South AfricaA Brief History

Dutch settlers (from the Netherlands) arrived in South Africa.

1651

1756The Dutch began to import slaves from West Africa, Malaysia, and India.

- This established dominance ofwhites over non-whites in the region.

1867Diamond mining begins in South Africa.

- Africans are given the most dangerous jobs, paid less than whites, and housed in fenced, patrolled barracks.

1910The Union of South Africa is formed.

- English & Dutch are declared the official languages.

- The all-white government decides that blacks can vote but not hold office.

1912The African National Congress (ANC) is formed

1913The Natives Land Act gave 7.3% of South African land to

Africans, who are 80% of the population.

- This prohibited Africans from owning land outside of these crowded townships and homelands.

1946African miners earn 12x less than their white

counterparts.- Over 75,000 Africans go

on strike. Police use violence against them, over 1000 people are killed or injured.

1948- The Afrikaners National

Party comes into power, on the platform of Racial Segregation.

- This is the start of Apartheid.

What do you see?

On June 16, 1976 between 10,000 - 20,000 High School students held a protest in response to Afrikaans becoming the official language of the schools.

Soweto Uprising

Soweto UprisingSome students began throwing stones, leading police to open fire directly at the students.

176 Students were killed. The originally number issued by the government was 22.

International Pressure- South Africa was formally expelled

from the Olympic Games in 1970.

- The United Nations placed embargos on South Africa in the 1970s.

- In 1986, almost all produce exported from South Africa was banned in Europe.