| 1856 - 1910 |
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Masters and Servants Acts:
These Acts, which had been passed between 1856 and 1904 in the four territories, remained in force after Union. They made it a criminal offence to breach the contract of employment. Desertion, insolence, drunkenness, negligence and strikes were also criminal offences. Theoretically these laws applied to all races, but the courts held that the laws were applicable only to unskilled work, which was performed mostly by black people (Dugard 1978: 85; Horrell 1978: 6).
Repealed by s 51 of the Second General Law Amendment Act No 94 of 1974.
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| 1911 |
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Mines and Works Act No 12:
Permitted the granting of certificates of competency for a number of skilled mining occupations to whites and coloureds only.
Repealed by s 20 of the Mines and Works Amendment Act No 27 of 1956
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| 1913 |
19 June |
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Black Land Act No 27:
Prohibited blacks from owning or renting land outside designated reserves (approximately 7 per cent of land in the country).
Commenced: 19 June 1913
Repealed by s 1 of the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991.
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| 1923 |
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Native (Black) Urban Areas Act No 21:
Made each local authority responsible for the blacks in its area. ‘Native advisory boards' regulated influx control and removed ‘surplus' people, i.e. those who were not employed in the area. The country was divided into prescribed (urban) and non- prescribed areas, movement between the two being strictly controlled (Horrell 1978: 2-3). This Act was consolidated by the 1945 Blacks (Urban Areas) Consolidation Act.
Assent gained: 14 June 1923; commencement date not found.
Repealed by the Blacks (Urban Areas) Consolidation Act No 25 of 1945
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| 1924 |
8 April |
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Industrial Conciliation Act No 11:
Provided for job reservation. Excluded blacks from membership of registered trade unions, prohibited registration of black trade unions.
Commenced: 8 April 1924
Repealed by s 86 of the Industrial Conciliation Act No 36 of 1937
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| 1926 |
30 September |
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Immorality Act No 5:
Extra-marital intercourse between whites and blacks prohibited (Horrell 1978: 8).(Extended in 1950 to include coloureds and Asians.)
Commenced: 30 September 1927
Repealed by s 23 of Sexual Offences Act No 23 of 1957. |
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| 1927 |
1 September |
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Black (Native) Administration Act No 38:
Section 5(1)(b) provided that ‘whenever he deemed it expedient in the public interest,the minister might, without prior notice to any persons concerned, order any tribe, portion thereof, or individual black person, to move from one place to another within the Republic of South Africa' (Horrell 1978: 204). Section 29(1) prohibited the fomenting of feelings of hostility between blacks and whites. Amended by s 4 of the Black Laws Further Amendment Act No 79 of 1957. This was extended to all racial groups in terms of s 1 of the 1974 Second General Law Amendment Act (see below). ‘All the reported cases concern charges of inciting hostility among blacks towards the white section of the community' rather than cases of whites who cause feelings of racial hostility by racially abusive comments (Dugard 1978: 178). Used extensively to carry out forced removals. Later amended by the 1973 Bantu (Black) Laws Amendment Act.
Commenced: 1 September 1927, except ss 22, 23 & 36: 1 January 1929. Sections 5(1)-(5) repealed by the Abolition of Influx Control Act No 68 of 1986; repealed in full by the Abolition of Restrictions on Free Political Activity Act No 206 of 1993
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| 1930 |
21 May |
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Riotous Assemblies (Amendment) Act No 19:
Authorised the Governor-General to prohibit the publication or other dissemination of any ‘documentary information ... calculated to engender feelings of hostility between the European inhabitants of the Union on the one hand and any other section of the inhabitants of the Union on the other hand' (Dugard 1978: 177).
Commenced: 21 May 1930
Repealed by s 20 of the Riotous Assemblies Act No 17 of 1956.
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| 1936 |
10 July |
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Representation of Blacks Act No 12:
Removed black voters in the Cape from the common roll and placed them on a separate roll (Dugard 1978: 90). Blacks throughout the Union were then represented by four white senators.
Commenced: 10 July 1936
Repealed by s 15 of the Representation between the Republic of South Africa and self-governing Territories Act No 46 of 1959.
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| 1936 |
31 August |
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Development Trust and Land Act No 18:
expanded the reserves to a total of 13, 6 per cent of the land in South Africa and authorised the Department of Bantu Administration and Development to eliminate ‘black spots' (black-owned land surrounded by white-owned land) (Horrell 1978: 203). The South African Development Trust (SADT) was established and could, in terms of the Act, acquire land in each of the provinces for black settlement (RRS 1991/92: 381).
