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South African flag and hand gesture promoting peace. Photo By David Peterson –

The Consequences of the Apartheid in South Africa: Social, Political & Economical

Apartheid, the racial segregation policy responsible for the mass killings and arrest of thousands of South African natives including Nelson Mandela. After the 1948 general elections, the Herenigde National Party (HNP) became the ruling party, and South Africa’s struggle for racial equality began.

As part of the national reforms, the ruling party sought to reduce risks that were imposed on White South Africans. It wanted to forcefully separate the Non-whites into small subgroups of Asians, Blacks, and Coloreds to decrease their political strength. HNP passed 148 legislative laws including the Prohibition of Mixed Marriage Act (1949), the Immorality Acts (1950), and the Population Registration Act (1950) to protect the Whites from being overruled by the colored South Africans.

In the Acts, the citizens of South Africa were to be identified and registered by their racial characteristics. It meant that the rights of any citizen, whether social, political, economic, or educational, were determined by the color of their skin and social class. The classification further included facial features, language, area of residence, and eating and drinking habits.

Though apartheid claimed to have been designed in favor of racial development, Non-white citizens were severely oppressed and driven into poverty. Discussed below are some of its socio-economic and political impacts on South Africa.

1. Social Consequences

a) Prohibition of Mixed Marriages

During the HNP regime, it was illegal for people of color to intermarry or have sexual relations with Whites. The Prohibition of Mixed Marriage Act was purposefully set up to arrest and detain citizens who went against this law. Before the Act, mixed-race relationships were nothing uncommon.

The Act was also applicable to South Africans who lived abroad. Interracial marriages outside South Africa were viewed as invalid and illegal. The police raided those speculated to have broken the law in their residential homes.

 Additionally, persons who officiated illegal marriages also faced legal charges. People who opted to intermarry were ridiculed and excluded from their communities to avoid issues with the law. This Act prosecuted over 19,000 citizens, while others were arraigned without trial.

b) Communal Ostracization

Photograph of segregational signs at a South-African train station. Photo By Ernest Cole –

Areas of entertainment such as restaurants, bars, and hotels put up signage posters describing who was and was not allowed within their premises. Non-whites required passes to be let into such facilities and other public utilities. Educational institutions also categorized themselves as White only or Non-white. 

c) Imprisonment Of Non-white Sexual Workers

Prison Cells. Photo By Belinda Cave –

According to the Immorality Amendment Act, women of color were banned from entertaining or ‘provoking’ White men to have intercourse with them. Breaking this law earned the women six years imprisonment. Sexual relations between Whites and Non-whites outside marriage resulted in a 7-year sentence.

2. Political Consequences

a) No Voting Rights

Photograph showing a section of a coloured gathering in South Africa, with huge banners, demanding votes for all. Photo By Photo Division-

Native South Africans were categorized into ten administrative groups called Bantustans. The ‘separate development’ system was a way of instilling control over where the Non-white citizens lived. They were then defined as legal citizens of their Bantustans, meaning they were no longer considered South African citizens. Consequently, the natives couldn’t participate in civil and political rights such as voting.

b) Lack Of Representation In The Government

Just as the Non-whites had no right to vote, they also had no right or support to run for office. The existing government was made up of all Whites members, none of whom represented the cry of the native and colored citizens.

3. Economic Consequences

a) Landlessness of the Non-whites

South African – KZN Midland. Photo Source

The natives of South Africa were evicted from their rural land and were resettled in designated homelands. Their lands were then sold to the Whites, who purchased them at very low prices.

The purchase of land by a native was conditional. One had to be working under a White ruler meaning the property wouldn’t fully be possessed by them. The lack of resources caused a major increase in poverty within the Non-white communities.

b) Restriction of Employment

Since the Non-whites received low-quality education, Whites attained more skilled occupations. The native, Asian, and colored South Africans worked as servants for the Whites and would only be allowed within their residential area during working hours.

c) International Sanctions

The attention drawn by the anti-apartheid campaigns led to the termination of international trade relations and financial aid. The country faced oil sanctions and was denied investment funds by foundations and significant universities in the United States and the United Kingdom.

During this time, gold had reached its highest price. Unfortunately, some countries had already banned trade with South Africa due to its impaired relationship with other international bodies. It was up to the mining companies to support the country’s unstable economy.

d) Labor Unrest

Protests against Apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s. Photo By Paul Weinberg –

The peaceful protest that took place in the 1960s marked the beginning of the fight against apartheid. Black workers boycotted businesses owned by Whites—this resistance to government rule led to the mass imprisonment of Non-whites.

By 1973, industries began noticing the resistance of Non-white laborers. Countless natives had been arrested, and those who remained free were aware of their contribution to the country’s economy.

In an attempt to end apartheid, Non-white citizens participated in peaceful campaigns such as the Defiance Campaign (1952), the Sharpeville protest (1960), and Soweto Uprising (1976). Unfortunately, none of these protests bore fruit.

In 1960, the protests opted to use armed resistance and formed an ANC paramilitary subgroup. It led to the arrest and life imprisonment sentencing of Nelson Mandela. The country was expelled from international organizations, with the United Nations denouncing apartheid in 1973.

South Africa gained massive media attention. It influenced the reform of some apartheid acts by Pieter Botha. The reforms failed to bring any substantial change, eventually leading to Botha’s resignation.

F.W de Klerk took over the presidency and introduced universal suffrage, a form of administration where all persons had a right to vote despite their social class and race. Mandela was later released in 1990 under Klerk’s orders, who finally instilled change to the oppressive government. He and Nelson Mandela jointly worked to form the new constitution.

Nelson Mandela Wall Mural. Photo By Ben Kerckx –

The 1994 constitution led to a Non-white majority coalition and the election of Nelson Mandela as the first President of the fully representative democratic government.

Read more facts about the apartheid in South Africa here.

Despite the abolition of apartheid legislations, South Africa still faces its impacts today.  Settlements in major cities such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban are divided on a racial basis.  A good example is the beachside settlement of Strand and township of Nomzamo in Cape Town, two settlements separated by a 100 metre strip.

Strand has an 83% white population while the population in Nomzamo 92% black. Strand is the ideal white picket fence neighbourhood, spacious with stand-alone houses and tarmacked driveways. Nomzamo however is densely populated, with few services i.e less internet access and less piped water.

Apartheid might have been abolished in 1994 but uprooting its depth and redeveloping segregated communities will take a far much longer period and greater effort. 

Read more on the most historical events that happened in South Africa here.