how were townships used in south africa during apartheid

This meant that young men left their families for a while to come to the cities to earn some money. The government needed to make sure that people did come to the towns, and for this reason they introduced taxes that needed to be paid. The situation with the 1913 Land Act became only very slightly better in 1936 when the Native Trust and Land Act increased the amount of land to just over 10% of South Africa.ĭuring the same period the government saw the need for cheap labour to work on the mines and on farms. These people, known as share-croppers, had to decide between working for the white farm owners or moving to areas set aside for black people. The Act caused a problem for black people who worked on white land but had their own piece of ground.

The Act also said that black people could not get more land outside of their tribal areas. The 1913 Land Act set aside 7.5% of the land in South Africa for black people. The policy is known as the policy of segregation, and would later be replaced with the policy of apartheid in 1948. At this time there was no apartheid policy in place, but the government did want to prevent black and white people from mixing together. This Act decided how the land in South Africa was going to be divided between black and white people. In 1913 the government passed the Land Act. Some black tribes had been forced off their land over the years and had resettled.Īfter the Union of South Africa, 1910, land in South Africa was divided. The rights of the black population were generally not taken into account, although they did still live scattered across South Africa. The South Africa War was fought at the end of the 19th century, leaving all the land in the hands of the British. Until this time, the Cape and Natal had been colonies controlled by the British, and the Transvaal and Free State were areas under Boer control. Government policies over the years have tried to solve this problem in different ways.Īt the start of the twentieth century, in 1910, the whole of South Africa was united under one government.

In South African history there has always been the fight for ownership of land and the need for cheap labour. Land and labour are two very important elements of the economic development of a society, and the way they are used will influence how the society develops.

How were townships used in south africa during apartheid