Uncovering Apartheid: Beginnings

Disclaimer: The following blog post is not a reflection of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s opinion on the below topics.

By Ian Cata


This article is the first of a three-part series that dives deep into the nearly five decades of Apartheid in South Africa and the movements of non-violence that impacted it.

A Quick History Lesson

In 1652 the Dutch East India Company established a permanent outpost in the Cape of what is now South Africa, and thus began the era of Dutch colonization in the area. They imported in Dutch farmers to help resupply ships, and these farmers— known as ‘Berghers’— began expanding their farms as more colonists began to arrive. The Dutch held rule over the Cape until 1795 when France conquered the Netherlands. The ruler of the Netherlands, Prince William of Orange, fled to England and asked the Brits to occupy his colonies to prevent France from taking them. Thus, in turn, Britain occupied the Cape from 1795 to 1803 when it was returned to the Dutch.[1] This didn’t last long though because Britain reoccupied the Cape again in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars, where it would remain a British colony for over a hundred years.[2] In 1910, the Cape Colony and three others were merged to create the Union of South Africa. The new nation became an independent dominion of the British Empire.[3]

Buildup to Apartheid

With the creation of a new nation comes the creation of law, political structure, and social hierarchy. Black people were denied the right to vote, and in 1913 the Native Land Act was passed which reserved just 7% of arable land for blacks while the white minority received 90%. The act was the first of many that served to disenfranchise and suppress the black majority while bolstering the white minority.[4]

It was around this time that the African National Congress (ANC) was formed. The organization was formed to advocate for the rights of Black South Africans. In its early years, it sought to create change via moderate means— such as petitioning— and had quite a small membership.[5] The ANC’s role in South African politics would grow in the following decades to unprecedented prominence.

The Creation of Apartheid

While racial segregation policies had been implemented and enforced since the nation’s inception, it wasn’t until the 1948 general election that Apartheid officially began. Post-WWII, there was an increase in black urbanization in cities which the white minority saw as a threat to the economic and social structure. The conservative National Party ran on a platform of segregation, touting a system that would effectively ensure white domination.[6] The policy was called “Apartheid” which in Afrikaans translates to “apartness.”[7]

Black and white image of The National Party.
Newly elected Prime Minister D.F. Milan (seated center wearing glasses) with fellow members of The National Party.[8]

The National Party won the election, and once they entered office, a series of laws and acts were passed that were in accordance with the overarching policy of Apartheid. Below are just some of the many acts that were passed in the following years that formed the system of Apartheid.

Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act 1949

Criminalized interracial marriage as well as nullified any interracial marriages that occurred prior to the law being enacted.[9]

Population Registration Act of 1950

The act required South Africans to register and classify themselves into one of three racial groups (black, white, and colored). The Office for Race Classification was established to overview the process. The classification was determined via a mix of physical and social characteristics ranging from skin color to socioeconomic status. Once an individual was classified and registered into one of the three groups, they were issued an identity card that they were required to keep on them at all times.[10]

Group Areas Act of 1950

Along with the Population Registration Act, the Group Areas Act was one of the pillars of Apartheid. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “The Groups Areas Act was the foundation of residential apartheid. Under its regulations, each racial group could own land, occupy premises, and trade only in its own separate area. Indians could henceforth only live in Indian areas, Africans in African, Coloureds in Coloured. If whites wanted the land or houses of the other groups, they could simply declare that land a white area and take them.”[11] The act granted the government the ability to remove non-whites from any land that they saw as valuable, which allowed the white minority to become more powerful and wealthy.

The Suppression of Communism Act of 1950

This act officially banned the Communist Party of South Africa as well as any organizations with ties to communism. The government used this law to label anyone who acted against the interests of the state as a communist. If an individual couldn’t successfully appeal the label after a period of two weeks they would be labeled a communist indefinitely.[12] After being labeled a communist by the government, individual rights would be restricted even further, ranging from full censorship to imprisonment. The Communist Act served as an important tool for the government in silencing and suppressing anti-apartheid activists, as they could simply label them communists and thus restrict their movements and actions against the state.[13]

The Dawn of Resistance

With the 1948 election and the establishment of the Apartheid system, the African National Congress decided it was time to change its approach. In 1949 they adopted a new mass-based direct action approach, moving away from petitions and towards boycotts and protests. The South African government may have thought they won with the 1948 election, but the battle was just beginning. Over the next nearly five decades, non-violent protest movements would rock both the nation and the world and eventually lead to the destruction of Apartheid. These subsequent movements and their impacts will be explored in the next article of the Uncovering Apartheid series.


[1]Batavian Republic 1803-1806,” South African History Online, March 21, 2011.

[2]British Occupation of the Cape,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Accessed June 29, 2023.

[3] “The South Africa Act, 1909,” American Journal of International Law 4, no. S1 (1910): 1–39, doi:10.2307/2212266.

[4]The Native Land Act Is Passed,” The Native Land Act is passed | South African History Online, June 14, 2013.

[5] Raymond Suttner, “The African National Congress Centenary: A Long and Difficult Journey,” International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-) 88, no. 4 (2012): 719–38.

[6] Joan Rydon, “The South African General Elections,” The Australian Quarterly 30, no. 2 (1958): 30–38.

[7]Apartheid,” Encyclopædia Britannica, June 8, 2023.

[8] Richard Kreitner, “May 28, 1948,” The Nation.

[9]The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act commences,” South African History Online, 2020.

[10] Population Registration Act, Article 30 (1950) S. Afr.

[11] Nelson Mandela, The Long Walk to Freedom, Little Brown Book, 2004, p. 76.

[12]South Africa: Justice Takes Its Course,” TIME.com, July 28, 1952.

[13]Suppression of Communism Act, No. 44 of 1950 approved in Parliament,” South African History Online, 2021.