Commenced: 31 August 1936
Repealed by Proc R 28 of 1992, 31 March 1992 (phasing out and abolishing the SADT in terms of the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991)
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| 1937 |
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Industrial Conciliation Act No 36:
Provided for the registration and regulation of trade unions and employers' organisations, the settlement of disputes between employers and employees, and the regulation of conditions of employment.
Repealed by s 56 of the Industrial Conciliation Act No 28 of 1956
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| 1937 |
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Black (Native) Laws Amendment Act No 46:
Prohibited acquisition of land in urban areas by blacks from non-blacks except with the Governor-General's consent (Horrell 1978: 3).
Commenced: 1 January 1938
Sections repealed by the Abolition of Influx Control Act No 68 of 1986 and the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991. The only section remaining in force is s 36, which amended s 7 of the Agricultural Holdings (Transvaal) Registration Act 22 of 1919 and has no discriminatory implications.
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| 1937 |
1 February |
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Aliens Act No 1:
Restricted and regulated the entry of certain aliens into the Union and regulated the right of any person to assume a surname.
Commenced: 1 February 1937
Repealed by s 33 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act No 51 of 1992.
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| 1939 |
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Aliens Registration Act No 26:
Provided for the registration and control of aliens.
Assent gained: 14 June 1939; commencement date not found.
Repealed by s 60 of the Aliens Control Act No 96 of 1991
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| 1945 |
1 June |
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Natives (Urban Areas) Consolidation Act No 25:
Introduced influx control - applicable to black males only (Horrell 1978: 172). People who were deemed to be leading idle or dissolute lives or who had committed certain specified offences could be removed from an urban area (Horrell 1978: 173).
Commenced: 1 June 1945
Repealed by s 17 of the Abolition of Influx Control Act No 68 of 1986
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| 1946 |
6 June |
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Asiatic Land Tenure (and Indian Representation) Act No 28:
Granted Indians separate representation by three white members of Parliament and two senators in the Central Parliament. This chapter of the law was rejected by the Indian population and the Act was repealed by the Asiatic Laws Amendment Act No 47 of 1948. The chapter on land tenure was repealed by the Aliens Control Act No 96 of 1991.
Commenced: 6 June 1946
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| 1948 |
12 October |
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Asiatic Laws Amendment Act No 47:
Repealed the chapter on Indian representation of the 1946 Asiatic Land Tenure (and Indian Representation) Act.
Commenced: 12 October 1948
Repealed by s 55 of the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991
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| 1949 |
8 July |
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Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act No 55:
Prohibited marriages between whites and members of other racial groups (Horrell 1978: 19).
Commenced: 8 July 1949
Repealed by s 7 of the Immorality and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Amendment Act No 72 of 1985.
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| 1950 |
12 May |
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Immorality Amendment Act No 21:
Extended the 1927 Immorality Act to all black people - including coloureds and Asians (Dugard 1978: 70).
Commenced: 12 May 1950
Repealed by s 23 of the Sexual Offences Act No 23 of 1957
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| 1950 |
7 July |
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Population Registration Act No 30:
Required people to be identified and registered from birth as belonging to one of four distinct racial groups. This Act was more rigid than earlier race classification laws.
Commenced: 7 July 1950
Repealed by s 1 of the Population Registration Act Repeal Act No 114 of 1991
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| 1950 |
7 July |
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Group Areas Act No 41:
Provided for areas to be declared for exclusive use of one particular racial group. It became compulsory for people to live in an area designated for their classification group.
Commenced: 7 July 1950
Repealed by s 44 of the Group Areas Act No 77 of 1957.
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| 1950 |
17 July |
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Internal Security Act (Suppression of Communism Act) No 44:
Prohibited certain (listed) organisations and persons from promoting ‘communism', which was broadly defined.
Commenced: 17 July 1950
Repealed by s 33 of the Internal Security and Intimidation Amendment Act 138 of 1991.
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| 1951 |
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Black Building Workers Act No 27:
Prohibited blacks from performing skilled work in the building industry in white urban areas (Dugard 1978: 87).
Repealed by s 11 of Industrial Conciliation Amendment Act No 95 of 1980
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| 1951 |
18 June |
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Suppression of Communism Amendment Act No 50:
Related to situations where people conspired to overthrow the government, or alternatively to those where people harboured, concealed, failed to report, or assisted those intent on committing so-called acts of terrorism against the state.
