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Natives' Land Act of 1913
The Natives' Land Act of 1913 was an important part of Apartheid as it aimed to suppresses blacks rights to acquire land. The act reserved approximately 93% of land to whites and prevented blacks from freely buying land. So called "reserves" were created for blacks to live in; these reserves were of economically non-profitable land. This act along with others helped to force blacks to migrate to jobs in cities and mines.The act was also known as the Black Land Act No. 27. -
Native (Urban Areas) Act of 1923
The Native (Urban Areas) Act of 1923 segregated urban residential space and led to the reduction in the amount of blacks that enter cities. This was accomplished with the use of "influx control" which was the method by which the Apartheid government could remove people who they deemed unnecessary for any reason such as being unemployed. Which meant that very little blacks were able to enter the cities and work. -
Mine and Works Act of 1926 (Amendment)
The amended Mine and Works Act in 1926 gave protection and preferential treatment to white labor over non-white labor. The Act also reserved the higher skilled and higher paying jobs to whites only. The Act was amended 1926 to establish a clear color ban and give blacks fewer job opportunities and options, which pushed them towards working in mines, farms, and factories - which paid them very little. The Act also resulted in many workplaces using competency tests to discriminate against blacks. -
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act of 1949
The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act of 1949 was an Apartheid law that prohibited the marriage of a white with non-whites or legally: "Europeans" and "non-Europeans". It was followed by the Immorality Act of 1950 which prohibited extramarital sexual relations between whites and non-whites. -
Group Areas Act of 1950
The Group Areas Act of 1950 allowed the Apartheid government to declare certain areas to be the exclusive to certain racial groups. The government used the Act to prohibit blacks from living in areas that were designated to whites. The Act was an effective means in the separation of races in South Africa. It also granted the government the ability to forcibly remove non-whites from any areas that the government deemed valuable and worthy of white settlement and move them into their proper areas. -
Population Registration Act of 1950
The Population Registration Act of 1950 required that everyone in South Africa be classified according to their race or racial characteristics. Black, White, Colored, and later Indian were main classifications under the law. Classification into groups was determined based on outer appearance, general acceptance, and social standing. -
Pass Laws Act of 1952
Pass Laws required blacks to carry passes similar to passports which had to document detailed information about each individual. Pass laws were used as a method to control blacks as they were needed to travel and enter cities which could be regulated using passes. The Native (Urban Areas) Act legalized the required usage of passes, however they had been in usage in Apartheid South Africa since 1797. -
Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953
The Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953 legalized the racial segregation of public facilities. The segregation did not require the separate amenities to be equal and at times did not even require amenities for non-whites at all. This Act was a key step in the development of Apartheid as it supported racial segregation even on the basic level of public areas, transport, and services. -
Bantu Education Act of 1953
The Bantu Education Act of 1953 was an example of the extreme reach that Apartheid played in South African society and life. The Act targeted the school systems by prohibiting blacks from learning material more intellectual than basic literacy and numeracy - likely to read signs and new laws. This Act contributed to the migrant labor policy by setting up Africans to qualify only for low skill jobs that paid very little. -
Blacks Resettlement Act of 1954
The Blacks Resettlement Act of 1954 established a Resettlement Board which had the power to remove blacks from townships. This Act directly gave way to the authorization of Sophiatown and other removals.
