10 Facts About The Movement Against Apartheid in South Africa

Fist showing a symbol of activism. Photo By DreamDigitalArtist –Pixabay

10 Facts About The Movement Against Apartheid in South Africa

Throughout the 20^th century, South Africa (SA) held several campaigns against Apartheid. The elected government of 1948 focused on white privilege only, leaving the non-whites oppressed and the law unrecognized most of their civic rights.

Some of South Africa’s recognized revolts were the Defiance Campaign, the Sharpeville protest, and Soweto Uprising. Another organization involved in movements against Apartheid was the international protest named the Anti-Apartheid Movement

The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was formed to achieve racial equality in South Africa. The organization was conceptualized after the African National Congress Leader, Albert Luthuli, reached out for international assistance to fight off the all-white government.

Read more on the facts about Apartheid in South Africa here.

1. The Defiance Campaign Was The First Large Scale Multi-Racial Movement Against Apartheid In South Africa

Crowd Demonstrating. Photo By OpenClipart-Vectors – Pixabay

After the government-imposed apartheid laws in South Africa, the African National Congress was displeased. In October 1949, talks for possible strikes and boycotts began, and in 1950, the National Day of Protest against Apartheid was held. The protest led to the arrest of about 8,000 South Africans, and numerous citizens lost their jobs.

After the unsuccessful protest of 1950, the Defiance campaign was launched in June 1952. Major cities in the country, such as Port Elizabeth, participated in peaceful protests. The police, however, used violence to force the protesters to yield. The people arrested during the protest pleaded guilty, hoping to overwhelm the prison system.

The campaign led to the creation of the 1953 Public Safety Act by the National Party. This act would allow the government to increase penalties on any organization or person who would oppose the law. The act also granted the government the ability to declare a state of emergency when need be.

2. The First International Movement Against Apartheid Was Formed In Britain

Upon learning of the struggle of the citizens of SA, black communities in Britain formed the Committee of African Organization. The organization was created by a group of students from different African and Caribbean Countries in 1950 and became the first anti-apartheid movement in Britain.

In 1959, exiled citizens of SA and other supporters gathered for a meeting in London after the ANC tabled its concerns on the ongoing struggles in South Africa. The result of that meeting was the formation of the Boycott Movement.

The movement gained the support of the Africa Bureau, the Communist Party, the Congress Movement, and the Movement for Colonial Freedom. It was renamed the Anti-Apartheid Movement after the bloody Sharpeville protest in South Africa.

3. The International Movement Against Apartheid in South Africa Was Responsible For The 1960 Economic Sanctions

The strategy of the AAM was to destabilize the economy of SA through economic sanctions. They believed this would harm the governing body forcing the demolition of apartheid policies.

At the time, the United Kingdom was SA’s third biggest exporter. It was also its largest foreign investor. Withdrawal of these important trade connections plunged SA into a deteriorating economy. The country was isolated and could hardly trade its gold with other African countries.

Read more on the consequences of Apartheid in South Africa here.

4. South Africa’s Ban from Commonwealth Was Due To The Influence of AAM

Marlborough House, London, the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Photo By Mallwitz – Wikimedia Commons

One of the major objectives of the Commonwealth was to pursue racial equality. SA was among the earliest members of the association. The apartheid movements and protests that had taken place in SA had painted a negative image of the country.

In 1961, members of the AAM camped outside the Commonwealth secretariat in Westminster, London, for three full days to get the association to cut ties with SA. Canada and India became allies of the movement, and in 1961, SA was banned from the association.  

5. Black School Children Led The Soweto Uprising Demonstration

Antoinette Sithole and Mbuyisa Makhubo carrying and 12-year-old Hector Pieterson moments after he was shot. Photo By Sam Nzima – Wikimedia Commons

In 1976, students from all over Soweto gathered to protest the discrimination policy in the education system. Before the policy, schools had used Southern Bantu languages such as the IsiXhosa and IsiZulu in their teaching. Without consultation from community stakeholders, the government made it mandatory to use Afrikaans, the language of Apartheid, as the official language in classrooms. Displeased by this, high schoolers organized a protest that soon turned bloody.

The use of Afrikaans as an academic language was tough. It was the least spoken of the four popular South African languages, the teaching and reading materials were insufficient, and the teachers were ill-prepared.

Read more on the languages in South Africa here.

6. The International Movement Against Apartheid Influenced The Suspension of South Africa From The Olympic Games

Dennis Brutus created the South African Sports Association (1958) after taking note of the discrimination in the athletic teams of SA. Brutus was also the founder of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SANROC).

SANROC worked hand in hand with AAM to ban SA from participating in the 1970 Olympic Games. Although SA claimed that the participants were multi-racial, the teams that had been picked to participate were systematically excluded on a racial basis. This led to the country being suspended from the Olympic games from 1968 to 1992.

7. Nelson Mandela Was The Symbolic Figurehead of The Prison Campaign Movement

Nelson Mandela was selected as part of the prisoner campaign under AAM in the 1980s. He was used as a demonstration of activists who had faced unjust judicial trials during the all-white government.

AAM’s objective on prisoner campaigns was to showcase how Apartheid had weakened liberation movements such as ANC. Mandela’s campaign received the most recognition and had the highest profile.

AAM had been vigilant in using music to bring awareness to the oppression non-whites were facing in SA. In collaboration with Artist Against Apartheid, the association held a series of concerts in London and Scotland in honor of Nelson Mandela.

Read more on facts about Nelson Mandela and the Apartheid.

8. The Movements Against Apartheid Funded The First Democratic Elections In South African

Mandela casting his vote in the 1994 elections. Photo By Paul Weinberg – Wikimedia Commons

By 1988, AAM had gained much public interest, and its membership had doubled. After the resignation of P. Botha, F.W.de Klerk took over the presidency and ordered the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990. This was a victorious time for AAM, but it faced its fair share of challenges.

AAM was unsure about its future after it began facing financial problems. Fortunately, the movement could stay afloat, and by 1993, it managed to overcome its issues. AAM aided in the funding of the ANC during the 1994 general elections.

The elections marked a new dawn for South Africans as Nelson Mandela, a candidate under ANC, was elected as the first black president of South Africa.

9. The Sharpeville Memorial Was Opened By Nelson Mandela In Honour of The Protesting Apartheid Victims

In March 1960, about 10,000 people gathered at the Sharpeville police station, offering themselves up for a rest as a protest against Apartheid. The protest’s objective was to eliminate the use of passbooks by colored citizens and abolish pass laws.

Nine days after the protest took off, the government declared a state of emergency and arrested 18,000 people, including members of the Congress Alliance. About 69 people were killed, and the government banned the ANC and its subgroup, the Pan-Africanist Congress.

10. The Movements Against Apartheid In South Africa Are Commemorated Through Public Holidays

21^st of March and 16^th of June are marked as public holidays in South Africa to commemorate impactful movements against Apartheid. Since 1994, March 21st has been celebrated as Human Rights Day and a remembrance of the Sharpeville Mascare of 1960.

June 16^th, also known as Youth Day, is in honor of Zolile Hector Pieterson, a teenage schoolboy who was murdered by the police during the Soweto Uprising Protest. The news of Pieterson’s death was reached worldwide after a picture of his lifeless body circulated in the media. Pieterson is regarded as a martyr and is buried in Avalon Cemetry, one of the largest graveyards in South Africa.

South Africa’s fight against Apartheid lasted almost five decades! Although some of its impacts on urban development are visible today, it is safe to say that SA is an apartheid-free country thanks to its audacious activists and unwavering campaigns and movements.