- Date:
- 1950
- Location:
- South Africa
Population Registration Act
What was the Population Registration Act?
When was the Population Registration Act repealed?
How were racial classifications determined under the Population Registration Act?
What were the consequences of the racial classifications under the Population Registration Act?
What was the legacy of the Population Registration Act?
Population Registration Act, South African law, promulgated in 1950, that provided for the creation of a population register for the country and for the classification of all South Africans as either native (all Black Africans; also called Bantu), Coloured (those of mixed race), or white. A fourth category—Asian (Indian and Pakistani)—was later added. The act was amended multiple times in the following decades before it was repealed in 1991.
The Population Registration Act is considered one of the key legislative acts of apartheid, the policies implemented by South Africa’s white minority government that sanctioned racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against the non-white majority during the latter half of the 20th century.
In the late 20th century, genetic studies refuted the existence of biogenetically distinct races. Scholars now argue that “races” are cultural interventions reflecting specific attitudes and beliefs that were imposed on different populations in the wake of western European conquests beginning in the 15th century. Learn more about the concept of race here.
Background and passage
Racial delineation and segregation have long existed in South Africa, rooted in the colonial era that preceded the country’s formation in 1910. South Africa’s 1911 census broke down the population into three categories: European (white), Bantu, and Mixed and other Coloured. The 1921 census separated the Asian population from the Mixed group, resulting in four categories that, albeit with some name changes, have largely persisted into the 21st century.
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The mid-20th century ascendance of the National Party, a political party dedicated to policies of white supremacy, greatly extended the enactment and enforcement of racial segregation through its apartheid legislation. The Population Registration Act was among the most significant, as it codified the racial classification that formed the basis of other apartheid laws.
The Population Registration Act commenced on July 7, 1950. It is closely associated with the Group Areas Act, which also commenced on the same day and provided for the division of the country into areas based on the government-determined racial categories.
Provisions, definitions, and methods of classification
The act stipulated the creation of a population register for the country, with every person on the register to be classified as white, Coloured, or native. It also called for identity cards that included one’s racial classification to be created and issued to everyone on the register 16 years or older. Under the act, a white person was defined as one who “in appearance obviously is, or who is generally accepted as a white person, but does not include a person who, although in appearance obviously a white person, is generally accepted as a coloured person.” A native (also called Bantu in other acts) was “a person who in fact is or is generally accepted as a member of any aboriginal race or tribe of Africa.” The Coloured group was initially somewhat of a default category for anyone “not a white person or a native.” A fourth category, Asian, was later added.
The register was initially populated with 1951 census data, and the Bureau of Census and Statistics was in charge of it. Responsibility for the register was later transferred to the Department of the Interior.
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Government officials subjectively determined racial classifications by assessing a person’s physical features. Beyond skin color, the characteristics of a person’s hair and other body parts—including eyes, nostrils, and gums—might be evaluated. Additional factors, such as where people lived and worked, their socioeconomic status, and the languages they spoke, also could be taken into account. A later amendment directed that a person should be classified the same as their parents. Those who did not agree with their classification could appeal and potentially be reclassified, though only a small percentage of the population attempted this.
Ramifications
The classifications gave the government the ability to determine where someone could live, work, attend school, socialize, and so on. For example, the Group Areas Act, with its later amendments and with other laws, allowed the government to designate certain geographic areas for use by a single race, as well as to forcibly remove people of other races who currently resided there. Other acts provided for separate benefits, taxes, and facilities, such as schools, parks, hospitals, and transportation, for the different government-designated racial groups. Separate did not mean equal, and the white population typically had access to services, educational and career opportunities, residences, and other facilities that were superior to those available to the other racial groups. To enforce this segregation, the government strengthened the existing pass laws, which required people who were not classified as white to carry documents authorizing their presence in the areas that they would otherwise be barred from entering without having a lawful reason, such as employment.
One of the consequences of the imposed racial classification was that some people who had considered themselves to have been one race, or at least had been able to “pass” as that race, found themselves classified differently by the government. Another was that some family members were classified into a different racial category than the others, because of the variation within inherited physical characteristics as well as the existence of blended households. Under the terms of the Group Areas Act, this sometimes meant that not everyone in the family was allowed to live together, leading to families that were split apart.
Repeal and legacy
The Population Registration Act was amended several times in the following decades. It was finally repealed by the Population Registration Act Repeal Act in 1991. However, the systematic racial segregation that resulted from the 1950 act and other key pieces of apartheid legislation has remained deeply entrenched in South African society, with social and economic repercussions. More than 30 years after the repeal of the 1950 act, a 2022 World Bank report ranked South Africa as the most unequal country in the world.