Commenced: 18 June 1951
Repealed by s 73(1) of the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1951 |
18 June |
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Separate Representation of Voters Act No 46:
This attempt by the National Party to remove coloured people from the common voters' roll was declared invalid by the Supreme Court: A group of coloured voters in Harris v Minister of the Interior 1952(2) SA 428(AD) challenged the Act, which the Appellate Division unanimously declared invalid. In response, the government, via an ‘ingenious and devious' (Dugard 1978: 31) process of increasing the numbers of Appellate Division judges from five to eleven (where an Act of Parliament was in issue) and increasing the size of the Senate from forty-eight to forty-nine, introduced the 1956 South Africa Act Amendment Act (see below).
Commenced: 18 June 1951; revalidated after challenge: 2 March 1956
Repealed by s 4 of the Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act No 50 of 1968.
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| 1951 |
6 July |
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Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act No 52:
Prohibited persons from entering land or a building without lawful reason, or remaining there without the owner's permission. Magistrates were granted powers to order squatters out of urban areas, demolish their dwellings and move them to a place as might be determined.
Commenced: 6 July 1951
IN FORCE (This Act has been amended several times - see O'Regan 1990): CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE
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| 1951 |
17 July |
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Bantu Authorities Act No 68:
Gave recognition to traditional tribal authorities.
Commenced: 17 July 1951
Repealed by s 69 of the Black Communities Development Act No 4 of 1984.
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| 1951 |
17 July |
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Black (Bantu) Authorities Act No 68:
Provided for the establishment of tribal, regional and territorial authorities in the reserves.
Commenced: 17 July 1951
IN FORCE as on September 1996: LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
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| 1952 |
27 June |
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Black (Native) Laws Amendment Act No 54:
The 1945 Urban Areas Consolidation Act was amended to specify that all black persons, men and women, over the age of sixteen were to carry passes and that no black person was to be allowed to stay in the urban areas longer than seventy-two hours unless they had permission to do so. Section 10, which governed who could stay in the urban areas, stated that black people who had been born in the urban areas and had lived there continuously since then, and those who had been in continuous employment for ten years or continuous residence in the urban areas for fifteen years, were the only categories of black people legally entitled to stay in urban areas (Dugard 1978: 74; Horrell 1978: 173). Powers of authorities were widened to include the ordering of the removal of blacks deemed to be ‘idle or undesirable' even though they were lawfully in an urban area (s 29 of the 1945 Urban Areas Consolidation Act). If found guilty, a person could be sent to her/his homeland, to a rehabilitation centre or to a farm colony for a period not exceeding two years. Section 29 of the 1945 Urban Areas Consolidation Act permitted the arrest, without a warrant, of any black person believed to be ‘idle or undesirable'. In 1956, a new section was added to s 29, (i.e. s 29 bis) allowing for ‘the removal of an African from an urban area ... where his presence was detrimental to the maintenance of peace and order in any such area' (Dugard 1978: 77). Because the purpose of this new s 29 was ‘to confer upon local authorities arbitrary powers to rid themselves of “agitators”,' this new provision (unlike s 29 of Act 25 of 1945) did not ‘provide for an appeal against a banishment order' (Dugard 1978: 77). (The provisions under this Act are extremely complicated. For a full description see Horrell 1978: 171-95.)
Commenced: 27 June 1952
Sections 1-17 repealed by s 33(1) of the Black Labour Act No 67 of 1964, s 18 repealed by s 1(g) of the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991; ss 27-32 by s 17 of the Abolition of Influx Control Act No 68 of 1986; and ss 33-8 by s 69(1) of the Black Communities Development Act No 4 of 1984.
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| 1952 |
11 July |
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Blacks (Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents) Act No 67:
Repealed the laws relating to the carrying of passes by blacks. These laws had differed from province to province. This new Act provided for the issuing of reference books to all black persons in all provinces (Horrell 1978: 173).
Commenced: 11 July 1952
Repealed by s 23 of the Identification Act No 72 of 1986.
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| 1953 |
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Black Education Act No 47:
Formalised segregation of black education and laid the foundations for Bantu Education.
Commenced: 1 January 1954
Repealed by s 45 of the Education and Training Act No 90 of 1979.
