Racism and apartheid in Southern Africa: South - unesdoc - Unesco

161 Pages·2005·9.21 MB·English

Racism and apartheid
in southern Africa
South Africa
and Namibia
A book of data based on material
prepared by the Anti-Apartheid Movement
The Unesco Press Paris 1974
Racism and apartheid
in southern Africa
South Africa and
Namibia
Published by the Unesco Press,
7 Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris
Printed by Imprimeries RCunies, Lausanne
ISBN 92-3-1011 99-5
French edition: 92-3-2011 99-9
0 Unesco 1974
Cover photograph: Almasy Printed in Sivif:erland
Contents
Some clutes in the history ojSouth Afiica und Namihici, 9
Part I South Africa
1. The historical hcickgroiind to upartheid, 15
South Africa, 18 ; The Great Trek. 18 ; Diamonds and gold, 2 1 ; Rhodes :
Boer-Britishr ivalry, 24: African organization,2 7
2. Development of the economy,3 3
Geography and climate, 33;S outh African gross domestic product,3 5;
Industrialization,3 7;T rade,4 1
3. Apartheid in operation,4 4
I
The legalized framework, 45; South Africa becomes a republic, 48;
Apartheid and the economy, 48; Education, 62; The pass laws, 67;
‘Homelands’6, 9;A fricans in urban areas. 75;S ecurity, 78
4. From oppositiori to resistance,8 5
Defiance of Unjust Laws Campaign, 88; The Congress of the People, 90;
The ‘treason trial’, 92 :S harpeville. 92; Opposition goes underground, 94;
Rivonia. 95;T he Case of the Twenty-two,9 8; Port Elizabeth strike, 98;
Trial of the ‘Pretoria six’, 98; Student protest. 99;N ew strike wave. 102;
Black Consciousness. 102
-
5. The outside world,1 04
The United Nations, 104; Africa, 105;S trategic considerations, 108; Bans
and boycotts. 11 1
6. Wlien suclz men revolt, I2 1
Nelson Mandela,1 21;A bram Fischer, 122;A lbert Luthuli,1 23
Part II Namibia
1. Background, 127
2. The economy, 128
Minerals, 128; Farming, 129; Fishing, 129; Tourism, 129; Wages, 129;
Welfare, 130
3. Education,1 31
4. History andpeopfes,1 33
5. The South African takeover, 137
6. Namibia and the United Nations,1 40
7. Apartheid and the ‘homefunds’,1 42
8. Resistance. 146
Appendix Further reading, 153
Preface
Most people are aware of apartheid from what they read in newspapers or
see on television. Thousands are passionately concerned by the suffering it
causes, but literally millions are suffering directly under an inhuman and
degrading system which deprives them of even the most elementary of human
rights.
Horrified beyond measure by what had happened during the Second World
War, the community of nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights in 1948. For a majority of the inhabitants of southern Africa, this might
as well never have happened: for them. the Declaration has remained a dead
letter.
This book is based on material prepared by the Anti-Apartheid Movement
for a teaching kit on southern Africa. A section on Rhodesia, which formed
part of this material, will be published separately. The views expressed in this
book do not necessarily reflect those of the Secretariat.
As the United Nations Specialized Agency for education, science and
culture, Unesco hopes that this book will interest teachers in particular and that
it will assist them in making a new generation more conscious than their elders
of the intolerable injustices we still tolerate-and more effectively determined
to eliminate them.
Some dates in the history
of South Africa and
Namibia
South Africa
700 onwards Movement of Bantu peoples into southern Africa.
1652 First Dutch settlement a; the Cape under Jan van Riebeeck.
1779 First Kaffir war: first major confrontation between settlers and
Bantu.
806 Cape Colony becomes British.
809 Proclamation restricts movement by Coloureds.
818 Beginning of career of Shaka the Zulu.
823 Moshoeshoe becomes king of the Sotho.
83 4 Abolition of slavery in Cape Colony.
836 Great Trek begins.
86 0 First indentured labour arrives in Natal from India to work on the
sugar crops.
867 Diamonds found at Kimberley.
868 Lesotho becomes a British Protectorate (as Basutoland).
884-85 Treaty of Berlin.
885 Botswana (Bechuanaland) becomes a British Protectorate.
886 Gold found at Witwatersrand.
899-1 902 Anglo-Boerw ar.
902 Death of Rhodes.
904 Chinese labourers imported for gold mines.
906 Zulu poll-tax rising. Indian pass laws in Transvaal.
907-1 3 Gandhi organizes civil disobedience campaign among Indian
community.
910 Independence for Union of South Africa, within the British
Empire.
912 African National Congress founded.
91 3 Native Land Tenure Act.
91 9 African National Congress pass burning campaign in Rand.
Industrial and Commercial Union formed in Cape Town.
920 African miners in Rand.
10
926 Masters and Servants Amendment Act removes African right to
strike.
936 Representation of Natives Act creates Native Representative Coun-
cil and M.P.sr epresentative of natives.
946 Strike in Rand by 60,000 African miners-broken by armed police.
948 General election victory for Nationalists.
950 Police shoot at protesting crowd in Witzieshoek Reserve; sixteen
Africans killed. May Day: work stoppage; skirmishes with police
lead to eighteen deaths. 26 June: National Day of Protest and
Mourning.
1952 Defiance campaign.
1953 Boycott of schools in response to introduction of ‘Bantue ducation’.
1955 Fifty-eight thousand families removed from Sophiatown.
1955-56 African women protest against extension of pass laws to women.
