Civil Resistance in South Africa
*mostly 1970’s
Black consciousness movement
Grassroots anti-apartheid activist movement the emerged in SA in 1960’s out of political power
vacuum created by jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist
Congress leading after Sharpeville massacre in 1960
National Union of South African Students (NUSAS)
Student’s union that contributed to anti-apartheid movements alongside other student issues
South African Students Organisation (SASO)
Splinter group from NUSAS of black, coloured and indian students who fought against apartheid
repression
Nature of apartheid state (1960’s):
- Legalised & institutionalised form of racism, ensured whites had political power
BANTU EDUCATION ACT (1953) → led to Soweto uprising
Inferior education system for blacks to ensure they cannot get skilled work
Create undereducated workforce that would be cheap
Afrikaans was language of instruction to facilitate Afrikaaner businesses
How apartheid state crushed opposition:
- Increasingly oppressive 1970’s as state employed security & military forces to stamp out
resistance
- Turning point from passive to violent resistance
- Whites reaped benefits: better schooling, higher paying jobs, affluent lifestyle
- Coloured / Indians faced discrimination, humiliation and deprivation
- Apartheid resulted in forced removals and repressive measures: pass system, social
political economic segregations, human rights violations
- Sharpeville massacre: (1960) PAC and ANC told blacks to leave pass books at home
and gather at police station, lead to 1000’s arrested = full jails = economic standstill,
armed police waited at stations and started open fire on crowd
Nature of apartheid state
’s
Repression of opposition
→ ANC and PAC banned
→ Government increased control over media
→ Police had power to detain people indefinitely without trial
, → Placed government critics under house arrest or restriction orders
→ Spent money on military and armaments
→ All young white men had to do military service
Bantustans
→ Territory that national party set aside for black inhabitants of SA and Namibia
→ Black were limited to 7% of the land in SA
→ Created poverty, 97% of population force to work for white people in unskilled labour
→ Purpose what to have black lose their citizenship in SA
→ Some homelands were considered independent = had their own leaders who were controlled
by apartheid government
Influx control
→ Blacks forced to carry pass books
→ Collapsed as millions of workers migrated to cities for work
→ Police could not monitor and enforce pass laws
South African Economy
→ 1973 World Oil Crisis
→ Oil embargo on SA for supporting Israel in Arab-Israeli war
→ Lack of skilled labour
→ Direct effect of Bantu Education Act
→ Whites moved into skilled jobs and needed a workforce for semi-skilled jobs
Oppression to apartheid
1970’s
African National Congress - ANC
- Mission was to bring all Africans together as one to defend their rights and freedoms
- Aims: full voting rights to black south africans & end apartheid system
- ANC formed MK (underground military force) used for an armed struggle against
apartheid after Sharpeville banning
- MK planned to destroy government property by making attacks on electricity lines, public
buildings, railway lines
- Actions ensured no unnecessary bloodshed yet caused government a great deal of
inconvenience → aim was to force government to negotiate with ANC
Pan Africanist Congress - PAC
- Breakaway group from ANC led by Robert Sobukwe
- Objected to ANC “land belong to all who live in it” and rejected multi-racialist worldview
- After Sharpeville PAC banning, founded armed wing Poqo
- It did not aim to avoid bloodshed, responsible for attacks on policemen in WC, murder
group camping tourists EC, killed Transkei chiefs
*mostly 1970’s
Black consciousness movement
Grassroots anti-apartheid activist movement the emerged in SA in 1960’s out of political power
vacuum created by jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist
Congress leading after Sharpeville massacre in 1960
National Union of South African Students (NUSAS)
Student’s union that contributed to anti-apartheid movements alongside other student issues
South African Students Organisation (SASO)
Splinter group from NUSAS of black, coloured and indian students who fought against apartheid
repression
Nature of apartheid state (1960’s):
- Legalised & institutionalised form of racism, ensured whites had political power
BANTU EDUCATION ACT (1953) → led to Soweto uprising
Inferior education system for blacks to ensure they cannot get skilled work
Create undereducated workforce that would be cheap
Afrikaans was language of instruction to facilitate Afrikaaner businesses
How apartheid state crushed opposition:
- Increasingly oppressive 1970’s as state employed security & military forces to stamp out
resistance
- Turning point from passive to violent resistance
- Whites reaped benefits: better schooling, higher paying jobs, affluent lifestyle
- Coloured / Indians faced discrimination, humiliation and deprivation
- Apartheid resulted in forced removals and repressive measures: pass system, social
political economic segregations, human rights violations
- Sharpeville massacre: (1960) PAC and ANC told blacks to leave pass books at home
and gather at police station, lead to 1000’s arrested = full jails = economic standstill,
armed police waited at stations and started open fire on crowd
Nature of apartheid state
’s
Repression of opposition
→ ANC and PAC banned
→ Government increased control over media
→ Police had power to detain people indefinitely without trial
, → Placed government critics under house arrest or restriction orders
→ Spent money on military and armaments
→ All young white men had to do military service
Bantustans
→ Territory that national party set aside for black inhabitants of SA and Namibia
→ Black were limited to 7% of the land in SA
→ Created poverty, 97% of population force to work for white people in unskilled labour
→ Purpose what to have black lose their citizenship in SA
→ Some homelands were considered independent = had their own leaders who were controlled
by apartheid government
Influx control
→ Blacks forced to carry pass books
→ Collapsed as millions of workers migrated to cities for work
→ Police could not monitor and enforce pass laws
South African Economy
→ 1973 World Oil Crisis
→ Oil embargo on SA for supporting Israel in Arab-Israeli war
→ Lack of skilled labour
→ Direct effect of Bantu Education Act
→ Whites moved into skilled jobs and needed a workforce for semi-skilled jobs
Oppression to apartheid
1970’s
African National Congress - ANC
- Mission was to bring all Africans together as one to defend their rights and freedoms
- Aims: full voting rights to black south africans & end apartheid system
- ANC formed MK (underground military force) used for an armed struggle against
apartheid after Sharpeville banning
- MK planned to destroy government property by making attacks on electricity lines, public
buildings, railway lines
- Actions ensured no unnecessary bloodshed yet caused government a great deal of
inconvenience → aim was to force government to negotiate with ANC
Pan Africanist Congress - PAC
- Breakaway group from ANC led by Robert Sobukwe
- Objected to ANC “land belong to all who live in it” and rejected multi-racialist worldview
- After Sharpeville PAC banning, founded armed wing Poqo
- It did not aim to avoid bloodshed, responsible for attacks on policemen in WC, murder
group camping tourists EC, killed Transkei chiefs