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| 1953 |
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Black Labour Relations Regulation Act (Black Labour and Settlement of Disputes Act) No 48:
Amended the 1937 Industrial Conciliation Act, changing the definition of ‘employee' to exclude blacks so that they could no longer be members of registered unions (Horrell 1978: 281). The Act also incorporated the War Measure No 145 of 1942, which prohibited strikes by black workers. In addition, it made lock-outs of blacks, the instigation of strikes and lock-outs, and sympathetic strikes illegal (Horrell 1978: 281).
Commenced: 1 May 1954
Repealed by s 63 of the Labour Relations Amendment Act No 57 of 1981.
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| 1953 |
4 March |
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Public Safety Act No 3:
This Act, passed in response to the ANC's civil disobedience campaign, provided for a state of emergency to be declared. The first state of emergency was declared only in 1960. Under a state of emergency the Minister of Law and Order, the Commissioner of the South African Police (SAP), a magistrate or a commissioned officer could detain any person for reasons of public safety. There was no commission to which a detainee could appeal, nor was there a body with the power to decide objectively whether a state of emergency was justified or not. This legislation also empowered a magistrate or the Commissioner of Police to ban meetings and gatherings.
Commenced: 4 March 1953.
Repealed by the State of Emergency Act No 86 of 1995.
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| 1953 |
4 March |
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Criminal Law Amendment Act No 8:
Made civil disobedience punishable by a three-year jail sentence.
Commenced: 4 March 1953
Repealed by s 73 of the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1953 |
9 October |
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Reservation of Separate Amenities Act No 49:
Allowed for public facilities and transport to be reserved for particular race groups.
Commenced: 9 October 1953
Repealed by s 1 of Discriminatory Legislation Regarding Public Amenities Appeal Act No 100 of 1990.
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| 1954 |
15 April |
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Riotous Assemblies and Suppression of Communism Amendment Act No 15:
The Minister of Justice was ‘empowered to prohibit listed persons from being members of specific organisations or from attending gatherings of any description without giving them the opportunity of making representations in their defence or furnishing reasons'. The Minister was also ‘authorized to prohibit any particular gathering or all gatherings, in any public place for specified periods'.
Commenced: 15 April 1954
Repealed by s 73 of the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1954 |
1 August |
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Blacks Resettlement Act No 19:
Established a Resettlement Board which would remove blacks from townships. This authorised the Sophiatown and other removals.
Commenced: 1 August 1954
Repealed by s 69 of the Black Communities Development Act No 4 of 1984.
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| 1955 |
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Black Labour (Settlement of Disputes)Amendment Act No 59:
Amended the 1953 Black Labour Relations Regulation Act. Provided for separate industrial conciliation machinery which applied to black workers other than those employed in farming operations, in domestic service, governmental or educational services or coal and gold mining industries (Horrell 1978: 288).
Repealed by s 63 of the Labour Relations Amendment Act No 57 of 1981.
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| 1955 |
1 July |
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Criminal Procedure Act No 56:
Consolidated the laws relating to procedure and evidence in criminal proceedings. The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act No 31 of 1917 and its numerous amendments were all repealed.
Commenced: 1 July 1955
Repealed by s 344(1) of the Criminal Procedure Act No 51 of 1977.
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| 1956 |
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Industrial Conciliation Act (Labour Relations Act) No 28:
Replaced the 1924 and 1937 Industrial Conciliation Acts. A new provision, s 77, provided for job reservation. Although excluded from the provisions of the Act, blacks were included in the definition of ‘employee' for the purposes of this section. Black trade unions, though they could not be registered under the Act, were not illegal (Horrell 1978: 263, 281).
Commenced: 1 January 1957
Repealed by the Labour Relations Act No 66 of 1995.
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| 1956 |
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Blacks (Prohibition of Interdicts) Act No 64:
Prohibited 'Africans from obtaining a court interdict to suspend the operation of any banishment order pending an attack on the validity of any such order' (Dugard 1978: 78).
Assent gained: 15 June 1956; commencement date not found.
Repealed by s 17 of the Abolition of Influx Control Act No 68 of 1986.
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| 1956 |
2 March |
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South Africa Act Amendment Act No 9:
Effectively revalidated the 1951 Separate Representation of Voters Act (see above), which had been challenged and declared invalid.
Commenced: 2 March 1956
Repealed by the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act 32 of 1961.
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| 1956 |
4 March |
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Mines and Works Act No 27:
Commenced: 4 May 1956
IN FORCE (as amended by the Mines and Works Amendment Act No 51 of 1959): MINES, WORKS AND FACTORIES.
