A Survey of Race Relations in South Africa
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A SURVEF YO RACE RELATIONS SOUTN I H AFRICA IQ15 Compiley b d MURIEL HORRELL TONY HODGSON Research staff South African Institut f Raco e e Relations ISBN 0 86982 119 9 SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS P.O. BOX 97 JOHANNESBURG JANUARY 1976 k POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS THE WHITE POPULATION GROUP NATIONAL PARTY Durin e yeath g r under review, South Afric s inevitablha a y ; become increasingly concerned and involved with events in the neighbouring countrie f Rhodesiao s , Mozambique d Angolaan , . The Prime . VorsterJ Minister . B s pledge . ha , Mr , d himseld an f . 'his governmen o strivt t r peacefo e , co-operation, progressd an , • developmen Southern i t n Afric d Afric a an wholea s a a n doinI . g so, he has made new and highly significant contacts with Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana d certaian , n other African states, .besides 'Overseas countries. : Speaking in the House of Assembly on 7 February1 Mr. Vorster said, "I thinlc a better understanding of South Africa has developed Africn i worlde i d th n. Ther .. aan s bee ha ea nclea r acceptance f Africa"o e ar ,tha e . w tHowever s notea , d late n thii r s Survey, line attitudeStateU OA a numbeSouto t sf e o sth hf o rAfric a have •hardened. ? As described in the chapter on South West Africa, Mr. Vorslcr ; ,has mad t i cleae r that this territory wile granteb l d complete L Independence as soon as possible, but that it will be for the people r Swapono N o e territort U , th e f •o th yr fo concerned t no d an , determine their future for f governmentmo . e emphasiTh v s tha. VorsteMr t e importancs placeth ha r n o d e detentf f "normalisino o ; d ean g relationships s reflectes wa "hi n i d "amendmen e Uniteth o t dt Party' o confidencn s e motioe th n i n •': Assembly on 7 February.2 He moved 'to omit all the words after • 'Thatsubstituto t d "an e "this House— 1. is of the opinion that it is incumbent upon every South African to promote sound relations between peoples and races in South Africa and between South Africa and all non- !/. communist people d countriesan s d an ; Zi' furthermore, notes with appreciation what the Government ;• has done and intends doing in this field." ' This amendmen 5 voles4 o t .s adopte6 wa 11 t y b d ";'• Describin s contacthi g s with leader f otheo s r States, during idle courss speechhi . f Vorsteo eMr , d madrha sai t cleai e li d r that the policy of separate development would continue to regulate 'Developments within South Africa e admitteH . d that thers wa e ^historic discrimination on many levels in SA. and continued, "we k lH«l»nrd 1 co!.<. 179-83. 397-8. • Hansnr k I colJ . 403. SURVEA RACF YO E RELATIONS 2 , 1975 POLITICAL AFFAIRS: WHITES should do something to get away from it, and the only way as I • Nasionale Party, although the NP retained the seats with comfort- see it — and I really do believe in this — is by means of the • able majorities . VorsteMr . r received considerable backing, how- policy of separate development". •'< ever, from bot e Afrikaan hth e Englis th d d an han s, PresSA n i s Referring to his internal programme of action, the Prime it appeared that many of SA's White voters preferred his decisive Minister said that this must be seen over three decades3 . The i approac e morth eo t hambiguou e followee Uniteon th s y b dd first of these "was the decade of apartheid, when we had to Party. At a by-election in the country constituency of Caledon, separate wha beed ha tn allowed ove yeare th rintermingl o t s . e. •in August, the votes cast for the NP candidate, who adopted a And it goes without saying . that we often had to take very "verlig" line, gave him a substantially increased majority over negative action during that decad achievo et goal"e eth . thcandidatP eU e than that obtaine 197n di r 19702o . Then, Mr. Vorster continued, the decade arrived in which the Durin e yeath g r under revie e Transkewth s moveha i d emphasis fell on separate development, "and in that process we , steadily towards independence, arie powerth d d functionan s f o s created governments, gave people status". "s certai ne Africa otheth f o rn homeland governments have been "Now" e saide h hav, "w , e entere e thirth d d; decadr ou f o e . extended. The Government has agreed in principle to widen very policy". He invited to his office the people who were in charge ' • considerably the powers and functions of the Coloured Persons' varioue oth f s governments "an dI discus s matters with the . ?. m . Representative Council (CRQ, to grant Cabinet status to its as one man to another ... as equals ... I speak to them very '. executive committe a statutor p u et membersse y o liaisot d nan , franklI tel d l theman y t prepare giv:o no t Looke m . a .. d I , body representative of the White and Coloured Cabinets to con- oveI wily t havu t sa ove y no yo lpeoplr y ea yoBu sa . m r u a . e. '.