Pass laws

The Law Native Urban Areas Act, Act No. 21/1923 ( German as: native residential Act) was passed in 1923 in South Africa and regulated the access of the black rural population to urban areas. Change laws on this in the years 1930 and 1937, another law, the Native Service Contract Act of 1932, led einpendelnder workers from the designated settlement areas for blacks before the apartheid period to a comprehensive registry.

Effects

With this law, the number of those who were allowed to stay in the city, and established the rights of black South Africans greatly restricted in the cities was.

For legal residency in the cities every male black South Africans had to report on their management, his contract (contract of service) and submit a fee of no more than 2 shillings monthly pay for their stay upon arrival in the community. In each of these persons received at his own request an official document. Was the work completed activity, for example, by end of the contract, by adhesive or other circumstances, each of these people had to leave the place after a fixed period. Excluded from these provisions were from among the blacks, the owner of declarations of exemption from this obligation, Parliament registered voters in the Cape Colony, land owners, Chiefs, Head Men's and some teachers, priests and interpreters.

Since about 1925 onwards on the political and administrative level, the Union of South Africa, a discussion of whether one should not associate with a binding personal document of the tax. After the entry into force of the Natives (Urban Areas) Consolidation Act of 1945 tightened themselves during the Smuts government, the residence rules through political pressure Boer nationalist politician whose ideological metaphor of the swart gevaar ("black danger "). Well -defined one so-called Prescribed areas ( German as: prescribed or predesignated areas) clearly geographically defined areas, for which the necessary residency permits were applied for.

The Native Urban Areas Act of 1923 saw possibilities for controlled approved commercial power and tried the acquisition of land by black buyers in urban areas to prevent. Instead, it addressed these private efforts to specific reserves provided therefor.

General Development

In practice, this law was a development of separate regional and local administrative structures in motion, after which the later legislatively -driven implementation of the policy of apartheid could be established. In the Native Local Areas a superintendent was used with an Advisory Board ( Advisory Board ). This council was composed of former police employees and management experienced white people. Only in 1961 were replaced by the Bantu these Councils Councils ( Urban Bantu Councils Act No. 79/1961 ), whose district now determined by an election process, was formed with only black people.

The Native Urban Areas Act was an attempt by the South African government to limit the urbanization of the black population. In this way, should be prevented that the black population displaced the impoverished through the Boer War Boer on the labor market. In addition, it was feared that the city life with all its " temptations " ( etc. alcohol, prostitution ) could spoil the character of the blacks and they would keep them from working for the whites.

The Native Urban Areas Act of 1923 was exacerbated in 1952 with the Native Laws Amendment Act (No. 54/1952 ) on, the urbanization of the black population in metropolitan areas could these laws, however, in the face of many townships in the long term is not limited.

Passport requirement

A " Reference book" (Reference Book) as a general staff document with the obligation to maintain permanent entrainment there was for black men until 1958 in consequence of the Natives ( Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents ) Act (Act No. 67/1952 ) and for Did they have. black women only from 1963, this document is missing, they could be held accountable with R50 ( after 1961 ) a fine or up to three months in prison. This is often confused with the Native Urban Areas Act. However, the pass laws offered over a long period of occasions for demonstrations and other protest actions and ultimately contributed to the Sharpeville massacre at.