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The Natives (Black) Land Act No 27
This act aimed to regulate land use in South Africa. It prohibited Africans from owning or renting land anywhere outside of certain native reserves. Out of the large population of Africans living within South Africa, only a small percentage of land was granted for their use. Blacks often lived in poverty because of the over population and cycle of poverty within their areas. -
Industrial Conciliation Act No 11
This act provided for job reservation, but excluded blacks from membership in trade unions. Black workers were completely excluded from the definition of a worker; therefore, they were not permitted to join the union. It allowed for the legal registration of White Unions, and disallowed their black counterparts to form similar Unions. -
Representation of Blacks Act No 12
This removed Africans from electoral rolls; it placed them on a separate role. Throughout the Union, Africans were represented through white senators who made decisions on their behalf. -
Native (Development) Trust and Land Act No 18
This act expanded the number of reserves to 13. Also the elimination of “black spots” was authorized by the Department of Bantu Administration and Development. Black sports were black owned land that was surrounded by white owned land. Although reserves may have been expanded, the eviction powers of the government in South Africa was strengthened. -
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act No 55
This act prohibited the marriages between people of different races. It was one of the first pieces of apartheid legislation to be passed after the rise of power of the National Party. -
Population Registration Act No 30
This seemed to account for the division of groups based on race in South Africa. People were classified into three different groups (White, Colored, and Bantu) and then were allowed certain privileges based off of that classification. This act was very rigid, and it allowed people to be denied basic rights on the basis of biological factors out of their control. -
Reservation of Separate Amenities Act No 49
This act allowed for public facilities or transport to be designated to certain racial groups. This included buses, trains, restrooms, hospitals, and parks. If caught using the wrong facilities, members of different racial groups faced arrest and imprisonment. -
Bantu (Black) Education Act No 47
This act seemed to formalize the segregation of Bantu/black education. It became mandatory to admit students of one racial group into schools. Whites were often provided with the superior education since each board/school had its own curriculum. -
Blacks Resettlement Act No 19
This act formed part of the racial segregation in South Africa. It permitted the removal of blacks from townships through an established Resettlement Board. Blacks were often taken out of home and forced to be resettles elsewhere. -
Representation between Republic of South Africa and Self-Governing Territories Act (Bantu Self-Governing Act) No 46
This act divided the African population into 8 groups. The members of the group were assigned a white commissioner who assisted them in making the transition into a self-government. The government used this to argue that blacks in South Africa had representation within South Africa and abolished Africans’ already limited representation in Parliament.
