TRC Final Report

Volume 1

Chapter 13

Subsection 8

1952 Blacks (Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents) Act No 67:

U Repealed the laws relating to the carrying of passes by blacks.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Repealed by s 23 of the Identification Act No 72 of 1986

1953 Reservation of Separate Amenities Act No 49:

A 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Repealed by s 1 of Discriminatory Legislation Regarding Public Amenities Appeal Act No 100 of 1990

1953 Public Safety Act No 3:

S 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Repealed by the State of Emergency Act No 86 of 1995

1953 Criminal Law Amendment Act No 8:

S 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Repealed by s 73 of the Internal Security Act No 74 of 1982

1953 Black Education Act No 47:

E 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Repealed by s 45 of the Education and Training Act No 90 of 1979

1953 Black Labour Relations Regulation Act (Black Labour and Settlement of Disputes Act) No 48:

W 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Repealed by s 63 of the Labour Relations Amendment Act No 57 of 1981