SectionsThe history of South Africa: 1657-1919
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The freedom struggle: Mohandas Gandhi's Role
1893 - 1903
The Beginning of Fighting for Indian Rights In South Africa, Indian immigrants are treated with discrimination with alarming frequency as they travel, work, and live, a fact that is appalling to Gandhi, himself immigrating to the country to work. Within two years of his arrival in South Africa, he travels to the province of Transvaal, which is the site of the greatest discrimination for Indians in the world with a poll tax, limited locations where Indians can own land, and a strict curfew that is enforced with violence. Throughout the journey, Gandhi is beaten twice and thrown off a train in spite of belonging to the upper class, and decides not to press charges against his perpetrators, and views his experience as “only a symptom of the deep disease of the color prejudice” (South African History Online). Gandhi then immediately launches his campaign for Indian immigrant rights, founding the Natal Indian Congress, and then shortly thereafter becoming their Advocate, beginning his career as a passive resistance fighter. In the following years, he issues several publications, working his way up to the Indian Opinion’s launch in 1903, which documents all of the wrongs committed against Indians in South Africa. He also focuses on the concept of swaraj, or India-based rule for its immigrants outside of its borders, as the Western systems of rule were failing its citizens. He sends letters back and forth to Tolstoy, who confirms this moral inadequacy of the existing British systems that the ideas of "might is right" and "survival of the fittest: are inherently wrong, and thus their systems do not achieve transcendence to equality that Gandhi seeks. He develops the idea of satyagraha, or "truth force," where both the exploiter and the exploited can see beyond the current situation to the truth to be found, and reach a mutual agreement to rescind unjust laws. |
Fry, Elliott &. Studio photograph of Mohandas K. Gandhi, London, 1931. Wikimedia, London.
Malamud, Carl and Sam Pitroda. Gandhi in 1902. Code Swaraj. 1902.
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Transvaal Protest March. Dinodia, Transvaal.
Gandhi group - South Africa. Mahatma.org.
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1904 -1914
Satyagraha Nonresistance Grants New Voices to be Heard Yet Gandhi is always careful of his platform, and is particularly reluctant to offend the British, controversially claiming at the breakout of the Anglo-Boer war that since Indians are claiming rights as citizens of the British Empire, they must defend that very same empire that oppresses them. This effectively applies “turning the other cheek” as a means of administering justice before receiving anything in return (A&E Television Networks). In 1906, the situation escalates as the Transvaal government passes an ordinance requiring the Indian population to register with the government, allowing them to be further denied access to facilities. Gandhi responds by starting his campaign of civil disobedience, a campaign that would last for the next eight years (South African History Online). Throughout the course of the campaign, Gandhi continues to advocate for revolution without raising a finger against his movement’s perpetrators, including in 1913 when hundreds of Indians in South Africa are flogged, imprisoned, and shot. Now joining those in prison, Gandhi eats just one meal a day until they lift the poll tax, now having pivotal presence for South African officials needing to recognize. Gandhi will not be satisfied until he sees home rule for South Africa come into effect, and he continues to publish articles on what life is like in South Africa for Indians. The South African government caves under pressure from both British and Indian governments, and in 1914, the Indian Relief Act is passed, protecting Indian marriages recognition and abolishing of the poll tax (The Gandhi Site). |
Further Reading
Popova, Maria. Why we hurt each other: Tolstoy's letters to Gandhi on Love, Violence, and the Truth of the Human Spirit. 2019. https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/08/21/leo-tolstoy-gandhi-letter-to-a-hindu/. 21 October 2019.
South African History Online. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. November 2018. https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/mohandas-karamchand-gandhi. October 2019.
The Gandhi Site. "Chronology of Events: Early Life." 2002. https://www.mkgandhi.org. 2019
Popova, Maria. Why we hurt each other: Tolstoy's letters to Gandhi on Love, Violence, and the Truth of the Human Spirit. 2019. https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/08/21/leo-tolstoy-gandhi-letter-to-a-hindu/. 21 October 2019.
South African History Online. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. November 2018. https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/mohandas-karamchand-gandhi. October 2019.