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| 1956 |
16 March |
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Riotous Assemblies Act No 17:
Prohibited gatherings in open-air public places if the Minister of Justice considered that they could endanger the public peace. Also included banishment as a form of punishment (Dugard 1978: 137).
Commenced: 16 March 1956
Repealed in part (ss 1-9 inclusive and ss 19-20) by ss 10-15 of the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1956 |
18 May |
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Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act No 30:
Amended the 1951 Separate Representation of Voters Act to remove coloureds from the common roll. The Senate was enlarged to obtain the required majority.
Commenced: 18 May 1956
Repealed by s 4 of the Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act No 50 of 1968.
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| 1956 |
1 June |
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Bantu (Black) Administration Amendment Act No 42:
Amended the 1927 Black Administration Act so that a person being banished in terms of s 5(1)(b) could no longer present her/his case to the Governor-General (Dugard 1978: 140). (See also: Black (Native) Laws Amendment Act No 54 of 1952, above.)
Commenced: 1 June 1956
Repealed by the Abolition of Influx Control Act No 68 of 1986.
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| 1957 |
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Group Areas Act No 77:
Consolidated the law relating to the establishment of group areas and the control of the acquisition of immovable property in those areas.
Assent gained: 24 June 1957; commencement date not found.
Repealed by s 49 of the Group Areas Act No 36 of 1966.
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| 1957 |
12 April |
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Sexual Offences Act (Immorality Act) No 23 (s 16):
Made it an offence for a white person to have intercourse with a black person or to commit any ‘immoral or indecent act' (Dugard 1978: 69). This Act repealed the 1927 Immorality Act and the 1950 Immorality Amendment Act.
Commenced: 12 April 1957
IN FORCE, although s 16 was repealed by the Immorality and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Amendment Act No 72 of 1985: CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE
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| 1958 |
24 August |
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Strijdom dies. |
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| 1958 |
3 September |
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Dr Verwoerd assumes office as Prime Minister and leader of the National Party.
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| 1959 |
19 June |
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Extension of University Education Act No 45:
Empowered the Minister of Bantu Education to designate colleges for specified African ethnic groups. Black students were prohibited from attending the University of Cape Town or the University of Witwatersrand without a permit (Dugard 1978: 84).
Commenced: 19 June 1959
Repealed by s 21 of the Tertiary Education Act No 66 of 1988.
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| 1959 |
19 June |
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Representation between Republic of South Africa and Self-Governing Territories Act (Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act) No 46:
Provided for the transformation of reserves into fully fledged independent bantustans, dividing blacks into ethnically discrete groups. Abolition of parliamentary representation for blacks.
Commenced: 19 June 1959
Repealed by Sch 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act No 200 of 1993.
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| 1960 |
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Extension of University Education Amendment Act No 32:
Amended the extension of University Education Act No 45 of 1959 and the University of Fort Hare Transfer Act No 64 of 1959.
Assent gained: 7 April 1960; commencement date not found.
Repealed by s 21 of the Tertiary Education Act No 66 of 1988.
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| 1960 |
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Proclamation No 400 and Proclamation No 413:
Emergency regulations contained in Proclamations 400 and 413 were issued under pre-union statutes (Dugard 1978: 110). Proclamation 400 was only repealed in 1977 by the Public Security Act No 30.
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| 1960 |
7 April |
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Unlawful Organisations Act No 34:
Provided for organisations threatening public order or the safety of the public to be declared unlawful. The ANC and the PAC were immediately declared unlawful.
Commenced: 7 April 1960
Repealed by s 73 of the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1961 |
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Urban Blacks Council Act No 79:
The first provision for black ‘self-government' in the urban townships. Assent gained: 30 June 1961; commencement date not found.
Repealed by s 14 of the Community Councils Act No 125 of 1977.
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| 1961 |
19 May |
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General Law Amendment Act No 39:
Provided for twelve-day detention. Amended:
• the Arms and Ammunition Act 28 of 1937 regarding the issuing and ancellation of firearm licences;
•the 1955 Criminal Procedure Act regarding powers of the Attorney-Generalto prohibit release on bail or otherwise; and
•the 1956 Riotous Assemblies Act.
