Link - Video interview with Obed Bapela about pass laws | November 15, 2006 | from Overcoming Apartheid website
These were laws that from the British and Dutch colonists as ways to control native South Africans. They were essentially internal (within the country) "passports" that all citizens had to carry, and were used as a way to segregate and control the black African population.
The laws progressively got even worse during the 19th century, especially as a way to force native South Africans into labor in the gold and diamond mines. A law passed in 1952 required all males 16 years old and older to carry a book with references from previous employers, employment history, as well as personal information.
Sources: http://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/multimedia.php?id=65-259-3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_laws
Link - Video interview with Obed Bapela about pass laws | November 15, 2006 | from Overcoming Apartheid website
These were laws that from the British and Dutch colonists as ways to control native South Africans. They were essentially internal (within the country) "passports" that all citizens had to carry, and were used as a way to segregate and control the black African population.
The laws progressively got even worse during the 19th century, especially as a way to force native South Africans into labor in the gold and diamond mines. A law passed in 1952 required all males 16 years old and older to carry a book with references from previous employers, employment history, as well as personal information.
Sources:
http://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/multimedia.php?id=65-259-3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_laws