The Gandhi Site. "Chronology of Events: Early Life." 2002. https://www.mkgandhi.org. 2019
Apartheid: Years of increasing oppression
1950 - 1994
Following World War 2 were years of increasing oppression toward black South Africans. The apartheid movement treated South Africa as if they were not human. Different Acts affected South Africans in negative ways. The Population Registration Act of 1950 classified all South Africans by race. Land Acts required all people of color to carry documents if they were on restricted land. These Land Acts covered eighty percent of the country’s land. The “Separate Development” policy was adapted by Hendrik Verwoerd and was a revision to the apartheid system claiming there was no black majority. Black South Africans were separated from each other. This system gave every black South African citizenship as one of the Bantustans. Each black South African was given full political rights but they were removed from the nation’s political body. There was devastation that came with the apartheid movement. Black South Africans were forcibly removed from their homes if they lived in rural neighborhoods. More than three and a half million black South Africans were forcibly removed from their homes between the years 1961 and 1964. These South Africans were destined for hopeless poverty in the Bantustans. |
Matt-80, A shanty town in Soweto, South Africa, Wikipedia, CC
Justin Hal, Apartheid Museum, Flicker
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Der Durchbruch der Schutztruppe Deutsch-Ostafrika über den Rowuma MItte November 1917. Darstellung von Carl Arriens, Wikipedia
The Tribune / SEARCH Foundation, Protest march on Pitt St, Sydney, NSW with representatives from the Australian Railways Union, the Plasterers Federation Carrying placards relating to Vietnam War, Wages and Apartheid, Wikipedia
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The apartheid movement was terrible, but there was action against it. Resistance to the apartheid movement took many different forms in South Africa. These consisted of non-violent demonstrations, protests and strikes, political action, and armed resistance. The government broke up many resistance groups. One of them being the “Congress of the People,” who adopted a Freedom Charter in 1955. This Freedom Charter mentions, “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black or white.” Also broken up in resistance groups were one-hundred and fifty people who were arrested for high treason. The apartheid movement officiallycame to an end in 1994. In 1976, thousands of black children in a school outside Johannesburg were fired upon with tear gas and bullets. The following protests and government crackdowns led to the end of apartheid. These events attracted international attention to South Africa and shut down the illusions that apartheid brought peace and prosperity to the nation. Apartheid was denounced by the United Nations General Assembly in 1973. In 1976 there was a mandatory embargo on the sale of arms in South Africa imposed by the UN Security Council. Then the official end to the apartheid system happened in 1994. There was a new constitution released enfranchising blacks and other racial groups
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The freedom struggle: Nelson Mandela's role
Nelson Mendela lived from July 18th, 1918 to December 5th, 2013. Mandela was a core element of the ANC. He was there from some of the earliest stages, served as several different heads of committees, including the armed wing, ‘Spear of the Nation, to the head of the ANC itself. He served as both the first black president of South Africa and the first president of the new democracy. Through his life Mandela has served served prison sentences for his work, including his famous 27 year stint where he published his first auto-biography and completed his LLB degree. In 1944 he was elected to the executive committee of the ANC youth league that had a much more militant stance then the ANC itself. In 1947 he was made the secretary general of the ANC youth league.
At this point he was given the task of setting up more branches of the ANC to further the goals of the revolution. In 1951 he was elected to the present of the ANCYL. In 1956, Mandela, along with 156 others were arrested on charges of treason. He was able to escape the charges and went deep underground. During this time is when he formed ‘Spear of the Nation’ with Walter Sisulu. The goal was to organize general strikes and disruption of the South African government by any means necessary, while avoiding loss of human life, pretictilery that of civilians. At the time of 1962 the government was able to apprehend him due to a CIA tip off. This time the South African government was able to find him guilty and while not able to get the death penalty they were hoping for, they settled on life imprisonment. Mandela's charge was as follows: “(1) recruiting persons for training in the preparation and use of explosives and in guerrilla warfare for the purpose of violent revolution and committing acts of sabotage; (2) conspiring to commit the aforementioned acts and to aid foreign military units when they invaded the Republic; (3) acting in these ways to further the objects of communism; and (4) soliciting and receiving money for these purposes from sympathisers in Algeria, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria, Tunisia, and elsewhere.” During the time of the trial the defence team informed Mandela, along with his fellow accused, to anticipate the worst. His court case garnered national attention and brought even more attention to the anti-aparthied movement on the national level, as well as bringing the issue to the international level. At this point the average person outside of Southern Africa was not paying much attention. This trial brought this issue to light for most of the world. During the time of trial Mandela gave his famous ‘I am Prepared to Die” speech. In 1964 Mandela was found guilty on all counts. He was sent to Robben Island Prison where he spent the next 18 years of his life. This did not hamper Mandela in the slightest. He used this time to complete his LLB degree and focus on the movement by thinking deep by writing various manifestos. Part of the continuation of his work included that he, along with other political prisoners, formed ‘Robben Island University’. This was a chance for prisoners of all walks of life to get together and teach about the things they knew best to their fellow inmates and expand the knowledge of all involved. Mandela missed the death of his first born and his mother while locked away. In 1967, due to leading many complaints and nonviolent resistance protests, the conditions of the prison started to improve. Mandela, at one point, was given the chance to join an escape. He abandoned this due to suspicion that the plan was a ruse by the government to have means to legally kill him once he tried. By