Commenced: 19 May 1961
Sections 6 and 7 repealed by the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1961 |
5 July |
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Indemnity Act No 61:
With retrospective effect from 21 March 1960. This Act indemnifies the government, its officers and all other persons acting under their authority in respect of acts done, orders given or information provided in good faith for the prevention or suppression of internal disorder, the maintenance or restoration of good order, public safety or essential services, or the preservation of life or property in any part of the Republic.
Commenced: 5 July 1961
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| 1962 |
27 June |
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General Law Amendment Act (Sabotage Act) No 76:
Increased the State President's power to declare organisations unlawful. Further restrictions could be imposed in banning orders, restricting movement. Persons could now even be banned from social gatherings, including having more than one visitor at a time. The Minister could list banned persons in the Government Gazette (GG).
This Act created the offence of sabotage by providing that any person who committed any wrongful and wilful act whereby he/she injured, obstructed, tampered with or destroyed the health or safety of the public, the maintenance of law and order, the supply of water, light, power, fuel or foodstuffs, sanitary, medical, or fire extinguishing services could be tried for sabotage (Horrell 1978: 443).
Commenced: 27 June 1962.
Section 16 repealed by the State of Emergency Act No 86 of 1995.
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| 1963 |
2 May |
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General Law Amendment Act No 37:
Section 17, the ninety-day detention law, authorised any commissioned officer to detain - without a warrant - any person suspected of a political crime and to hold them for ninety days without access to a lawyer (Horrell 1978: 469). In practice people were often released after ninety days only to be re-detained on the same day for a further ninety-day period. The ‘Sobukwe clause' allowed for a person convicted of political offences to be detained for a further twelve months. The Act also allowed for further declaration of unlawful organisations. The State President could declare any organisation or group of persons which had come into existence since 7 April 1960 to be unlawful. This enabled the government to extend to Umkhonto we Sizwe and Poqo the restrictions already in force on the ANC and the PAC (Horrell 1978: 416).
Commenced: 2 May 1963, except ss 3, 9 & 14, which came into effect at different times.
Sections 3-7 and 14-17 repealed by the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1963 |
30 May |
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Transkei Constitution Act No 48:
Self-government given to Transkei.
Commenced: 30 May 1963
Repealed by Sch 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act No 200 of 1993.
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1963 |
3 July |
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Extension of University Education Amendment Act No 67:
Amended the 1959 Extension of University Education Act and the University College of Fort Hare Transfer Act No 64 of 1959.
Commenced: 3 July 1963
Repealed by s 21 of the Tertiary Education Act No 66 of 1988.
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1964 |
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Black Labour Act No 67:
Consolidated the laws regulating the recruiting, employment, accommodation, feeding and health conditions of black labourers.
Commenced: 1 January 1965
Repealed by s 69 of the Black Community Development Act No 4 of 1984.
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1964 |
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Education Act No 2:
Overrode South African apartheid schooling systems and provided for black schooling and subsidies.
Commenced: 1 April 1965
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1964 |
24 June |
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General Law Amendment Act No 80:
Amended the 1963 General Law Amendment Act so that the Minister of Justice could extend the operation of the Sobukwe clause in individual cases. Sobukwe was thus imprisoned until 1969. This clause was re-enacted in amended form in 1976.
Commenced: 24 June 1964
Repealed by the Corruption Act No 94 of 1992.
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| 1964 |
28 August |
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Transkei Authorities Act No 6:
Set in place mechanisms for the recognition of the Transkei government.
Commenced: 28 August 1964
Repealed by the Transkei Authorities Act No 4 of 1965
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| 1965 |
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Transkeian Police Act No 5:
Provided for a national policing service and the various powers vested in it.
Commenced: 6 January 1967
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| 1965 |
25 June |
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Criminal Procedure Amendment Act No 96 (180-Day Detention Law):
Provided for 180-day detention and re-detention thereafter. The Attorney-General was empowered to order the detention of persons likely to give evidence for the state in any criminal proceedings relating to certain political or common-law offences. Unlike the ninety-day provision, this did not specify interrogation as part of the detention. Detainees could be held for six months in solitary confinement and only state officials were permitted access. No court had the jurisdiction to order the release of prisoners or to rule on the validity of the regulations under the Act.
Commenced: 25 June 1965
Repealed by s 344 of the Criminal Procedure Act No 51 of 1977 except for ss 319(3) and 384.
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| 1966 |
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Education Act No 9:
Enacted various schooling mechanisms.
Commenced: 6 January 1967
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| 1966 |
30 June |
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Transkeian Authorities Amendment Act No 7:
Amended the list of authoritative bodies in the homeland.
