South African Apartheid

Mahatma Gandhi

Indian lawyer who led non-violence campaigns within India to free it from British Rule, and m’oved to South Africa in 1893 to represent an Indian merchant in a lawsuit. He went on to live in South Africa for 21 years to fight for civil rights with non-violent methods

Chief Albert Luthuli

President of the ANC (1952-1967), known for his non-violent philosophy and received the Nobel Peace Prize (1960).

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid revolutionary who joined the ANC in 1944 and founded Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) after the Sharpeville Massacre.

DF Malan

Leader of the National Party (NP) responsible for the foundation of apartheid in South Africa.

HF Verwoerd

Prime Minister (1958-1966) who expanded apartheid policies, promoting separation of racial groups.

Afrikaners

Also known as Boers, they are descendants of Dutch settlers and make up 60% of South African white population.

Communist Party of South Africa (SACP)

Political party that aimed to promote communism, forced underground due to the Suppression of Communism Act.

African National Congress (ANC)

Political party focused on liberating South Africa from apartheid and promoting a non-racial government.

ANC Youth League

Radical faction of the ANC advocating for mass-based activism against apartheid.

Pan African Congress

Faction that broke from ANC, known for launching the pass act protest leading to the Sharpeville Massacre.

Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK)

Armed wing of the ANC founded by Mandela focusing on sabotage against apartheid government.

Black Sash

White protest group that supported South African women by offering legal aid and advice.

Congress of People (COP)

Coalition aimed at drafting a freedom charter and opposing apartheid collectively.

Broederbond

Afrikaner organization founded in 1918 aimed at fostering Afrikaner culture and political power.

Apartheid

System of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa.

Grand Apartheid

Refers to major apartheid laws that enforced territorial segregation and classification of races.

Petty Apartheid

Laws affecting daily life and social interactions between different racial groups in South Africa.

Indigenous

Term describing people native to a particular land or region.

Townships

Underdeveloped areas around white cities where non-white populations were forced to live.

Stayaway

General strike, such as the May Stayaway in 1950 where African workers stayed home to protest.

Miscegenation

Relationships or reproduction between different racial groups, particularly involving whites.

Freedom Charter

Pseudo-constitution that outlined the goals of the COP and led to the Treason Trials.

Bantustans/Homelands

Areas designated for black South Africans to live independently from white-controlled areas.

Shanty Town

Also known as slums, these are informal settlements where impoverished people live in temporary structures.