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The Effects of Political Systems on Human Rights in Pre-Apartheid and Apartheid South Africa
Africa is widely known as a continent rich in natural resources, prompting Europeans to
target and invade African countries in order to improve the state of their own homelands with
these resources and expand their trade with other countries. With some of these invasions came
the implementation of harsh institutions that limited the freedoms of inhabitants. When
specifically comparing the effect of political systems on the freedoms of South African
inhabitants during British colonization versus under apartheid, these periods differ in that human
rights were significantly more limited under apartheid than during British colonization. Further,
the effects of these political systems on human rights are so disparate due to their differing
motivations, with the British initially colonizing South Africa in the early 19th century to protect
their trade route to the East and the Afrikaner National Party enacting apartheid in the later 20th
century to maintain white domination ("Britain Takes Control of the Cape”).
South Africa was the site of the first European settlement in 1652 because employees of
the Dutch East India Company were seeking to establish a supply base at modern day Cape
Town. Within the following 150 years, the Dutch also occupied the surrounding lands and to the
east along the coast, which created Cape Colony (Jones). As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, the
British decided to strategically occupy Cape Town when the Netherlands fell to the French army.
They ultimately left in 1803 due to a truce negotiated back in Europe, only to return in 1806 in
recognition of the valuable route to India. However, the British did not simply overtake the
Dutch colony without just compensation, which was 6 million pounds for control of the colony
(“British Empire: Africa: Cape Colony”).
The expansion of British control resulted in resentment from the Boers due to the
unexpected significance in this shift of the government. Previously, the Boers had felt free to run
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their farms and businesses according to their personal philosophies; conversely, the British
desired a more unified system of rules under which the businesses would work. Many of these
laws and customs conflicted with the Boers, one of the most prominent being the institution of
slavery. The British opposed slavery due to its abuse of human rights, while the Boers were
widely known as callously mistreating their black slaves (“British Empire: Africa: Cape
Colony”). Under Boer control, slaves were used as the cheapest labor option and were forced to
work long hours under poor conditions, including not being provided with healthy food, living in
overcrowded and dirty conditions, and having no freedom. Slaves were viewed as possessions
and also had no ability to marry or receive education ("Britain Takes Control of the Cape”).
Ultimately, the British passed the Abolition of Slavery Act in 1833, which officially
ended slavery in the Cape and prompted more resentment and opposition from the Boer settlers
("Britain Takes Control of the Cape”). This new law lead to a mass migration of Boer farmers,
which the British did not attempt to stop in hopes that it would reduce territorial tensions. Yet,
tensions remained in the Cape Colony between the Boers who remained in the region and the
British administration. Some of the British living in the Cape Colony sympathized with the
business struggles the Boers were undergoing as a result of the Act and the perception that the
British were meddling in local affairs. They attempted to organize a federation of the British and
Boer territories in 1875, but the Boer leaders rejected this attempt to unionize (Jones).
Despite the fact that the Boers resented the established British political system in South
Africa, the British settlers were still conscious of the desires of the Boers and sought to improve
life for South African inhabitants. Initially, British control increased the opportunities for Boer
farmers to export sheep and wool and for hunters, who could export ivory obtained from the
interior (Jones). Additionally, the British introduced the first newspapers to the region and
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contributed to the country becoming a relative economic powerhouse. The integration of the
English language within South Africa also resulted in the writing of some of South Africa’s
finest literature. ("South African English Culture - the Coming of the British"). In
commemoration of the contributions the English-speaking settlers made to South Africa, the
1820 Settlers’ National Monument was built overlooking Grahamstown. It was constructed with
the intent of highlighting two key areas of British settler heritage that benefited South Africans,
which was the English language and the democratic tradition (“About Us”).
When the Boers left the Cape Colony after the establishment of the Abolition of Slavery
Act in 1834, they began an exodus into African tribal territory and formed the republics of the
Transvaal and the Orange Free State. As previously mentioned, though there was tension
between the British and Boers, there was no real conflict until the discovery of diamonds and
gold in 1867. Minor fighting between the two forces began in the 1890s and eventually led to a
full-scale war in 1899, referred to as the Boer War. By 1902, the British crushed the Boer
resistance and the Peace of Vereeniging was signed to end hostilities (“Boer War Begins in
South Africa”). However, independence from Britain later came in 1934 and lead to the
Afrikaner National Party gaining majority power in the 1940s and enacting their own political
system (Thompsell).