Commenced: 30 June 1966
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| 1966 |
26 October |
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Group Areas Act No 36:
While in theory this was not discriminatory legislation, it was implemented in a way that was advantageous to whites (Dugard 1978: 82).
Commenced: 26 October 1966
Repealed by s 48 of the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991.
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| 1966 |
4 November |
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Industrial Conciliation Further Amendment Act No 61:
Prohibited strikes and lock-outs for any purpose unconnected with the employee/employer relationship (Horrell 1978: 279).
Commenced: 4 November 1966
Repealed by Labour Relations Act No 66 of 1995.
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| 1966 |
4 November |
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General Law Amendment Act No 62:
Designed in response to guerrilla activities on the northern borders of the then South West Africa (Dugard 1978: 116). Section 22(1) was amended to provide for the detention of suspected ‘terrorists' for up to fourteen days for purposes of interrogation. The Commissioner of Police could apply to a judge to have the detention order renewed. This was essentially a forerunner of the 1967 Terrorism Act.
Commenced: 4 November 1966
Sections 3-6 & 22 repealed by the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982
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| 1967 |
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Environmental Planning Act No 88:
Placed restrictions on the number of blacks who could be employed in the manufacturing industry in the larger industrial areas.
Assent gained: 19 June 1967; commencement date not found
IN FORCE: LAND.
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| 1967 |
8 March |
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Suppression of Communism Act No 24:
Prohibited certain persons from making or receiving donations for the benefit of certain organisations; prohibited others from practising as advocates, attorneys, notaries and conveyances, and extended the grounds for deporting people from the Republic.
Commenced: 8 March 1967
Repealed by s 73 of the Internal Security Act 74 of 1982.
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| 1967 |
27 June |
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Terrorism Act No 83:
According to Horrell (1978: 473), this Act signalled the beginning of the struggle against ‘Red arms' as opposed to purely ‘Red ideology'. It authorised indefinite detention without trial on the authority of a policeman of or above the rank of lieutenant colonel. The definition of terrorism was very broad and included most criminal acts. No time limit was specified for detention; it could be continued until detainees had satisfactorily replied to all questions or no useful purpose would be served by continued detention. Fortnightly visits by magistrates were provided for ‘if circumstances permit'. No other visitors were permitted. The Act was operative retrospectively to 27 June 1962 and also applied to South West Africa retrospectively (Horrell 1978: 445). It differed from the ninety-day and 180-day detention laws in that the public was not entitled to information relating to the identity and number of people detained under the Terrorism Act (Dugard 1978: 118).
Commenced: 27 June 1962
All sections except s 7 repealed by s 33 of the Internal Security and Intimidation Amendment Act 138 of 1991.
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| 1967 |
1 September |
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Labour Laws Amendment Act No 4:
Amended South African labour laws for Transkei.
Commenced: 1 September 1967
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| 1968 |
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Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act No 50:
The Coloured Persons Representative Council was formed with forty elected members and twenty nominated members. It had legislative powers to make laws affecting coloureds on finance, local government, education, community welfare and pensions, rural settlements and agriculture. No bill could be introduced without the approval of the Minister of Coloured Relations, nor could a bill be passed without the approval of the white Cabinet (Dugard 1978: 98).
Assent gained: 27 March 1968; commencement date not found
Repealed by s 101(1) of the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act No 110 of 1983.
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| 1968 |
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Prohibition of Political Interference Act No 51:
Prohibited non-racial political parties (ss 1 & 2) and foreign financing of political parties (s 3). The Act was later renamed the ‘Prohibition of Foreign Financing of Political Parties Act' by the 1985 Constitutional Affairs Amendment Act.
Sections 1 and 2 relating to the ban on non-racial political parties repealed by the same Act (No 104) of 1985.
Section 3 repealed by Abolition of Restrictions on Free Political Activity Act No 206 of 1993.
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| 1968 |
26 March |
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South African Indian Council Act No 31:
Established the Council consisting of twenty-five members appointed by the Minister of Indian Affairs. The number was increased to thirty members, of which fifteen were appointed by the Minister and fifteen indirectly through electoral colleges in the provinces (Dugard 1978: 100). Unlike the Coloured Persons Representative Council, the South African Indian Council was not granted legislative powers.
Commenced: 26 March 1968
Repealed by s 23 of the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act No 110 of 1983.
