South Africa

Vocab Apartheid Segregation Sanction

South Africa Three times larger than California More than 2,500 miles of coastline on 2 oceans Drakensberg Mountains Three capitals –Capetown: Legislative –Pretoria: Administrative –Bloemfontein: Judicial Africa’s most prosperous country Gold, copper, diamonds, fishing….

Lesotho Two times larger than Connecticut Surrounded by South Africa High in the Drakensberg Mountains Grains, diamonds

Swaziland Size of New Jersey – surrounded by South Africa Gross National Product $900 Sugar, corn, pineapple, citrus, minerals…

Country Divided by Race 75 % Black 2 % Asian 9 % Mixed race 14% White Yet the white minority ruled South Africa for over 100 years.

What did 14% of the population control? Government 2/3 of the land (and best farm land) Highly paid jobs Gold mines Diamond mines Mines for 70 other minerals Industries

How did they get it? Europeans came to SA beginning in the 1600’s –Dutch –Germans –French Became known as “Afrikaners” or Boers. Had their own language – Afrikaans Gradually pushed the native Africans inland and claimed their land by treaty and force.

Next came the British…. The Afrikaners moved inland to escape from the British, and the British moved after them repeatedly, reasserting British control.

Boer War 1899 – three years Afrikaners accepted British rule This resulted in a combined colony of Afrikaners and English speaking settlers The majority African population was driven into separate lands called reserves, or put to work on plantations or in factories owned by whites and Asians.

Migration SA left the British Commonwealth in 1961 to become independent. Africans were now moving out of the confining reserves into the cities for jobs.

Economy From 1950 until 1980 the economy of SA grew faster than that of any other country on the continent – and faster than most of the rest of the world –Inexpensive power from coal reserves –Capital to invest –Excellent connections with Britain and the rest of Europe provided technology, knowledge ad skills –Vast African labor pool who worked for low wages.

Artificial Regions White government was frightened by the migration of black South Africans toward the cities. They were afraid that the blacks who were crowding into the townships or settlements near the cities might claim a right to live there permanently.

Control - Homelands Created arbitrary regions called homelands. 75% of the population was forced to live on only 14 % of the land. Every African was assigned to a homeland and was supposed to stay in it unless a pass had been issued

Control - Apartheid System of laws which means “apartness” Segregation –Separate public facilities and schools –Not equal (example: black school class size 41, white school class size 15)

International Backlash The rest of the world refused to let the unjust system continue without protest US and Europe placed economic sanctions against South Africa Sanctions cost SA 2 billion dollars a year South Africans in the townships protested as well

1989 F.W. de Klerk came to power in SA Released prominent black south African activist Nelson Mandela. Mandela had been in prison for 27 years for his antiapartheid activities.

Nelson Mandela Leader of the African national Congress (ANC) Entered into negotiations with the white government on behalf of blacks in SA

1990 and 1991 Apartheid and laws that supported it were repealed. Gradual transition of power to African majority rule ensued 1994 First free elections Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president.

The End