the mid 1970’s Mandela was upgraded to a ‘Class A’ prisoner which gave him more freedom in terms of what he could do and who he could talk to, the amount of letter he could send and receive, along with the amount of visitors he got each year. He used his new found ‘freedom’ to correspond even more heavily with other anti-aparthied activists. This is also the time he began to work on his auto-biography. In 1982 he was moved to Pollsmoor Prison. The conditions here were much better and his ‘freedoms’ increased, yet Mandela would lament that he now was no longer that he was in the company of the other political prisoners he had developed a great bond with. Of course, it can be argued that this is a big part of why he was moved. In 1985 he was given the chance to have an early release by P.W. Botha if he "unconditionally rejected violence as a political weapon". Mandela instantly rejected the offer. He released a statement through his daughter, Zindzi,”What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people [ANC] remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts." Mandela, while wanting to minimize violence, still felt that it was an acceptable means to an end. After all, he was the head of the ANC’s unofficial armed wing which was tasked with using sabotage to interfere with the operations of the South Aferican government. In 1988 the South Aferican government agreed to the release of political prisoners and the legalisation of the ANC on condition that they permanently renounce violence, break links with the Communist Party, and not insist on majority rule. This offer was snubbed very quickly as the ANC would only be willing to stop violence when the government would. On July 18th, 1988 Mandela celebrated his 70th birthday behind bars. This gained global attention. In December of the same year Mandela was moved to Victor Verster Prison. After a two year stay Mandela was released without conditions by F.W. de Klerk, the head of state at the time. In 1994 Mandela was officially made the president of South Africa, both the first black man to serve this role, and the first one to do so in the newly freed South Africa. His administration faced countless challenges as tension was at an all time high and the eyes of the world were now locked on the newly freed South Africa. Mandela's main goal was reconstruction and attempting to bridge the gap between white and black South Africans. Mandela's administration raised the GDP, improved the standard of living, easyed racial tension, increased welfare spending and brought education reforms, along with much more. Mandla, along with F.W. de Klerk both won the Nobel Peace prize for their work in ending the aparthied regime. |
South Africa The Good News, Nelson Mandela-2008, Wikipedia
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Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Throughout the twentieth century, several hundred highly influential individuals fought for human rights. One of many highly influential people was Desmond Tutu. He was born October seventh, 1931 in Klerksdorp, Union of South Africa, making him eighty-eight years old. Being born to a poor family, he began standing for basic rights for all humans at an early age. Not only is he known worldwide for his role in equal rights of black South Africans, but he is also widely regarded for his role in the anti-apartheid movement against the National Party and being a pivotal member of the African National Congress. Flashforward to 1984: Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in resolving and ending Apartheid. The impact he created on both South Africa and the world still stands true to this day, years after the abolition of apartheid and the National Party (“Desmond Tutu (1)” ).
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Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]
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Role in apartheid movement
In the early stages, Desmond Tutu was still earning his degree from King’s College. He truly began to take hold of his passion for equal rights of all South Africans when he was appointed as the first black Angelican Dean of Johannesburg in 1975. With this position, he gained a platform on which he could use to become one of the most powerful anti-apartheid leaders of the time. He advocated for objectives of a democratic and just society without racial division and for equal rights for all citizens.
This included the abolition of the passbook laws, a common education system, equal rights, and to stop the forced deportation of individuals from South Africa. Black workers were able to form unions by 1979, and the United Democratic Front was formed to stop the rise of apartheid. This Front was lead by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Due to this bravery, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his “courage and heroism shown by black South Africans in their time with the peaceful method of struggle against apartheid” (Sanchez) Finally, in 1985, Tutu became the first black Archbishop of Cape Town, the highest position in the South African Angelican Church. With this position, he guided South Africa to freedom through his eloquent speeches and uniquely high optimism until 1994 when the South African apartheid system came to an end. |
Rob Bogaerts / Anefo [CC0]
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Ubuntu
Desmond Tutu was different than the other anti-apartheid advocates for one reason: his main focus was on forgiveness and healing, rather than harboring anger and hatred for the opposors. He focused on the victims and often became emotional during their testimonies. His goal of the TRC was to always be open and transparent, and to ensure that South Africans became aware of the atrocities that had been committed during the long apartheid years. A major goal of his was “striving for Ubuntu” (“Striving for Ubuntu”). Ubuntu is Tutu’s christian perception of the African philosophy which recognizes humanity of a person through their relationships with other people. Drawing on his passionate faith, Tutu translates Ubuntu as essentially a model of forgiveness in which human dignity are drawn from the image of the triune God, and that human beings are called to be human due to the fact that they are created as an image of God. Someone who is true to the definition of Ubuntu possesses generous, hospitable, friendly, caring, and compassionate traits, tying in with the idea that Ubuntu is the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. He brought this idea with him as he served as a chair on the TCR, promoting the ideals of someone who possesses Ubuntu. The goal of this was to seek restorative justice over retributive justice to give opportunity for the healing of both the oppressor and the oppressed as children of God. This was used as a recovery method for the South Africans from the pain and suffering during the apartheid years.
