, HSY3704 Assignment 1
Semester 2 2025
DUE August 2025
Use this document as a guide and for references to answer your assignment
Table of Contents
1. Representation of Natives Act (1936)
Context and reasons for implementation
Consequences
2. Bantustan Policy (1959)
Aims and implementation
Reasons for failure
3. WWII and ANC Revival (1940s)
Impact of the war
Other contributing factors
4. Conclusion
TOPIC 1
Representation of Natives Act (1936)
Introduction
In 1936, General James Barry Munnik (J.B.M.) Hertzog, then Prime Minister of the
Union of South Africa, enacted the Representation of Natives Act No. 12 of 1936.
This legislation was a pivotal moment in the path toward formalizing segregation,
later culminating in apartheid. It removed qualified black voters in the Cape
Province from the common electoral roll and placed them on a separate roll—
effectively limiting their political influence and reinforcing white supremacy. The
Act also created a limited advisory body, the Natives Representative Council
(NRC).
, The measure was part of a broader suite of Hertzog's segregationist policies, which
included the Native Trust and Land Act of 1936, aimed at controlling both political
participation and access to land for black South Africans.
This essay examines why Hertzog implemented this Act, framing the analysis with
a definition of the Act, a detailed exploration of its historical, political,
ideological, and economic motivations, and concluding with its significance as a
step toward institutionalized apartheid.
Definition
The Representation of Natives Act, 1936 (Act No. 12 of 1936) was legislation
that:
Removed black (African) voters in the Cape Province from the common roll,
on which they had been able to register since 1854 under the Cape Qualified
Franchise. It placed them on a separate roll and banned them from running
for office.WikipediaO'Malley
Allowed elections on the separate roll: Africans would elect white
representatives—three whites to the House of Assembly and two to the
provincial council—through indirect methods via chiefs, local councils, and
advisory boards.O'MalleyWikipediaEncyclopedia Britannicaanc1912.org.za
Created the Natives Representative Council (NRC)—an advisory body
comprising six white officials, four nominated Africans, and twelve elected
Africans, with no legislative power, merely recommending to the
government.O'MalleyWikipedia
Main Analysis
1. Political Context and Preservation of White Supremacy
A core motive was the desire to safeguard white political dominance. In the
Cape, the qualified franchise had long allowed a small number of black South
Africans (mostly property-owning or educated) to vote alongside whites. This
posed a symbolic threat to the entrenched belief in white political superiority.
Hertzog and Afrikaner nationalists sought to eliminate even this limited
Semester 2 2025
DUE August 2025
Use this document as a guide and for references to answer your assignment
Table of Contents
1. Representation of Natives Act (1936)
Context and reasons for implementation
Consequences
2. Bantustan Policy (1959)
Aims and implementation
Reasons for failure
3. WWII and ANC Revival (1940s)
Impact of the war
Other contributing factors
4. Conclusion
TOPIC 1
Representation of Natives Act (1936)
Introduction
In 1936, General James Barry Munnik (J.B.M.) Hertzog, then Prime Minister of the
Union of South Africa, enacted the Representation of Natives Act No. 12 of 1936.
This legislation was a pivotal moment in the path toward formalizing segregation,
later culminating in apartheid. It removed qualified black voters in the Cape
Province from the common electoral roll and placed them on a separate roll—
effectively limiting their political influence and reinforcing white supremacy. The
Act also created a limited advisory body, the Natives Representative Council
(NRC).
, The measure was part of a broader suite of Hertzog's segregationist policies, which
included the Native Trust and Land Act of 1936, aimed at controlling both political
participation and access to land for black South Africans.
This essay examines why Hertzog implemented this Act, framing the analysis with
a definition of the Act, a detailed exploration of its historical, political,
ideological, and economic motivations, and concluding with its significance as a
step toward institutionalized apartheid.
Definition
The Representation of Natives Act, 1936 (Act No. 12 of 1936) was legislation
that:
Removed black (African) voters in the Cape Province from the common roll,
on which they had been able to register since 1854 under the Cape Qualified
Franchise. It placed them on a separate roll and banned them from running
for office.WikipediaO'Malley
Allowed elections on the separate roll: Africans would elect white
representatives—three whites to the House of Assembly and two to the
provincial council—through indirect methods via chiefs, local councils, and
advisory boards.O'MalleyWikipediaEncyclopedia Britannicaanc1912.org.za
Created the Natives Representative Council (NRC)—an advisory body
comprising six white officials, four nominated Africans, and twelve elected
Africans, with no legislative power, merely recommending to the
government.O'MalleyWikipedia
Main Analysis
1. Political Context and Preservation of White Supremacy
A core motive was the desire to safeguard white political dominance. In the
Cape, the qualified franchise had long allowed a small number of black South
Africans (mostly property-owning or educated) to vote alongside whites. This
posed a symbolic threat to the entrenched belief in white political superiority.
Hertzog and Afrikaner nationalists sought to eliminate even this limited
