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Definition
| Political party in South Africa, formed in 1914 to appeal to Afrikaners (africans of white european descent); Elected into office in 1948, and instituted Apartheid under DF Malan and HF Verweord. |
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Term
| African National Congress (ANC) |
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Definition
| African counter-apartheid political party, formed in 1912. Adopts Programme of Action in 1949. Led by Alfred Bitini Xuma from 1940 to 1949; Led by JS Moroka from 1949 to 1952. |
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Definition
| Direct protest campaign against apartheid; strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience. Driven strongly by ANC Youth League, adopted by ANC in December of 1949. |
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Definition
| Youth wing of ANC (ages 14-35); founded in 1944 by Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and Walter Sisulu. |
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Term
| Population Registration Act |
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Definition
| Apartheid Policy adopted in 1950, and was not dismantled until 1991; required every citizen to be classified as White, Colored (mixed), or Native (black african), and carry identification cards stating such after the age of 16. (Asians were added in 1959); Classification was enacted during Census, starting in 1951, and was based on superficial and humiliating "tests", such as skin tone, hair thickness and lifestyle assessments. These classifications were superficial and subjective, and often resulted in the separation of families and communities during enforcement of daughtering policies. Appeals for classification were accepted but difficult, and people would often be reclassified down a level in the racial hierarchy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Passed in 1950, after Population Registration Act; Legalized division and allocation of land based on race classification, which would occur as the legislation was amended and built upon frequently, "established residential and business sections in urban areas for each race, and members of other races were barred from living, operating businesses, or owning land in them." Frequent separation of families and communities, as classification and division was decided by superficial Population Registration Act "testing". |
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Term
| South African Communist Party (SACP) |
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Definition
| Multi-racial communist political party - Founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), led by Moses Kotane until being tactically dissolved in 1950 following the Suppression of Communism Act. Rebuilt underground as the South African Communist Party (SACP) in 1953 by Joe Slavo and Ruth First. Partnered with ANC against Apartheid, and related to the Congress Alliance. Helped form Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) after banning of ANC. |
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Term
| Suppression of Communism Act |
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Definition
| June 1950 Apartheid Policy following the May Day Strike - outlawing the South African Communist Party, and providing the government grounds to suppress individuals, organizations, or publications "furthering communism" - this was a very vaguely defined legislation that allowed the suppression of anything anti-apartheid. Caused the dissolvement of Communist Party of South Africa in 1950, which then rebuilt itself underground in 1953 as South African Communist Party. |
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Term
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Definition
| May 1950 protest led by Communist Party of South Africa, ANC, and South African Indian Congress against the pass laws and other apartheid. "The strike was held in Orlando West. The police attacked protesters and opened gunfire on them, killing 18 and seriously injuring 30 people." (South African History Online) |
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Term
| Natives (Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents) Act, or Passes Law Act |
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Definition
| 1952 act, repealing many the regional pass laws denoting specifically urban regions and replacing them with a single nationwide passbook, required to be carried by black citizens over 16 in all designated white areas. These passbooks had every piece of documentation a citizen could have - racial group classification, identification number, employment information, photograph, fingerprints, and more. |
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Term
| The Defiance Campaign (Against Unjust Laws) |
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Definition
June 1952 - April 1953; non-violent protest campaign by ANC, specifically acts of defiance and civil disobedience (burning of pass books, entrance into white-only areas, bus boycotts). Arrested protesters would not defend themselves in court, and those offered fines chose prison, in hopes of overwhelming the government with mass imprisonment.
This was reacted to with high violence from police, and various "shoot on sight" orders were issued from the Minister of Justice, Charles Swart; Resulted in creation of Public Safety Act; Did not achieve pre-established goals, but were major in demonstrating and inspiring efforts against apartheid. |
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Term
| Albert Luthuli elected President of ANC |
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Definition
| 1952 - Albert Luthuli is removed from his role as a Tribal Chief for treason because of his anti-apartheid efforts; following this, he is elected as president of the ANC. |
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Term
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Definition
| January 1954 - Required black children to attend specific poorly funded government schools, where curriculum was specifically designed to teach skills related to manual labour and tasks that would be expected of Black workers, and internalize the subservience of Black citizens to White citizens. |
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Term
| Reservation of Separate Amenities Act |
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Definition
| 1953 - Legalization of racial segregation in public areas, vehicles, and services; facilities were not required to be equal to one another; public premises, vehicles, and services were legally permitted to deny full access on basis of race, not just segregate. |
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Term
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Definition
| March 1953 - Adopted after the Defiance Campaigns; legislation allowing government to declare "State of Emergency", which essentially just means the government can do whatever it wants, make any new law effective as of four days before, and give increased penalties for defiance. |
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Term
| Criminal Law Amendment Act |
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Definition
| March 1953 - Imposition of severe penalties for protesting legislation by violating a law or civil disobedience - up to 3 years in prison, fines, and whipping. |
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Term
| Native Labor (Settlement of Disputes) Act |
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Definition
| May 1953 - Criminalisation of non-segregated unions and black worker strikes. |
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Term
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Definition
| 1955 - Document created by the Congress Alliance outlining the principles for a non-segregated democratic South Africa |
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Term
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Definition
| 1954 - Anti-apartheid coalition comprising of ANC, and SAIC, as well as various other coalitions (South African Colored People's Congress, South African Congress of Democrats, and South African Congress of Trade Unions.) |
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Term
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Definition
| 1955-1964; Forced removal and destruction of Sophiatown, a multiracial suburb in Johannesburg, to become a white-only suburb - this was a major enforcement of the Group Areas Act. Residents were forcefully relocated into townships with corresponding racial classifications, like Meadowlands. |
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Term
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Definition
| 1956-1961; 156 anti-apartheid activists, including Mandela, are arrested and accused of treason and conspiracy to overthrow the state. All defendants were acquitted in 1961, as the campaigns could not be proved violent. During these trials, Oliver Tambo fled the country and began raising awareness about the ANC's cause in other European and African countries. |
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