Jmquez [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
humanitarian Efforts
By becoming a gay rights activist, Tutu regarded the discrimination against homosexual individuals equal to that of the South Africans during the apartheid. As someone who is openly passionate about religion, he mentioned that he is possibly more passionate about human rights by stating, “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place. I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this. I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid. For me, it is at the same level” (“Desmond Tutu (2)”). Furthermore, he spoke on the AIDS and HIV epidemic in 2003 and even launched a campaign to end child trafficking by ensuring all children are registered at birth. Additionally, he spoke on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict regarding their unfit leadership as well as the Iraq War. He protested the United States launching the war by asking, “Why is Iraq being singled out for allegedly possessing weapons of mass destruction when Europe, India, and Pakistan were also accused of owning such weapons?” (“Desmond Tutu (2)”). It is clear that Desmond Tutu was an advocate for all humans, both within South Africa and around the world, for the entirety of his time in the public eye. Though he is still alive and fighting for equal rights, he mostly prefers to stay out of the limelight.
Desmond Tutu can be seen as one of the influential human rights advocates of the twentieth century. Being born to a poor family proved beneficial to him in the sense that he first became aware of the injustice at a young age and decided to fight for the equal rights of all humans, regardless of any superficial trait they possessed. By assisting in the end of apartheid, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Price, which was much deserved, to accommodate for his undying bravery and heroism during the tragic years. His infectious laugh and optimism aided in the laughter and optimism of the people who adored him.
Desmond Tutu can be seen as one of the influential human rights advocates of the twentieth century. Being born to a poor family proved beneficial to him in the sense that he first became aware of the injustice at a young age and decided to fight for the equal rights of all humans, regardless of any superficial trait they possessed. By assisting in the end of apartheid, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Price, which was much deserved, to accommodate for his undying bravery and heroism during the tragic years. His infectious laugh and optimism aided in the laughter and optimism of the people who adored him.
Works Cited
“Desmond Tutu. (1)” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 12 Sept. 2019, www.biography.com/political-figure/desmond-tutu.
“Desmond Tutu. (2)” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu#Childhood:_1931%E2%80%931950.
Sanchez, Oscar. “Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize, South African Activist : Youth For Human Rights Champion.” Youth for Human Rights, www.youthforhumanrights.org/voices-for-human-rights/champions/desmond-tutu.html
“Striving for Ubuntu.” Desmond Tutu Foundation USA, 21 Oct. 2015, www.tutufoundationusa.org/2015/10/06/striving-for-ubuntu/.
“South Africa Profile - Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 4 Apr. 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14094918.
Biggins, David. “ABW Home Page.” Anglo Boer War, https://www.angloboerwar.com/boer-war.
“History.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa/History#ref1003524.
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Ramerini, Marco. “The Dutch in South Africa, 1652-1795 1802-1806.” Colonial Voyage, 23 Feb. 2018, www.colonialvoyage.com/dutch-south-africa/.
Differences Between Bushmen and Khoikhoi, southafrica.co.za/differences-between-bushmen-and-khoikhoi.html.
“World War I.” South African History Online, https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/world-war-i.
“Desmond Tutu. (2)” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu#Childhood:_1931%E2%80%931950.
Sanchez, Oscar. “Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize, South African Activist : Youth For Human Rights Champion.” Youth for Human Rights, www.youthforhumanrights.org/voices-for-human-rights/champions/desmond-tutu.html
“Striving for Ubuntu.” Desmond Tutu Foundation USA, 21 Oct. 2015, www.tutufoundationusa.org/2015/10/06/striving-for-ubuntu/.
“South Africa Profile - Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 4 Apr. 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14094918.
Biggins, David. “ABW Home Page.” Anglo Boer War, https://www.angloboerwar.com/boer-war.
“History.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa/History#ref1003524.
“History.” History | South African Government, https://www.gov.za/about-sa/history.
“The History of South Africa.” ShowMe, showme.co.za/facts-about-south-africa/history-of-south-africa/the-history-of-south-africa/.
Ramerini, Marco. “The Dutch in South Africa, 1652-1795 1802-1806.” Colonial Voyage, 23 Feb. 2018, www.colonialvoyage.com/dutch-south-africa/.
Differences Between Bushmen and Khoikhoi, southafrica.co.za/differences-between-bushmen-and-khoikhoi.html.
“World War I.” South African History Online, https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/world-war-i.