The natives land act of 19 defined less than onetenth of south africa as black reserves and prohibited any purchase or lease of land by blacks outside the reserves. And like any plague, the repercussions remained rampant and longlasting, not only through the. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of black. The natives land act of 19 and its legacy general council of the. The act declared that the majority of south african land was reserved for the white minority. Jan 20, 20 awaking one friday morning june 20, 19 the south african native found himself, not actually a slave, but a pariah in the land of his birth sol plaatje, native life in south africa 1916. The natives land act the minister of native affairs, j. The natives land act of 19 was a key example of the segregationist and racist legislation that fixed discriminatory foundations in south african law. According to pieter mulder there are two big problems when it comes to the debate about the native land act of 19.
And so the long and difficult process of returning land to those south africans who had been wronged, began, and continues today. The 1994 restitution of land rights act was passed to allow those who had had their land taken away with the 19 act to apply to get their land back. As such, the role played by the south african churches to support andor oppose the natives land act of 19 cannot be ignored. The 1936 native land and trust act set in motion, especially in the then transvaal, a largescale stateled process of land acquisition from. Murphy university of phoenix, axia as the native population continues to grow and create an abundance of resources such as casinos, the white man has found ways to take the land. The act carefully delineated the boundaries of these reserved areas. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of. The history of white colonial land dispossession did not begin with the passing of the native land act in 19, it spans back to the expansion of dutch colonial settlements in the cape. A suite of legislative laws was passed to accomplish this, including group areas act no. South africas native land act of 19 global black history. To make further provision as to the purchase and leasing of land by natives and other persons in the several parts of the union and for other persons in the several parts of the union and for other purposes in connection with the ownership and occupation of land by natives and other persons. Sol plaatjesnative life in south africa, originally published in 1916, was first and foremost a response to the landmark natives land act of 19. As sol plaatje wrote in the opening lines of native life in south africa, awakening on friday morning, june 20, 19, the south african native found himself, not actually a slave, but a pariah in the land of his birth. For those uninformed about this act, this is the summary.
The failure of rural segregation land policies in south. The schedule brought under the coverage of the act about 22 million acres of land just. The act declared that the majority of south african land was reserved for the white minority, while only 7. This was to prevent black and white people living together. A cautionary essay on simple explanations of complex change p. Act to make further provision as to the purchase and leasing of land by natives and other persons in the several parts of the union and for other purposes in connection with the ownership and occupation of land by natives and other persons. As such, the role played by the south african churches to support andor oppose the natives land act of 19. Infocus south africas natives land act of 19 youtube. That stopped white farmers from buying more native land. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Murphy university of phoenix, axia as the native population continues to grow and create an abundance of resources such as casinos, the white man has found ways to take the land needed to sustain such growth away. The native lands act of 19 and supplementary legislation in 1936 harmonized these conflicting interests, setting aside about oneeighth of south african land for the some 4,000,000 africans, while reserving the rest for about 1,250,000 whites. The natives land act of 19 1 was the first major piece of segregation legislation passed by the union parliament, and remained a cornerstone of.
Pdf the natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of. The act was to provide for improved conditions of residence for natives in or near urban areas and the better administration of native affairs. This edited extract from the new biography of one of south africas pioneering journalists details his disbelief at the callousness of a legislative monstrosity, and his unwavering attempts to halt a travesty. The antislavery and aborigines protection society and the south african natives land act of 19 volume 20 issue 1 brian willan skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. The sources on which this paper is based include collections from the national archives of south africa. Dec 02, 20 the interrogation of the unsettling discourse on land in south africa as well as the continuous poverty cycle is fundamental for offering empowering possibilities for the poor. This is referred to as the bantu land act by dugard 1978. Introduction in todays lesson we are going to look at the main terms of the natives land act look at the effects of the act natives land act as a forerunner of apartheid legislation 4.
Jan 22, 2009 this article seeks to explain how and why the antislavery and aborigines protection society a. Natives land act, act no 27 of 19 south african history online. Roodewal farm, worcester 19 background black or natives land act no. Section 1a of the native land act 19 reads as follows.
Natives urban areas act, act no 21 of 1923 digital. South africas native land act of 19 by 1920, south africa was advancing economically because of the mineral discoveries of the late 19 th century and an industrial revolution was taking place. This act limited african land ownership to 7% of the total land area of south africa and was later increased to % through the 1936 native trust and land act of south africa. Awaking on friday morning, june 20, 19, the south african native found himself, not actually a slave, but a pariah in the land of his birth. Aug 25, 2018 dinosaurs and the bible debunking the 7 myths that deny biblical truth series duration. Before 19 they had raised an average 800 bags of grain in each season which gave a steady income of about. Repealed the native trust and land act, 1936 act no. The land allocated to africans under the beaumont proposals would accommodate four million people, while 86 percent of the. It arose out of the protest campaign of the south african native national congress sannc founded in 1912, renamed in 1923 the african national congress anc, africas oldest liberation movement and, since 1994, south africas ruling party. Comparing the discussions on the consequences of the natives land act of 19 on south africans. The historical context and legacy of the natives land act of 19. These reserves were expanded over time to become the bantustans or homelands under the apartheid government.
The interrogation of the unsettling discourse on land in south africa as well as the continuous poverty cycle is fundamental for offering empowering possibilities for the poor. Pdf looking back at the century since the promulgation of the natives land act, it could be argued that it shaped the trajectories of most south. Presented relatively late in the parliamentary session, which had begun on january 24, the bill was only published in the union gazette extraordinary on may 5. Looking back at the century since the promulgation of the natives land act, it can be argued that it shaped the. The land rights of the american indians versus the rights of the white man. Jun 17, 2018 the natives land act dispossessed black south africans and prevented them from competing with white farm workers for jobs. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of black south africans. Oct 22, 20 the 1994 restitution of land rights act was passed to allow those who had had their land taken away with the 19 act to apply to get their land back. The legacies of the natives land act of 19 3 limited released areas platzky and walker 1985. In 19, louis bothas government introduced the native land act, which decided how the land in south africa was going to be divided between blacks and whites. Pdf the legacies of the natives land act of 19 ruth.
