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Natives Land Act of 1913
This law only allowed blacks to buy land that was set aside for them. This amount of land only amounted to about 7% of South Africa's total farm-able land and left most of the better land for whites only. It was the first major segregation law that was passed. This act was passed to reduce interaction between Whites and Blacks because it prohibited sales between the two races and it also gave more priority to White farmers while forcing many blacks to become workers on farms rather than tenants. -
Immorality Act of 1927
This act forbade extramarital sexual relations between whites and blacks. This criminalized relations between whites and blacks and helped suppress interaction between the two racial groups. -
Representation of Natives Act of 1936
This act limited blacks rights and reduced their voice within the government. Black voters were removed from common rolls and were instead put on a communal role where they could only elect three whites to the assembly which consisted of one-hundred and fifty members. This severely limited blacks rights and their voices. -
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act of 1949
This act prohibited mixed marriages and relationships. The police would track down mixed couples that were thought to be having a romantic relationship. Blacks were treated more harshly than their white paramours, but many couples were still sent to prison. This act further criminalized interaction between the different racial groups. by also requiring citizens to register as either White, Colored, Indian, or Black. -
Population Registration Act of 1950
This Act divided the population into racial groups and helped form a lot of the basic ideals of Apartheid. Citizens were given documents that reflected their race. People were separated into different races through tests that were based on physical characteristics. Many of these decisions were wrong and some families were separated because they were wrongly classified. Overall, classification was very subjective and this law broadened the divide between the racial groups. -
Group Areas Act of 1950
This act limited the property rights of citizens who were of color. It created areas that were known as "group areas" which stated that only particular races were able to stay in the area. This gave the government the power to remove forcibly remove people out of the group areas and destroy buildings that were not of the allowed racial groups. This separated a lot of established communities and limited interaction between different racial groups. -
Bantu Authorities Act of 1951
This act gave the government the authority to choose leaders of black areas. Voting of blacks were also restricted to their designated area. Punishments were given to leaders who were not cooperative so this act essentially gave the government complete control over black opinion because they could restrict their ideas by eliminating them from South African politics. This stripped away even more rights from people of color. -
Natives Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents Act of 1952
This act required blacks to carry around passes at all times and blacks who were found without a pass would be punished and arrested. This act controlled blacks and allowed removal of blacks who were not wanted in certain areas. It emphasized suppression of blacks and emphasized the idea that they were naturally inferior. -
Native Labor Act of 1953
This act created a legal system that essentially made it illegal for blacks to strike. This prevented blacks from protesting unfair treatment or conditions at the work place which meant they had to follow their employers and their demands. Furthermore, this act also exclude blacks from registered unions. This led blacks to create their own unions which were never formally recognized by the government. In conclusion, this made blacks subject of unfair treatment at the workplace. -
Separate Amenities Act of 1953
This act legalized segregation of public utilities and services. It created social environments that separated whites from the other racial groups by creating "whites only" areas such as buses, trains parks, schools, restaurants, etc. This further broadened the divide between the racial groups and formally institutionalized racial segregation. This reduced possibilities of interactions and relationships between separate racial groups. -
Bantu Education Act of 1953
This act gave control of the education system to the government and only allowed schools to admit students from a single racial group. This heavily divided the racial groups because it basically ignored education for blacks. The government gave blacks Bantu education which was designed to teach blacks to be workers in a white society and this hindered a lot of individuals from reaching their true potentials. Bantu education reinforced white culture and denied blacks opportunities. -
Natives Resettlement Act of 1954
This act allowed for the removal of blacks from any area within or near Johannesburg. This act was engineered to clear blacks from white areas by destroying their homes and buildings and replacing them with white suburbs. This also pushed blacks into overcrowded black areas which struggled to contain their overflowing numbers.
