Apartheid in South Africa

From 1948 to the mid-90's, apartheid ruled South Africa. This system of government discriminated unfairly against black people. It tore apart families and ended lives. Many laws and events can be used as examples of how harsh this form of government really was.

One large-scale example is the conditions that black people had to live with in their homes, schools, and jobs. They lived in small huts located in crowded, hot, and dirty areas. Many people were forced to live in so-called "homelands", which were even worse than the places that they'd lived in before. If someone got sick, it would be difficult for them to get medical care even if they could pay for it. People often had very little food and depended upon their paychecks to put the next meal on the table. Black children received a bad education, and had almost no chance of getting into college. The vast majority of available jobs were menial and low-paying. In sharp contrast, whites lived in gigantic houses with landscaped lawns and often pools. They received a good education and had all the good jobs.

The government made many unfair laws such as curfews for blacks in white areas, banning, and passbook laws. The passbook laws were probably the worst of these. They were required for every black person over the age of fifteen. The books said exactly where a person was allowed to be and information such as criminal records, among other things. Banning was when the government said that a person could only stay in one place and could only have one or two people in the room with them at a time.

One thing that limited black people was that they had no freedom of speech. If they spoke out against the government they could get banned, jailed, or killed. People could get in trouble even if they did something as minor as writing a letter that said the government was unfair. The police in South Africa had power to do whatever they wanted, even killing people.

A major aspect of apartheid in South Africa was that it was extremely violent. Black homes were often destroyed, and beatings occurred often. Questioning by police could be violent. Often authorities would try to intimidate people. People were shot and injured at peaceful protests and marches. One prominent person, Stephen Biko, was denied medical care after being beaten by authorities and died as a result of this.

Many people died and suffered because of apartheid. Apartheid was a terrible thing in South Africa, and the world must stop it early if it ever threatens again.