Evaton bus boycott against fare increases lasts over six months.
I955 26 June: Congress of the People adopts Freedom Charter.
1956 One hundred and fifty-six arrests : Treason Trial accuses African
National Congress.
1957 26 June: one-day stay-at-home.C all for a basic wage of one pound
a day. Alexandria bus boycott lasts four months.
1958 One-day national strike.
1959 Police baton-charge 2,000 women in Cat0 Manor. Boycott starting
with Rembrandt tobacco and certain products leads to call for an
international boycott of South Africa.
1960 21 March: Sharpeville. State of emergency. Sweeping arrests.
28 March: massive strike in protest. April: African National
Congress and Pan-AfricanistC ongress declared ‘unlawfulo rganiza-
tions’. Pondoland revolt ; thirty-nine dead.
1961 March: Mandela elected leader of new National Action Council.
29 March : three-day stay-at-homer eceives huge support despite
armed intimidation by Government which leads to Mandela calling
if off on second day. June: African leaders discuss tactics for
change to violent resistance.
1962 August: Mandela captured and imprisoned for five years. Trial
speech :‘ I will still be moved.. . ’.
1963 1 1 July :m any leaders of underground resistance movement arrested
at Rivonia. Hundreds of documents seized. Eight defendants,
including Mandela, on trial for their lives, spark off international
protest. Sentenced to life imprisonment.
1966 May :A bram Fischer, outstanding defence counsel in political trials,
Afrikaner and communist,s entenced to life imprisonment.
1967 Guerilla incursions into Wankie Valley (Rhodesia) mark launching
of guerrilla struggle by ZAPU-ANCm ilitary alliance.
1969-7 1 Case of the Twenty-two.
1969 April :D urban dockworkers strike.
1971 March : Port Elizabeth bus boycott ; eleven people shot when
police fire on crowd. May: freedom fighter jailed; James April
sentenced to fifteen years under Terrorism Act.
11
1970 Leaflet bombs distribute African National Congress material to
onwards rush-hourc rowds in many centres.
1972-73 Many strikes, particularly in Durban area. Emergence of the Black
Consciousness movement. Increased student activity.
Namibia
1484 Diego Cao, Portuguese explorer, visits coast and captures some
inhabitants.
1792 Europeans from Cape Province visit Dumara iron and copper
mines. Ovambos mine copper at Tsumeb.
1820-30s Hottentots and Afrikaner families move north from Cape Province.
1850 Jonker Afrikander (Nama leader) defeats Hereros.
1862-70 Nama-Hererow ars.
1868 British Commissioner sent from Cape Town.
1876 Boers trek to north-east of territory.
1878 Britain annexes Walvis Bay.
1883 Luderitz Bay ‘bought’b y a German merchant.A nnexed by Germany
in 1884.
1884-85 Berlin Conference recognizes German sphere of interest.
1888 Maharero, Herero chief, forces Germans to withdraw from his
capital.
1889 First German troops arrive.
1890 Germany annexes territory.
1892 German troops massacre Namas.
1894 Another defeat of the Namas ; Herero rebellion crushed.
1896 Nama rebellion crushed.
1897 Disease destroys 95 per cent of Hereros’ cattle.
1903-07 Namas and Hereros revolt again. More than 70 per cent of Hereros
and 60 per cent of Namas killed or die of starvation.
1904 Ovambosdefeat Portuguese expedition at Naulila,k illing 305 troops.
1908 Discovery of diamonds leads to mineral rush and growth of
settlement.
1914 First World War. Ovambos under King Mandume force German
expedition to withdraw.
1915 South Africa invades, defeats Germans.
1916 Portuguese attack Mandume.
1917 South Africa attacks Mandume, kills him in battle.
1919 League of Nations mandate of South West Africa granted to South
Africa.
1921 South Africa appoints a Consultative Council.
1922 ..r’ South Africa establishes ‘reserves’ and starts to distribute land to
settlers. Namas and Bondelswarts bombed by South African Air
Force for refusing to pay dog tax.
1923 Rehebothers compelled to accept change of status for their
community.
I925 Legislative council established-with all-white electorate.
12
1932 South African Air Force and armoured unit destroy village of
Ovambo chief Ipumbu.
1945 South Africa asks United Nations to be allowed to annex Namibia.
1946 United Nations refuses. South Africa refuses to place territory
under Trusteeship Council.
1950 International Court of Justice unanimous decision that mandate is
still in existence (contrary to South Africa’s claims that it ceased
with the League of Nations).
1959 Protest against ‘removals’i n Windhoek :t welve killed, fifty wounded
when police open fire.
1960 African countries seek ‘contentious judgement’ from International
Court, requiring South Africa to carry out the mandate-and thus
end apartheid.
1966 Court decides that it cannot make a ruling. 26 August: SWAPO
launches armed struggle. General Assembly terminates mandate.
1968 Thirty-eight SWAPO members, including Ja Toivo put on trial in
Pretoria on terrorism charges ; twenty-one sentenced to life impris-
onment on Robben Island.
1970 Chief Hosea Kutako dies, aged 103.
1971 International Court declares South Africa’s presence in Namibia
illegal.
1971-72 Massive strike by Namibian contract workers brings economy to a
halt. State of emergency declared in Ovamboland. Many deaths in
disturbances.
1972 Secretary-General seeks discussions on Namibia with South African
Government. Namibian rejection of any idea of ‘independence’
under South African rule.