The Afrikaner National Party that came to power was essentially two parties combined.
One party supported white supremacy and introduced apartheid with the promise to secure the
South African political future for whites, while the other desired to mobilize the Afrikaner
community by appealing to a common history and shared hopes and fears for the future. In
recognition of the Dutch’s past negative relationship with the British government, the party
immediately began removing any symbols of the British political system in South Africa. The
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Afrikaners abolished British citizenship, removed God Save the Queen as one of the national
anthems, removed the Union Jack as one of the national ensigns, and took over the naval base in
Simon’s Town from the Royal Navy (“National Party”). Additionally, under this political system
apartheid laws were enacted in 1948 and institutionalized racial discrimination ("The History of
Apartheid in South Africa”).
The institution of race laws influenced every aspect of social life, such as a prohibition of
marriage between whites and nonwhites and the creation of white-only jobs. In 1950, the
Population Registration Act was established, which required that all South Africans be racially
classified into one of three groups: white, black, or colored. The classification into these three
groups was made by the Department of Home Affairs and was based on appearance, social
acceptance, and descent. To be classified as white, one would have to appear as a white person
and have been descended from two white parents. A black individual would be viewed as a
member of an African tribe or race, and a colored person was considered anyone that is neither
black nor white. If one did not comply with the race laws, they were punished harshly. In
recognition of the race laws, all blacks were required to carry pass books, which contained their
fingerprints, photo, and information on their access to non-black areas (“The History of
Apartheid in South Africa”).
Non-members of the Afrikaner National Party viewed the members as being obsessed
with fears about their own survival and as being insensitive to the damage that apartheid inflicted
on others. In relation to this, the Bantu Authorities Act passed in 1951 established a basis for
ethnic government in African reserves, referred to as “homelands” (“The History of Apartheid in
South Africa”). The basis for the creation of homelands was to prevent those perceived as
inferior from demanding rights in the common area (“National Party”). Africans were assigned
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by the government to a homeland according to their record of origin, and all political rights held
by an African were restricted to their designated homeland. In 1953, the Public Safety Act and
Criminal Law Amendment Act were passed, which allowed the government to declare states of
emergency and increased the penalties for protesting against or supporting the repeal of a law.
These states of emergency continued intermittently until 1989 and penalties included fines,
imprisonments, and whippings (“The History of Apartheid in South Africa”).
When comparing the political systems’ affect on the freedoms of South African
inhabitants during British colonization versus under apartheid, human rights were significantly
more limited under apartheid. The motivation behind the establishment of the British political
system was to protect their trading route to India, while the motivation behind the political
system under the Afrikaner National Party was to maintain white domination. The British
recognized the effects that their inhabitation had on those previously settled in South Africa and
compensated them in respect of that. Additionally, they wanted to better the area for those living
in South Africa by using their previous experience to better the economy and free the enslaved in
respect of their humanity. In regards to how the British treated South Africans under their rule,
the British officials generally treated them better than the settlers who were left behind when the
British pulled out. The officials were also very tolerant of local religions and customs in
comparison to life under other powers (“The National Archives”). Today, people still have a
positive view of the effects of British colonization on the region, which is represented in the
creation of the 1820 Settlers’ National Monument. Conversely, apartheid only lead to racial
segregation and dehumanized those referred to as blacks or colored, while placing whites on a
pedestal. As apartheid continued, it proceeded to alienate native South Africans from their homes
with the creation of homelands and through penalties for protesting the system of apartheid.
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Further, the differing motivations behind each political system and the methods in which each
power implemented their regulations acts as an example of the importance behind recognizing
how decisions affect the lives of others and the success of a country.
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Bibliography
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"The History of Apartheid in South Africa." The History of Apartheid in South Africa. Stanford
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Jones, Jim. "South Africa in the 19th Century." South Africa in the 19th Century. N.p., 2014.
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