Grade 11
HISTORY
Objectives
• Explain how segregation policies were
implemented in South Africa after Union in 1910.
• Understand how segregation laws in the 1920s–
1940s laid the foundation for apartheid.
• Identify key laws and political figures involved.
• Analyse how these laws affected Black South
Africans socially, economically, and politically.
Defining
Tenure: Ownership or the right to use property.
Zenith: The time when something is at its most
powerful or successful.
Segregation: The separation of people based on race.
Influx: The arrival of large numbers of people.
Industrial Conciliation Act: A 1924 law that gave legal
status to white trade unions, excluding black unions.
Pass Laws: Laws that required Black people to carry
permits to enter or stay in certain areas.
Background:
• Formed in 1910, uniting Cape, Natal,
Transvaal, and Orange Free State.
• Key leaders:
⚬ Louis Botha (First Prime Minister,
1910–1919)
⚬ Jan Smuts (Prime Minister, 1919–
1924)
• Early focus: the "native question" –
how to govern Black South Africans.
in the USA
Three major areas of concern:
1. Land Tenure
2.Urban Presence
3.Political Rights
These issues shaped the early segregation
laws that later formed the core of apartheid.
in South Africa
• Limited Black ownership to only
7% of South Africa’s land.
• Created “reserves” for Black
people.
• Became a cornerstone of
apartheid land policies.
• Inspired future laws like the Group
Areas Act (1950).
• Reflection Question:
• Why would restricting land
ownership be a powerful tool for
controlling a population?
Political Rights?
• After Union:
• Only some Black and Coloured people
in the Cape could still vote.
• All others excluded from national
political participation.
• Centralised government under British
rule but white minority control.
in the USA
• PM JBM Hertzog took over in 1924.
• Promoted Afrikaner interests over British
loyalties.
• Aimed to protect poor white workers by:
⚬ Industrial Conciliation Act (1924) –
recognised only white trade unions.
⚬ Wage Act (1925) – protected jobs for
whites.
⚬ Mines and Works Amendment Act (1926)
– strengthened the colour bar.
⚬ Established ISCOR (steel company) – to
grow local industry and white
employment.
in South Africa Native Economic Commission (1932)
• Set up by Hertzog after the Great
Depression (1929).
• Concluded:
⚬ Black people were not suited
for city life.
⚬ They should live in rural
reserves and be taught
farming methods.
• Led to new segregation laws.
Let’s Talk:
• Which early law do you think had
the greatest long-term effect on
apartheid: land, pass, or political
exclusion laws? Why?
• Why did white governments fear
Black people living in cities?
• How did economic laws like the
Wage Act and Mines and Works Act
benefit white South Africans?
• Can we see the legacy of these laws
today? In what ways?
Let’s
Page 1
Instructions:
• Answer the questions below in full sentences. Use your class notes and
textbook to help you. Write neatly and in your own words.
Key Facts
1. What was the purpose of the 1913 Natives Land Act?
2.What did the 1923 Native Urban Areas Act say about Black people
living in towns and cities?
3.What were pass laws?
4.Name one law passed under Hertzog’s government to protect white
workers.
5.What did the 1936 Native Trust and Land Act do?
6.In your own words, explain how segregation laws made life difficult for
Black South Africans in the 1920s–1940s. (Write 4–5 sentences.)
FOR YOUR ATTENTION
