sign-exhibition-part-South-Africa-Apartheid-Museum.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/29332/232528"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/193807-050-54BC8409/sign-exhibition-part-South-Africa-Apartheid-Museum.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/193807-050-54BC8409/sign-exhibition-part-South-Africa-Apartheid-Museum.jpg?w=300" alt="apartheid-era sign" data-width="1600" data-height="1043" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/193807-050-54BC8409/sign-exhibition-part-South-Africa-Apartheid-Museum.jpg" data-href="/media/1/29332/232528">apartheid-era sign</a><span>Apartheid-era sign, part of an exhibition in the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Racial <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/segregation-sociology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">segregation</a>, sanctioned by law, was widely practiced in South Africa before 1948. But when the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Party-political-party-South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">National Party</a>, led by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-F-Malan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Daniel F. Malan</a>, gained office that year, it extended the policy and gave it the name <em>apartheid</em>. The implementation of apartheid, often called “separate development” since the 1960s, was made possible through the <span id="ref210033"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Population-Registration-Act" class="md-crosslink ">Population Registration Act</a> of 1950, which classified all South Africans as either <span id="ref210034"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bantu-peoples" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bantu</a> (all Black Africans), <span id="ref210035"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Coloured" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Coloured</a> (those of mixed race), or white. A fourth category—Asian (Indian and Pakistani)—was later added. One of the other most significant acts in terms of forming the basis of the apartheid system was the <span id="ref210036"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Group-Areas-Act-of-1950-South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Group Areas Act</a> of 1950. It established residential and business sections in urban areas for each race, and members of other races were barred from living, operating businesses, or owning land in them—which led to thousands of Coloureds, Blacks, and Indians being removed from areas classified for white occupation. In practice, this act and two others in 1954 and 1955, which became known collectively as the <span id="ref210037"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Land-Acts" class="md-crosslink ">Land Acts</a>, completed a process that had begun with similar Land Acts adopted in 1913 and 1936: the end result was to set aside more than 80 percent of South Africa’s land for the white minority. To help enforce the segregation of the races and prevent Blacks from <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="encroaching" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encroaching" data-type="MW">encroaching</a> on white areas, the government strengthened the existing <span id="ref1298275"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/pass-law" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">“pass” laws</a>, which required nonwhites to carry documents authorizing their presence in restricted areas.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="129344" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/129967-050-A03E06DA/territories-Bantustan-South-Africa.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/29332/129344"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/129967-050-A03E06DA/territories-Bantustan-South-Africa.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/129967-050-A03E06DA/territories-Bantustan-South-Africa.jpg?w=300" alt="Bantustans" data-width="2000" data-height="1628" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/129967-050-A03E06DA/territories-Bantustan-South-Africa.jpg" data-href="/media/1/29332/129344">Bantustans</a><span>A map of the territories known as Bantustans (also known as Black homelands or Black states) established in South Africa during the apartheid era.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Other acts also led to physical separation of the races. Under the <span id="ref210039"></span>Bantu Authorities Act of 1951, the government reestablished tribal organizations for Black Africans, and the <span id="ref210040"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Promotion-of-Bantu-Self-Government-Act" class="md-crosslink ">Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act</a> of 1959 created 8 (later expanded to 10 )African homelands, or <span id="ref210042"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bantustan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bantustans</a>. The <span id="ref210041"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bantu-Homelands-Citizenship-Act" class="md-crosslink ">Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act</a> of 1970 made every Black South African, irrespective of actual residence, a citizen of one of the Bantustans, which were organized on the basis of ethnic and linguistic groupings defined by white ethnographers. Blacks were stripped of their South African citizenship and thereby excluded from the South African <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/body-politic" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">body politic</a>. The South African government manipulated <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bantustan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">homeland</a> politics so that <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="compliant" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compliant" data-type="MW">compliant</a> chiefs controlled the administrations of most of those territories. Four of the Bantustans—<a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Transkei" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Transkei</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bophuthatswana" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bophuthatswana</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Venda-former-republic-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Venda</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ciskei" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ciskei</a>—were later granted independence as republics, though none was ever recognized by a foreign government, and the remaining Bantustans had varying degrees of self-government. Regardless of their independence or self-governing status, all the Bantustans remained dependent, both politically and economically, on South Africa. The dependence of the South African economy on nonwhite labour, though, made it difficult for the government to carry out this policy of separate development.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Separate educational standards were established for nonwhites. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Bantu-Education-Act" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bantu Education Act</a> (1953) provided for the creation of state-run schools, which Black children were required to attend, with the goal of training the children for the manual labour and menial jobs that the government deemed suitable for those of their race. The Extension of University Education Act (1959) largely prohibited established universities from accepting nonwhite students. The government created new ethnic university colleges—one each for Coloureds, Indians, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zulu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Zulus</a> and one for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sotho" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sotho</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tswana" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tswana</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Venda-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Venda</a> students as well as a medical school for Blacks.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="310119" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="258021"><a data-id="258021" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/south-africa-apartheid/-310119"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/258021-138-7459F165/south-africa-apartheid.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Video thumbnail image shows Black South African schoolchildren standing behind a fence." loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/pfB1tc6T.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/21/258021-138-7459F165/south-africa-apartheid.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/Dm7IGiSv.vtt", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/HLqqCnVW.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="258021">How did apartheid change South Africa?</span><span>Three decades after apartheid, South Africa is still considered the most unequal country in the world.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/topic/apartheid/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Other laws were also passed to legalize and institutionalize the apartheid system. The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act (1949) and the Immorality <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Amendment" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Amendment" data-type="MW">Amendment</a> Act (1950) prohibited interracial marriage or sex. The Suppression of Communism Act (1950) defined <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/communism" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">communism</a> and its aims broadly to include any opposition to the government and empowered the government to detain anyone it thought might further “communist” aims. The Indemnity Act (1961) made it legal for police officers to commit acts of violence, to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/torture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">torture</a>, or to kill in the pursuit of official duties.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The policies <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="dictating" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/dictating" data-type="EB">dictating</a> the physical and political separation of racial groups were referred to as “grand apartheid,” while the laws and regulations that segregated South Africans in daily activities were known as “petty apartheid”—for example, those that dictated which transportation, recreation, or dining options one could utilize based on race.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; 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Apartheid | South Africa, Definition, Facts, Beginning, & End | Britannica