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| 1968 |
27 March |
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Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Amendment Act No 21:
Invalidated any marriage entered into outside South Africa between a male citizen and a woman of another racial group (Dugard 1978: 69).
Commenced: 27 March 1968
Repealed by the Immorality and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Amendment Act No 72 of 1985.
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| 1968 |
3 July |
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Dangerous Weapons Act No 71:
Prohibited the possession of weapons which could cause bodily injury if used in an assault. The Minister of Justice could prohibit the possession or manufacture or supply of such objects.
Commenced: 3 July 1968
IN FORCE (as amended by the Dangerous Weapons Amendment Act No 156 of 1993): ARMS AND AMMUNITION.
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| 1969 |
1 April |
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Public Service Amendment Act No 86:
Established the Bureau of State Security (BOSS) (Horrell 1978: 449).
Commenced: 1 April 1969
Repealed by s 37 of the Public Service Act No 111 of 1984.
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| 1970 |
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Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act (National States Citizenship Act) No 26:
Required all black persons to become citizens of a self-governing territorial authority. As Minister Connie Mulder stated: ‘No black person will eventually qualify in terms of section 10 because they will all be aliens, and as such, will only be able to occupy the houses bequeathed to them by their fathers, in the urban areas, by special permission of the Minister,' i.e. black people are forced by residence in designated ‘homelands' areas to be citizens of that homeland and denied South African nationality, the right to work in South Africa etc.
Assent gained: 26 March 1970; commencement date not found
Repealed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act No 200 of 1993.
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| 1971 |
31 March |
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Bantu Homelands Constitution Act (National States Constitutional Act) No 21:
Provided for the granting of increased powers to homeland governments, thus facilitating their eventual ‘independence'.
Commenced: 31 March 1971
Repealed by Sch 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act No 200 of 1993.
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| 1971 |
12 May |
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Extension of University Education Amendment Act No 29:
In order to prevent students from changing courses after admission, the Minister would give consent only in respect of a specific university and a specified qualification. He could withdraw his consent if the student concerned changed her/his course of study (SRR 1971:288).
Commenced: 12 May 1971
Repealed by s 21 of the Tertiary Education Act No 66 of 1988.
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| 1971 |
26 November |
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Black Affairs Administration Act No 45:
Provided for black self-government in townships.
Commenced: 26 November 1971
Repealed by s 69 of the Black Communities Development Act No 4 of 1984.
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| 1972 - 1977 |
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Between 1972 and 1977, all the homelands were given self-government similar to that of the Transkei (Dugard 1978: 91). All enactments of the Legislative Assemblies of the homelands required the approval of the State President of the Republic of South Africa. |
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| 1972 |
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Bophuthatswana, Ciskei and Lebowa proclaimed a self-governing territories. |
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| 1972 |
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Marriage Act No 4:
Created a local marriage recognition regime, distinct from that of South Africa.
Commenced: 19 April 1973
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| 1972 |
8 March |
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Suppression of Communism Amendment Act No 2:
Amended provisions regarding the participation of certain persons in the activities of certain organisations as well as ministerial powers regarding the registration of newspapers.
Commenced: 8 March 1972
Repealed by s 73(1) of the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982.
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| 1972 |
2 June |
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Admission of Persons to the Republic Regulation Act No 59:
Consolidated the laws relating to prohibited persons and to the admission of persons to the Republic or any of its provinces.
Commenced: 2 June 1972
Repealed by s 60 of the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991.
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| 1972 |
14 June |
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Security Intelligence and State Security Council Act No 64:
Commenced: 14 June 1972
Repealed by s 7 of the National Strategic Intelligence Act No 39 of 1994.
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| 1973 |
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Venda and Gazankulu proclaimed a self-governing territories.
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| 1973 |
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Aliens Control Act No 40:
Exempted Indians from the need to obtain permits for travel between provinces. However, in terms of provincial legislation, Indians were not allowed to stay in the Orange Free State and parts of northern Natal for more than a brief period unless prior permission had been obtained (Dugard 1978: 73).
Repealed by s 60 of the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act No 108 of 1991.
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| 1973 |
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Black Labour Relations Regulation Amendment Act 70:
This Act was passed in response to a wave of strikes in 1972 and 1973 (Bendix 1989: 302) and included a limited right to strike. Previously black workers had been completely prohibited from striking.
Repealed by s 63 of the Labour Relation Amendment Act No 57 of 1981.
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