Major Legislation of South African Apartheid

Immorality Act No 5

Sep 30, 1927

This act prohibited any sexual relations between Whites and Blacks. This was a pretense for the "Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act". IT was designed as a preliminary way to separate Whites and Blacks and ensure the purity of the White race. This act was later extended in 1950 to include Colored and Asian people as well.

Representation of Blacks Act No 12

Jul 10, 1936

This legislation removed all blacks from the normal voters list and put on their own separate voters roll. Blacks in South Africa were now represented by four white senators.

Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act

Jul 8, 1949

An apartheid law that made the marriage between people of different racial classes illegal. This law was sort of unnecessary at the time considering that only 0.23% of marriages in the country were mixed marriages.

Group Areas Act

Jul 7, 1950

Certain areas in South Africa were deemed suitable and exclusive for one particular racial group. For example, city centers were classified for Whites only.

Population Registration Act

Jul 7, 1950

This legislation created a classification system. From birth, people were identified and registered as one of the three distinct racial groups (White, Colored, Bantu). This act was based on biological factors, not cultural factors.

Internal Security Act (Suppression of Communism Act) No 44

Jul 17, 1950

This prohibited certain people and organizations from promoting Communism. However, the term "communism" was very broadly defined and the government used this to their advantage. Because the term was not specifically defined, many of the anti-apartheid actions taken by Blacks were deemed "communist" and were subsequently punished for actions that had no connection to Communism.

Black (Bantu) Authorities Act No 68

Jul 17, 1951

This legislation created 10 African "homelands" (Bantustans) for all black people.

Natives Abolition of Passes and Co-ordinance of Documents Act

Jul 11, 1952

This act repealed the law requiring blacks to carry passes. Instead, a national act was passes requiring all blacks to carry reference books in any province in South Africa. These reference books were incredibly lengthy.

Public Safety Act No 3

Mar 4, 1953

Under this act, a state of emergency could be declared if deemed necessary. A magistrate or commissioned officer could detain anyone if they felt public safety was at risk The detainee had no board to appeal to and there was no standard as to what validated a state of emergency. Power was also given to the magistrate to ban meetings and gatherings. This act was passed in response to the African National Congress (ANC) Defiance Campaign in 1952.

Reservation of Separate Amenities Act

Oct 9, 1953

This was strict segregation of all public amenities and transportation by race. White only signs became a common sight around South Africa and this was seen as the epitome of petty Apartheid.

The Bantu Education Act

Jan 1, 1954

This act forced schools to be more segregated by only allowing them to admit one racial group. The idea of a singular education model for all racial groups was dropped and Bantu education was created. This new model of education for blacks forced Christian nationalism and encouraged students to explore their "tribal culture".

Blacks Resettlement Act

Aug 1, 1954

Created a Resettlement Board that allowed for the forced removal of blacks for townships, like Sophiatown, that were eventually deemed land only suitable for whites. The purpose of this act was to help clear our "black spots" in South African cities.