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Legislation enacted, setting the foundations for the beginning of apartheid in South Africa
Foundation laws were presented and passed by the first white government in 1911 which were based on rules that set out a system of apartheid, which would discriminate and separate the white community from various coloured and ethnic populations, such as the African community and the Asian community. E.g The Mines and Work Act of 1911. -
ANC formed
The African National Congress is formed with the soul purpose of opposing racial discrimination in South Africa in response to the legislation that had been passed the previous year. This signifies that there was a presence of an immediate force of opposition to apartheid.
[Link text] http://www.anc.org.za/ states that 'The ANC is a nation liberation movement. It was formed in 1912 to unite the African people and spearhead the struggle for fundamental, political, social and economic change.' -
Dr Malan introduces apartheid
Apartheid becomes government policy. Dr Daniel Malan along with the Afrikaans National Party, being the newly elected government, implemented apartheid after winning the elections in 1948. To endorse the new policy Prime Minister Malan adopted the slogan 'eie taal, eie land' which translates to 'our own people, our own language, our own land.' This is an example of how direct and forceful the government was in introducing the discriminating act of apartheid. -
'Freedom Charter' and the Congress Alliance
The ANC combined with other groups that opposed apartheid and formed the Congress Alliance. Their primary focus was to create a plan to challenge the government in its policy of apartheid, which also highlights the willingness of various groups to unite in one purpose to create change. The Congress Alliance sent delegates to the Congress of the People Meeting in 1955. -
Congress of the People Meeting
Over 3000 delegates meet in Kliptown and draft a doccument which entails the Alliance's aims and purposes, while also including a list of their proposed set of rights and freedoms, some of which had inspiration from similar documents in the US and Europe.
Example Requests:
'1. Every man and woman shall have the right to vote.'
'5. Education shall be free compulsory, universal and equal for all children.' -
Sharpeville Massacre (2)
The protests were organised by the Pan-African Congress (PAC). Between 5000 and 7000 indigenous workers assembled at the Police station and demanded that they be arrested for being without possession of their passbooks. The police retaliated by ordering jet aircraft to fly low over the crowd to employ intimidation tactics. Later at 1.15 pm, the police opened fire on the gathered crowd of protesters, resulting in 69 people killed and 180 injured, heightening the anger in the African community. -
Sharperville Massacre (1)
Arrests made against key ANC leaders sparked anger in the population of South Africa. Protesters demonstrated particularly against the 'pass laws' which were laws that enabled the government to regulate indigenous Africans in their movements into white urban areas. 10 Bastunstans (homelands) had been put in place which controlled and restricted indigenous living areas. -
State of Emergency
The Massacre sparked several acts of violence from the indigenous Africans across South Africa. The more the police acted, higher levels of retaliation occurred. This resulted in the government declaring the country to be in a State of Emergency on 30th March 1960. This showed the extent to which the event of the Sharpeville Massacre caused widespread and nationwide action and violence to occur in South Africa. This is why the massacre was a pivotal event in the campaign against apartheid. -
Mandela forms the 'Umkhonto we Sizwe'
In the aftermath of the Soweto Riots, the government banned the ANC under the Unlawful Organizations Act (1960). In response to this Mandela formed an underground military organisation in 1961 called 'Umkhonto we Sizwe', which translates into 'Spear of the Nation'. -
Mandela forms the 'Umkhonto we Sizwe'
Mandela was elected Chief-of-Staff and coordinated sabotage campaigns over the next 3 years that included attacks including bombed attacks on power lines, post offices and jails as a form of retaliation. However the organisation intended that these attacks act symbolically for their cause without any harm being enacted on humans. As long as the intentions were clear in the group, the more effective the attacks were. -
Mandela forms the 'Umkhonto we Sizwe'
This showed the extent to which Mandela and others with the same goal of disabling apartheid would continually provide some form of counteractive response to the government and its applications of Apartheid, in this case being the formation of a new underground organisation. The group believed in using power, force and forms of violence in fighting for the cause. -
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Mandela is sentenced to jail as a result of the Rivonia Trial
The government treated Mandela's organisation as a terrorist organisation, and thus ordered the arrest of Mandela on the 5th of August 1963, along with 10 other leaders. All were sentenced in 1964 to life in prison on grounds of being guilty of sabotage and attempting to overthrow the state. These trails were known as the Rivonia Trial. -
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Mandela is sentenced to jail as a result of the Rivonia Trial
Although Mandela and other prominent leaders were arrested their sentencing spurred further retaliation and worldwide press coverage of the event which in fact helped to propel the campaign against apartheid. Worldwide press coverage acted as a tool in which the world was an influence to and was influenced by the movement against apartheid. -
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Mandela is sentenced to jail as a result of the Rivonia Trial
At the trial, Mandela, who represented himself, told that judge that:
"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve." -
Soweto Riots
On the 16th June 1976, students from Naledi High School protested against apartheid, and more specifically against the its rulings such as certain subjects only being taught to Afrikaans. The intention of the protest was to be passive aggressive, especially after Steve Biko's suspicious death in custody. The number of students ranged from 8000-10000.The protest escalated when police attempted to blockade the protesters and this lead to shots being fired,and buildings set alight,among other acts. -
Soweto Riots
The reports range from 23-200 in the total death tally.As a result, anger spread throughout the African community and the events heightened. The police managed to stay in control in the aftermath of the riots.However, international press coverage of the riots resulted in many economic, military and sporting sanctions being made against South Africa, such as the banning of South Africa from the Olympics until 1992. This showed the extent of the worldwide response to these riots in South Africa. -
Steve Biko is killed
Steve Biko was a South African political activist and was the founder of the Black Consciousness Movement (BMC). Biko was arrested while protesting and died suspiciously in police custody. This sparked complete outrage from the native South African public and spurred further acts of violence as a result. This acts as an example of how the deaths and wrongly imposed acts on high profile leaders such as Biko only increased the level of response from the public and worked against the government. -
Frederik Willem de Klerk becomes President
Soon after being elected president de Klerk negotiated with Mandela through prison visits to come to an agreement on the release of Mandela from prison and also to determine the future of South Africa. De Klerk's role was vital in these negotiations as they were the first formal step towards reconciliation and the end of apartheid. The cooperation between these two leaders was crucial to the movement as both leaders held significant influence over the public. -
Apartheid laws removed and Mandela released from pirson
On the 2nd February 1990, de Klerk famously announced to the world that apartheid would be terminated. This was significant as he also addressed the fault and unethically moral nature of apartheid. Accordingly, Mandela was released from jail.
de Klerk stated that: History has placed a tremendous responsibility of this country's leadership, namely the responsibility of moving our country away from the current course of conflict and confrontation...' -
Mandela and de Klerk win the Nobel Peace Prize together
De Klerk and Mandela were recognized internationally on their cooperation in coordinating the end of apartheid in South Africa with being jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. This further cemented their work in laying the foundations of democracy in South Africa. -
Mandela becomes the first black South African President
Mandela and the ANC won the elections in 1994 and therefore Mandela was announced as the new President of South Africa on the 10th May 1994. This was an extremely vital and symbolic appointment as it signified that apartheid and particularly its discrimination, separation and opposition of ethnic groups, particularly between the white and native African community, had been officially overcome.