Following union in 1910, a land law was to become part of a broader pattern of legislation designed to implement segregation within south african society, encompassing the workplace, cities and even interracial sex outside of marriage. He was referring to the promulgation the previous day of the natives land act 27 of 19. White landowners were empowered to confiscate cattle that belonged to africans. The natives land act included a schedule of native areas, incorporating all the african reserves that had been established in the various provinces prior to 19. Jul 02, 2014 the reversing the legacy of the 19 natives land act documentary depicts the dark and painful history of south africa after the apartheid government enacted this callous legislation which left a. The 19 land act was itself tightened by the demonic 1936 native trust and land act which declared rural areas settled by the africans in reserves as trust land. It initiated a process of the betterment schemes and cattle culling mechanisms in african rural areas. Pdf the natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty. Mar 31, 2010 the natives land act of 19 1 was the first major piece of segregation legislation passed by the union parliament, and remained a cornerstone of apartheid until the 1990s when it was replaced. The law also restricted the terms of tenure under which blacks could live on whiteowned farms. Transcribed from pdf, as such there may be errors in the text. Black land ownership after the natives land act, 19 1936 h.
The act decreed that whites were not allowed to buy land from natives and vice versa. The reversing the legacy of the 19 natives land act documentary depicts the dark and painful history of south africa after the apartheid government enacted this callous legislation which left a. The historical context and legacy of the natives land act. During june 20, government marks the centenary of the promulgation of the 19 natives land act pdf that saw thousands of black families forcibly. With and without the land act a national native congress was going to be formed in 1911, 1912 or 19 after the whiteonly union in 1910. The south african churches and the natives land act of 19 the legacy of the natives land act of 19 in postapartheid south africa an overview of poverty in south africa when conceptualising poverty, it is worth noting that poverty is a failure to attain a minimal standard of living. Law outlawed purchase or hire by natives of land owned by nonnatives and vice versa june 19 19. The land act was also the basis of a plethora of subsequence segregatory, divisive, exploitative and oppressive legislation. Natives land act, act no 27 of 19 south african history.
We argue in this article that the act did not take land away from african people directly, and that in the short term its impact was limited. The 19 native land act forced many africans to work for white farmers. This act became law on the 19th of june 19, limiting african land ownership to just 7%, later shifting to % in 1936 through the native trust and land act. After the unification of south africa in 1910, by virtue of the south africa act, which was the first constitution of. Land and livestock dispossession resulted in wars between the khoikhoi, san, xhosa, zulu, sotho and a number of other ethnic groups against the colonial settlers. The legacy of socioeconomic injustice which was inherited from the natives land act of 19 continues to haunt the majority of black south africans. Sauer,5 introduced the natives land bill into parliament on april 25, 19. Its most immediate effect was to undermine black tenants on whiteowned land, but even here the. Under the black land act, which came into force 19 june 19, black south africans were no longer be able to own, or even rent, land outside of designated reserves.
Exceptions had to be approved by the governorgeneral. An introduction to the 19 natives land act centenary. South africa marks 100 years since the introduction of the natives land act in 19 a law which effectively introduced the concept of apartheid to the country. The natives land act of 19, or plague act marked a paramount moment where, the south african native found himself, not actually a slave, but a pariah in the land of his birth. Natives land act, 19 dispossession, segregation xhosa. The natives land act, 19 subsequently renamed bantu land act, 19 and black land act, 19. An introduction to the 19 natives land act centenary sabc. Reversing the legacy of the 19 natives land act a pledge the black people of south africa have been the victims of many injustices, not least the 19 natives land act, which brought ruin and misery in its wake, and paved the way for all the offensive racist legislation that followed, and accompanied apartheid. As marleen fleemer notes, the 19 natives land act was merely the climax to these earlier moves.
The natives land act of 19 was the first major piece of segregation legislation passed by the union parliament. The natives land act of 19 south african history online. The natives land act was passed on june 19th, 19, in an effort to regulate the acquisition of land by the natives, meaning the black people, of south africa. The 19 natives land act and its effects on black people slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising.
The functions of the natives land commission are so strictly limited, under section two of act 27 of 19, to the delimitation of areas to be set aside for european and native occupation, that the commission did not consider itself entitled to do more than define these areas and to make a few general remarks in connection therewith. The natives land act, 19 was an act of the parliament of south africa that was aimed at regulating the acquisition of land. After the angloboer war of 18991902, britain controlled south africa. The act restricted black people from buying or occupying land except as employees of a white master. The failure of rural segregation land policies in south africa. Feinber g department of history southern connecticut state university to the reader.
Under the black land act, which came into force 19 june 19. Doc comparing the discussions on the consequences of the. Department of philosophy, practical and systematic theology, university of south africa, pretoria, south africa. The natives land act passed in 19 denied africans access to land which before they had either owned or leased from white farmers confining them to reserves. The year 20 represent a century since the passing of the diabolical. The social and economic changes brought by the native land. Wickins senior lecturer, department of economic history, university of cape town. The natives land act of 19 was a key example of the segregationist and racist legislation that fixed discriminatory. The act became law on 19 june 19 limiting african land ownership to 7 percent and later percent through the 1936 native trust and land act of south africa. The native land act restricted black people from buying or occupying land except as employees of white people.