Native (Urban Areas) Act
Quick Summary
The Native (Urban Areas) Act of 1923 was a South African law that established racial segregation in urban residential spaces and implemented "influx controls" to limit Black people's access to cities. This act was part of a broader pattern of segregationist policies enacted by the white minority government during the apartheid era.12
The purpose of the act was to divide South Africa into areas based on racial categories, thereby sanctioning racial segregation and discrimination against the nonwhite majority. It was instrumental in pushing nonwhite populations out of areas where they had previously settled and relocating them to designated zones, which were often overcrowded and lacked adequate living conditions. This legislation contributed to the characteristic form of South African cities, with white residential areas occupying prime locations and other sectors set aside for nonwhites, often in peripheral areas known as "townships". The Native (Urban Areas) Act was repealed in 1991, but the racially defined settlement patterns it created persist.23
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JohannesburgRacist enactments” The 1923 Natives (Urban Areas) Act, for example, defined urban Blacks as “temporary sojourners,” welcome only insofar as they ministered “to the wants of the white population.” While Johannesburg never availed itself of the full range of powers the law afforded, it took advantage of the act…
Read More” The 1923 Natives (Urban Areas) Act, for example, defined urban Blacks as “temporary sojourners,” welcome only insofar as they ministered “to the wants of the white population.” While Johannesburg never availed itself of the full range of powers the law afforded, it took advantage of the act…
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South AfricaSegregation of South AfricaThe Native (Urban Areas) Act of 1923 segregated urban residential space and created “influx controls” to reduce access to cities by Blacks. Hertzog proposed increasing the reserve areas and removing Black voters in the Cape from the common roll in 1926, aims that were finally realized…
Read MoreThe Native (Urban Areas) Act of 1923 segregated urban residential space and created “influx controls” to reduce access to cities by Blacks. Hertzog proposed increasing the reserve areas and removing Black voters in the Cape from the common roll in 1926, aims that were finally realized…
Read More