The Group Areas Act of 1950 was a South African law that was designed to segregate the population by race. It was an integral part of the apartheid system, which enforced racial segregation in the country. This article will discuss when the law was passed, and why it was implemented.
When Was the Group Areas Act Passed?
The Group Areas Act was passed by the National Party on 19 April 1950. It was the first major piece of legislation to be passed under the apartheid system. The Act allowed the government to create separate areas for different racial groups, and to force people to live in the area designated for their race. It also gave the government the power to forcibly remove people from their homes if they were not in the correct area.
Why Was the Group Areas Act Implemented?
The Group Areas Act was implemented to enforce racial segregation in South Africa. The National Party believed that different racial groups should not mix, and that each race should have its own separate area. The Act allowed the government to create areas where only one race was allowed to live. This was intended to reduce contact between different racial groups, and to maintain the white minority’s control over the country.
The Group Areas Act was a major part of the apartheid system, and was implemented in 1950. It was designed to enforce racial segregation by creating separate areas for different racial groups. The Act allowed the government to forcibly remove people from their homes if they were not in the correct area, and was intended to maintain the white minority’s control over the country.
On 12 April 1950, the Group Areas Act was passed in South Africa to enforce racial segregation in the form of residential areas. It was implemented to keep different racial groups separate and to divide the country along racial lines, with the racial minority Natives being concentrated in impoverished areas.
The act was passed during an era of segregation and racism known as apartheid, which means “separateness” in Afrikaans. Apartheid was a policy of white supremacy, as the other racial groups were viewed as second-class citizens. The Group Areas Act restricted where different races could live, trade and even visit. Racial segregation in South Africa was already in place before the act, with the Natives Lands Act of 1913 and the Native Urban Areas Act of 1923, however, the Group Areas Act made it much more comprehensive.
The Group Areas Act was democratically passed in parliament by the National Party, which took power in 1948. It was passed despite it being declared illegal by the United Nations and international pressure from countries all over the world to repeal the act.
The act stated that all races were to be separated into certain areas, and anywhite persons living in a black area would be evicted and the area designated as black. This act caused the mass displacement of people, with thousands of people who were forced to relocate losing their homes, businesses and sometimes their livelihood.
The Group Areas Act was eventually disbanded in 1991, nearly 40 years after it was passed. It was replaced by the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, which aimed to promote equality and dignity regardless of race, gender and other grounds. While this act is still in place today, the effects of the Group Areas Act can be still seen in today’s South African society.