Born a Crime Background

Race and Racism in South Africa

South Africa’s contemporary Black population descends from both its indigenous peoples, the Khoekhoe and San, and Africans of other language groups who were brought to the country as slaves or later migrated. Migrants included Bantu-speaking Africans whose descendants today make up over three-quarters of the country’s population. White populations belong mainly to two language groups: Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch, who first colonized the area in the 17th century, as well as French and German settlers; and English-speaking descendants of the wave of British colonists who became dominant in the 19th century.

By the early 20th century, nearly 90% of South Africa was under white control. The land was configured in a way that broke the African majority into groups and allotted small, disconnected areas. Communities were uprooted. Native Africans were relocated to reserves, causing overcrowding, land degradation and economic stagnation.

In 1948 new laws created the government system called “apartheid,” an Afrikaans word meaning “aparthood.” Noah refers to the word as “apart hate.” Apartheid institutionalized segregation and discrimination against nonwhites using official racial registration as either Bantu (Black Africans), Colored (mixed race), white, or Asian (Indian and Pakistani). Laws made it illegal to have interracial relationships or to live or run a business in another group’s area. Segregation determined educational standards and allowable types of jobs, and nonwhites were denied the right to participate in government. As a result of this institutional racism, nearly 40% of Black South Africans lived in extreme poverty, without electricity or running water.

Nelson Mandela and the End of Apartheid

Nelson Mandela (1918–2013), of the Madiba clan, dedicated his life to the struggle for Black freedom in South Africa. He became increasingly involved in politics in the 1940s through the African National Congress (ANC), a Black liberation group and political party, and led a campaign of civil disobedience against unjust laws. After receiving a law diploma in 1952, he cofounded South Africa’s first Black law firm. In 1955 he helped draft the Freedom Charter, which advocated for nonracial social democracy. The government arrested more than 150 people following the Freedom Charter meeting, charging them with high treason.

In 1960, the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC, an offshoot of the ANC) organized a peaceful demonstration for the abolition of the laws requiring nonwhites to carry documentation in designated white areas. In the town of Sharpeville, police officers opened fire and killed 67 Black protesters. The ANC and PAC were banned. Mandela began setting up the military wing of the ANC. He left South Africa in secret, traveling to gain support for the cause and receive military training. When he returned, he was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. In 1963 he was tried for treason, violent conspiracy, and sabotage and faced the death penalty. His words to the court became his well-known “I Am Prepared to Die” speech. He received a life sentence and served 26 years, during which time he became a hero for the international anti-apartheid movement.

As South Africa’s political status deteriorated in the 1980s, the government turned to Mandela, who met with President F. W. de Klerk (1936–) in 1989. Mandela was released from prison and became president of the ANC, leading negotiations to end apartheid through a peaceful transition to nonracial democracy. Mandela and de Klerk received the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their work. In 1994 Mandela was elected president of the first multiethnic government in South Africa. His administration investigated human-rights violations, designed programs to improve the living conditions of Black South Africans, and administered the enactment of a democratic constitution. After his presidency, Mandela established the Nelson Mandela Foundation and advocated for reconciliation, peace, and social justice around the world.