•• sider matters of common concern. Similar developments are for all time either. You must lead your own people ... I am , envisaged for the SA Indian Council). prepareo e facconsequencet th e . .. d f multi-nationaliso s m a meetin t A g with representative e C liaisotheth CR nf o sn squarely". committee in January, Mr. Vorster promised that the White Talks whic . VorsteMr h d senioan r r Cabinet Ministerd an s Cabinet would discuss in detail plans for the "systematic and officials had with African homeland leaders and with the then 'orderly eliminatio f o unnecessarn d purelan y y irritating race leadere Coloureth f o s d People's Representative Councie th d an l discriminatory measures", which were considered to be unnecessary SA Indian Council, and the outcome of these, are described in in applying the policy of separate development. subsequent chapters . VorsteMr . r mad e Assembly t cleai eth o t r subsequentls wa t I y decided that Coloure Indiad dan n people that the talks had been conducted on the basis of and within the shoul e representeb d n variouo d s statutory board d commisan s - framework of the National Party policy. "It is within the frame- . sions. Certain restrictions on inter-provincial travel by Indians work of that policy that I am seeking the solution for SA and .were removed e DepartmenTh . f Coloureo t d Relation s sugha s - its problems". He admitted that during the talks requests were gested that all! magistrates should form local committees consisting mad refusee b e o whict dd immediatelyhha r examplfo , regardn ei ! of White, Coloured, and Indian persons from various walks of to representation in the central Parliament, and freehold tenure lifhelo t e overcomo pt e race friction. of lan r Africanfo d n urbai s n areas. These request n countera s r e GovernmenTh t undertoo narroo kt s soo a wage wnp th ega to National Party policy. But Mr. Vorster stated his view that •as possible b reservatioJo . s beeha n n e relaxebuildinth n i d g "in spite of differences which exist . there is acceptance on the|; industry and some other fields, including government service. e responsiblth par f o t e leadere positioth I f hav w o s a nno e •Training facilities for African workers in the common area of sketche t here"i d . 'SA are 'being extended. The creation is envisaged of African (However, the attitude of Black political! opponents, the Industria4 l committees with power o bargait s n with employers. Coloured Labour Part r exampleyfo , indicated that acceptanc "•:d edi . Africans are to be included on the boards of homeland not necessarily mean concurrence.) ; .corporations. Homeland leaders were invited by the Government Some of the actions taken by the Government in the cause - |tO submit suggestions for eliminating undue hardships caused of detente have, naturally, been oppose y Whitb d e right-win* }' \by influx control reguDations without jeopardising their effective- extremists, within and outside the NP. By-elections during the •ness. Bantu Affairs Administratio e allowenb Boardo t o t de ar s first half of the year in Pretoria West, Middelburg (Transvaal) r ,centpe r uscent0 , pe 8 esale f instea profilo f 0 th , eo 2 n f o o sd and Gezina — all highly conservative constituencies — showed a 'liquor for services for Africans in their administrative areas. In small swin . AlbergDr awao t t Hertzog'P y N fro e mth s Herstigf regard to urban Africans, the Government has decided to relax F. ]' I.e. outside the African homelands. » Cols. 383-6. POLITICAL AFFAIRS5 : WHITES 4 A SURVEY OF RACE RELATIONS, 1975 The practical outcome of this plan would in practice mean the certain restrictions, thus revertin a situatio o t g n which prevailed controe proposeth f o l d federa ls federa it assembl f o l d statean y s before 1968. Africans who qualify to remain in urban areas will by Black Africans, he maintained. Leaving aside the merits of e allowen lanb t stilow d no o therelt d t wil e permittebu ,b l o t d this o politican , l woukA partS e abln i yb l o brint e g about such buy the right of occupation of such land on a 30-year lease basis.