On April 27th, 1994, Nelson Mandela cast
his vote in the first free and Democratic elections in South Africa,
marking the official end to racial oppression and apartheid rule.
Apartheid, a term we've heard before, but what exactly is it?
The word itself stems from the South African dialect of Dutch,
Afrikaans, and literally means apartness.
But for millions in South Africa, it held a much darker
reality
it was a system
put in place by the Afrikaner National Party in 1948,
which allowed for lawful segregation using racial divides.
When you intensify your present policy of racial segregation?
the policy of what you mean by intensify?
whether any further measures are to come.
It's impossible for me to say at the moment I do not know of any.
The policy governed South Africa for nearly 50 years.
But racial segregation existed long before apartheid even began.
In 1913, the government passed the Natives Land Act,
limiting black African land ownership to 7% and restricting them
from buying or occupying land except as employees of a white master.
More than three decades later, the practice of systematic
racial segregation was given the name Apartheid
and was extended under the government led by the National Party.
The party's goal was to separate
South Africa's white minority from its nonwhite majority.
In addition to separating non-whites from each other.
They did this by putting in place hundreds of race laws,
touching every aspect of life, preventing equal opportunities
for basic human rights to people of color, including dictating
where they could live, work, go to school, all based on their race.
Interracial relationships and marriages were illegal.
And perhaps most importantly, non-whites did not have a right to vote.
All these laws after 1948 had one purpose in mind,
and that was to ensure that the 4 million whites in South Africa had
all the resources, the wealth,
the jobs, the minds concentrated in their hands.
The Race Classification Act put people in four different categories white
at the top, followed by Indian colored or of mixed descent and black at the bottom.
And within those groups were subgroups further
segregating ethnic and tribal groups.
A number of pseudoscientific tests were used to classify
individuals suspected of not being European.
For example, the pencil test.
This involved putting a pencil in an individual's hair.
If the pencil fell to the floor, they passed the test and were considered white.
If it stayed put, they were considered colored.
Black South Africans were forced to carry ID at all times known as a passbook.
Resistance to apartheid laws
came in the form of mostly nonviolent political protests.
Together, freedom fighters like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter
Sisulu and Ahmed Kathrada started to play an important role
for both the African and Indian National Congress parties.
In 1952, they began a defiance campaign calling on people
to purposely break apartheid laws in order to get arrested.
People of color got onto white busses, used white toilets, and entered white
areas.
Their hope was that the high number of prisoners would cause
the system to collapse, but it did not.
Thousands ended up in jail, and in 1953, the public Safety Act and Criminal Law
Amendment Act were passed to impose
even more severe penalties for demonstrating against the law.
On March 21st, 1960, a protest against the use of past books
turned violent in the black township of Sharpeville when police opened fire
on unarmed protesters, leaving nearly 70 dead
and 180 wounded, including children.
A state of emergency was declared nationwide and opposition
political parties,
including the ANC, were banned, forcing many to move their fight underground.
There are many people who feel that it is useless and futile
for us to continue talking peace and nonviolence
against a government whose reply is only savage attacks
on an unarmed and defenseless people.
By 1964, most resistant leaders, including
Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment following the infamous
Rivonia Trials, which drew international attention.
Eventually, a tide of global pressures put the government in a difficult position.
The world was changing.
The Soviet Union had collapsed,
and that was a major movement.
There was increased calls for the divestment
of companies from South Africa.
There was a global movement to boycott South Africa,
coupled with unrest within the country and the continued armed struggle.
Negotiations began between the ANC and the National Party.
Slowly, apartheid began to dismantle.
In 1990, at the age of 71, Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
I stand here
for you.
Not as a prophet,
but as a humble servant.
of you, the people.
elections were held four years later, with the ANC winning
62% of the vote and Nelson Mandela becoming president.
The people of South Africa won their country back and apartheid was abolished.
Never,
never,
and never again
shall it be that this beautiful land
will entertain the oppression
of one another.
Thanks for watching.
Global News.
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