Written By: Chelsea Stephenson
Research Officer, ACIJ/JMB
In 1948, the course of South Africa’s history was forever changed, and it would take almost 50 years to overthrow the regime and herald a new age. Today, we hear the term “apartheid” and often think of it as a relic of the distant past. However, it has only been 31 years since Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa, formally ending this radical, racist regime. This article will explore how apartheid came into being, the international pushback against the regime—particularly Jamaica’s involvement in its dismantling—and the circumstances that led to its end. It is important to understand that although apartheid officially ended three decades ago, its effects are still very much felt today.
Apartheid, a system of institutionalized racial segregation, began in 1948 when the National Party (NP) came to power in South Africa. Implemented by an all-white electorate, it aimed to maintain white supremacy by enforcing strict racial divisions in all aspects of life. It was based on the belief that different racial groups should develop separately, though in reality, the policy was designed to secure white political and economic dominance. Though it was formally institutionalized when the NP came into power, the roots of apartheid date back to colonial rule and the segregationist policies of the British and Dutch settlers. Racial discrimination had long been a part of South African society, but the NP formalization intensified these divisions as an official government policy.
Laws that restricted where non-white South Africans could live, work, and socialize,
reinforcing economic and social inequalities were the cornerstone of this regime. These laws were driven by fear among the white minority that racial integration would threaten their dominance. Led by figures such as Daniel F. Malan and later Hendrik Verwoerd, the NP apartheid was successfully institutionalized. These included the Suppression of Communism Act (1950) Population Registration Act (1950), Group Areas Act (1950, 1957, 1966), Pass Laws (1952), Reservation of Separate Amenities Act (1953), and the Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act (1970). They were designed to segregate public and residential areas by race, control the movement of non-white South Africans, ban anti-apartheid organizations and protests, and limit non-white political representation, and suppress opposition among other things.
From the onset there was opposition to the NP and apartheid and as the years progressed international pressure was placed on South Africa to end this system. From the very beginning the African National Congress (ANC) was one of staunchest opposers to apartheid. Since its inception in 1912, the ANC advocated for more rights for the Blacks, particularly the Black elites. Later groups like the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), South African Indian Congress, the Coloured People’s Organization, the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Congress of Democrats lead Defiance Campaigns and lead organized mass protest leading to the imprisonment of key figures of these movements namely Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, and Robert Sobukwe. Increasing state repression, culminated in the Sharpeville Massacre (1960), where 69 unarmed protesters were killed by police. In 1964, Mandela and other ANC leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment for their anti-apartheid activities. This along with the banning of the ANC and PAC temporarily weakened the movement, sending them underground.
Despite suppression by the NP, local protest to apartheid increased and strengthened, drawing international attention to the country’s situation. In the 1960’s the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) began denouncing apartheid, with some African nations cutting diplomatic ties with South Africa. In 1973 the UN General Assembly declared apartheid a crime against humanity, with the UN imposing a mandatory arms embargo on South Africa in 1977 after the murder of activist Steve Biko. The United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and European Economic Community began imposing economic sanctions, targeting trade, investments and banking with the US enacting the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, despite the veto of then president Ronald Reagan.
Jamaica led the charge in the international fight against Apartheid. They were one of the first countries to implement economic sanctions against South Africa in 1959, banning goods from the country and refused to support businesses that engaged with the NP. Jamaica also played a crucial role in applying diplomatic pressure. In 1979 a United Nations conference on apartheid was hosted on the island, further demonstrating its commitment to the anti-apartheid movement. Diplomats and leaders frequently spoke out against apartheid at international forums, particularly the UN General Assembly pushing for greater sanctions and political isolation of the South African government. Jamaica’s international advocacy also extended to the Commonwealth, playing a major role in persuading other nations to take a firm stance against South Africa’s apartheid policies. Moral, diplomatic, and financial support was also given to the ANC, the main organization fighting apartheid, welcoming ANC representatives, activists and supported political prisoners in South Africa, recognizing them as legitimate representatives of the majority population. The support from Jamaica to the oppressed South Africans was not restricted to that of the government, as reggae artists like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in raising global awareness about apartheid created songs that are still used as anthems of resistance even today. Marley’s ‘Survival’ album was particularly aimed at the liberation of oppressed African nations.
Resistance to Apartheid only got more intense as the decades went by. Strikes, student
protests and uprisings as well as international pressure leading to the destabilization of South African society and economy. By 1990 the “well ordered” racially segregated vision of the NP was crashing and burning before their eyes. Then president, F.W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC, PAC, and Communist Party in an attempt to ease some of the tension but by this time it was already too late for the NP to come back from the over 40 years of the scourge that was apartheid. Revolution was in the air, the people wanted a change and the final strike to the coffin of this abominable regime was the release of ANC leader Nelson Mandela after 27 years in prison. In 1991 the government officially repealed key apartheid laws, including the Population Registration Act and the Group Areas Act. March 17, 1992 is noted as the unofficial end of apartheid as this was when 68.7% of South Africa’s voting population voted to end apartheid in a national referendum. Two years later on April 27, 1994 South Africa held its first democratic multi-racial election where the ANC won the vote and Nelson Mandela was elected the first Black president of South Africa marking the official end of apartheid.
Apartheid was a horrific time in modern history. Its laws affected every aspect of life for non-white South Africans. Black citizens were forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to designated tribal homelands; treated as migrant laborers, paid extremely low wages, and denied basic rights. Its end was a triumph of the resilience of the South African people, as well as proving international solidarity, and cooperation against the struggles of the oppressed goes a long way in fighting an oppressor. Jamaica’s efforts, both on a governmental and cultural level, helped to maintain international pressure on South Africa, ultimately contributing to the fall of apartheid. In 1991 shortly after Mandela’s release from prison, he was awarded Jamaica’s highest honor, the Order of Merit, in recognition of his struggle against apartheid and during his visit, he praised Jamaica for its unwavering support in the fight against racial oppression. While South Africa still faces challenges in addressing the legacies of apartheid, its fall remains one of the most significant victories for human rights in modern history, and must be continued to be celebrated.
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