Apartheid In South Africa Essay Research Paper

Conciosness Movement, he formed the Black Peoples Convention, and several

communtity based organisations. In 1975, he was held without arrest for 137

days. Not surprisingly, he died in 1977 after being beaten in police custody

after being taken from Port Elisabeth to Pretoria.

NELSON MANDELLA

Born into the Royal Family of the Tembu in Transkei. For involvement in

student politics, he was expelledfrom Fort Haire University, but obtained a law

degree by correspondance. He established the first African law practise in

Johannesburg along with his partner Oliver Tambo. He co-founded the ANC with

Youth League with Tambo and Walter Sisulu and eventually became National

President. In 1952, he was arrested for the Defiance campaign, which blatantly

broke Apartheid laws. In 1956, Mandella was charged with High Treason. He was

aquitted four and a half years later. After the Sharpeville massaacre, Mandella

helped form the military wing of the ANC. He went into hiding and travelled

abroad before being again arrested, this time for illegally exiting the country

in 1962, for which he recieved a sentence of five years. Whilst serving this

sentence, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for ’sabotage’ and ‘conspiracy

to overthrow the government by revolution’. This was extremely unjust, as he

was charged with these offences under the Suppression of Communism Act, and

Mandella favoured a Westminster type democracy. Finally, after years of

international pressure, Mandella was released in February, 1990. In 1993, he

shared the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1994, became South African President.

DESMOND TUTU

Ordained as apriest in 1961, Tutu studied theology in London where he gaine

dhis asters degree in 1966. He became bishop of Lesotho in 1978 and was

appoited secretary-general of the South African Council of Churches in the same

year. He was honoured world-wide for his determination in resisting apartheid

peacefuly. He supported the Free Mandela campaign and promoted peaceful

disobidience. Awarded the Nobel piec prize in 1985, he was a powerful voice

amongst those calling for economic sanctions to be placed on South Africa. He

was Archbishop of Johannesburg, then Cape Town, befor retiring in 1995.

HENDRIK VERWOERD

Born in Holland, Verwoerd was known as one of the ‘architects of apartheid’

because he created the idea of bantustan and bantu education. In 1946, he

became vice-chairman of the National Party in Transval and then Minister of

Native and Bantu Administration in 1950. He became Prime Minister in 1958 and

was assassinated eight years later.

SUMMARY

From 1948 to 1990, South Africa had an appaling record with regards to

human rights. Not only was Apartheid in use, but blacks were being killed on

streets, playground and even in their homes and police stations. The government

organised and condoned this behaviour. They breached Article of the decleration

of human rights by banning groups such as the ANC. Article was breached by the

police when they would arrest people for no reason. Finally Article was

breached simply because the South African Government, army and police force did

not treat blacks equaly and fairly like human beings.

With the Presidency of Nelson Mandella, and the leadership of the ANC, the

country looks set to put behind them the troubles of the past one hundred years,

however, with extremist groups and people such as the AWB and Eugene

Terre’Blanche, one can never be sure.