Against Discrimination PDF

11 Against Discrimination I feel oppressed by the atmosphere of white domination that lurks all around in this court room. It calls to mind the inhuman injustices caused to my people by this same white domination. It reminds me that I am voteless because of this parliament. We are w...

11 Against Discrimination I feel oppressed by the atmosphere of white domination that lurks all around in this court room. It calls to mind the inhuman injustices caused to my people by this same white domination. It reminds me that I am voteless because of this parliament. We are without land, and forced to occupy poverty-stricken Reserves overpopulated and over stocked. I raise the question how can I be expected to believe that this same racial discrimination which has been the cause of so much injustice and suffering right through the years should now operate here to give me a fair and open trial? The Pretoria Trial of Nelson Mandela (1962) Fig. 11.1 Given above are the words of Nelson Mandela, the freedom fighter of South Africa. Who practised racial discrimination in South Africa? In which situation would Nelson Mandela have to undergo such a trial? Nelson Mandela was the person who fought for the emancipation of the South Africans who were oppressed because of their race for centuries. He had to suffer imprisonment for three decades, for fighting for the freedom of his country and its people. We need to know the features of this country to know more about the discrimination and oppression that its people had to undergo. Examine the World Map and find out the continent in which South Africa is situated. Fig. 11.2 World Map South Africa: Location, Geographical Features South Africa is a country that is located at the southernmost tip of the African continent sharing its borders with the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. South Africa has its own diverse geographical features. Broad coastal lands, vast plains Against Discrimination 167  and plateaus, lofty mountain ranges, great rivers, waterfalls and dry deserts make this country unique. The wealth from inland agrarian lands and mines, weather and human resources attracted the Europeans to South Africa. Examine the globe and atlas and find out the following details. Between which latitude and longitude is South Africa situated? Which countries share border with South Africa? The Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope is situated at the southernmost tip of the African continent, on the shores of the Atlantic. To reach the countries in the Asian continent like India, the Europeans had to sail Fig. 11.3 through the Atlantic Ocean, encircling the African Continent. As this cape gave the navigators the hope to reach Asia, it was named Cape of Good Hope. Identify the location, capital, major cities and historically important sites of South Africa using digital map. Colonisation of South Africa The first inhabitants of South Africa were tribal people who belonged to the groups San and Xhosa. It was the tribal groups Colonisation from the other parts of Africa who migrated to this place for the first time. Towards the Colonisation is the political, end of the 15th century, the Europeans social, economic and cultural started their expeditions to South Africa. domination and control of one By the 17th century, the Dutch became country over another region influential in South Africa and Cape Town and its people. became their major colony. By the 18th century, the British reached South Africa. They decided to make South 168 Social Science VII - Part 2 Africa their colony with the aim to acquire more land areas in different parts of the world, to capture the immense wealth of Africa, to establish supremacy over other European countries and to make it a temporary point of halt on their journey to the Asian continent. The Great Trek Boers Boers are the descendants of the Dutch (Netherlands), French and the Germans who came to South Africa from Europe. ‘Boer’ is the Dutch word for ‘farmer.’ Later, they came to be known as Afrikaner and their language and culture as Afrikaans. Let’s examine how the colonisation projects of the British affected the Boers. The British captured the Cape Colony from the Dutch and implemented certain policies there. Restrictions were imposed on Dutch language. English was made the sole language of Cape Colony. By the mid 19th century, British abolished slavery in their colonies. This adversely affected the Boers who used slaves to cultivate their lands. The Great Trek is the exodus of the Boers to the interior areas of South Africa to escape from such policies introduced by the British. Following the Great Trek, the Boers established Republics in Transvaal, Orange Free State and Natal. Fig. 11.4 Great Trek Against Discrimination 169  Boer Wars Let’s examine the circumstances which became the causes of the Boer Wars that changed the history of South Africa. Towards the end of the 19th century, mines of gold and diamond were discovered in the regions under the Boer Republics. Thus, South Africa became the largest producers of gold and diamond. The Boer wars started when Britain attempted to merge the Boer Republic with the British colonies. The First Boer War Britain captured Transvaal to extend their reign to more regions. Following this, the First Boer war started (1880-81). The Boers won the battle and formed the Republic of South Africa, merging Transvaal and the nearby regions. The Second Boer War Disputes over the asset from the gold mines and the control over them led to the Second Boer War. The Boer administrators instituted tax on the gold mines. The British demanded the right to vote for their labourers in the mines. When this demand was denied by the Republican administrators, the armed struggle – the most destructive war in the history of South Africa, started. The British army defeated the Boer republics in this battle. As per the Treaty of Vereeniging, the Boers approved the sovereign of Britain. The union of South Africa was formed as an autonomous territory under the control of the British. Based on the new constitution implemented by the Union of South Africa, the British and Afrikaners got a high consideration. However, the fundamental rights of the black people were denied. Fig. 11.5 Second Boer War 170 Social Science VII - Part 2