How did apartheid in South Africa affect Seretse Khama’s exile?

The exile of Seretse Khama was directly influenced by the South African government’s opposition to his marriage to a white Englishwoman, Ruth Williams, at a time when apartheid was being strictly reinforced in South Africa.12

In 1950, the British government, which then administered the Bechuanaland Protectorate, barred Khama from the chieftainship of the Ngwato people and forced him into a six-year exile. Secret documents have since confirmed that this action was taken to appease the South African government, which viewed his interracial marriage as a challenge to the racial segregation policies central to the apartheid system. This incident highlighted the extent to which the protectorate was subordinated to the interests of South Africa during that era.12