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Apartheid Laws Timeline

  • The Act of Union

    All voting in the country was restricted to Whites.
  • The Natives Land Act

    This act created land reserves for Africans, and forbade them from owning land outside of these reserves.
  • The Natives (Urban Areas) Act

    This act stated that only Whites may have permanent residence in cities.
  • Representative Natives Act

    Africans were given no representation in government and could not enter into elected roles.
  • Population Registration Act

    This act established the National Population Registry, which racially classified everyone living in the country based on their biology.
  • Group Areas Act

    The South African government declared that there was no need for amenities for non-whites, and that city-centers were for Whites only.
  • Pass Laws Act

    Africans were under constant surveillance and had to carry a passbook full of identification papers and permits to be allowed into cities.
  • Reservation of Separate Amenities Act

    This act segregated public utilities based on race. It was the epitome of Petty Apartheid.
  • Bantu Education Act

    This act, the link between Petty and Grand Apartheid, established that schools would only teach one race and school boards would be run by the Native Affairs Department.
  • Bantu Self-Governing Act

    This act divided Africans into eight racial groups, and then ten. It also establshed a white Commisioner General to help with the transition into Bantustans.