The Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act, 1991 (Act No. 108 of 1991) is an act of the Parliament of South Africa which repealed many of the apartheid laws that imposed race-based restrictions on land ownership and land use. Among the laws repealed were the Black Land Act, 1913 (formerly the Native Land Act), the Development Trust and Land Act, 1936 (formerly the Native Trust and Land Act) and the Group Areas Act, 1966.
Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act, 1991 | |
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Parliament of South Africa | |
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Citation | Act No. 108 of 1991 |
Territorial extent | Republic of South Africa |
Enacted by | Parliament of South Africa |
Assented to | 27 June 1991 |
Commenced | 30 June 1991 |
Repeals | |
Black Land Act, 1913 Development Trust and Land Act, 1936 Unbeneficial Occupation of Farms Act, 1937 Coloured Persons Settlement Act, 1946 Asiatic Land Tenure Act, 1946 Black Affairs Act, 1959 Rural Coloured Areas Act, 1963 Group Areas Act, 1966 Black Communities Development Act, 1984 | |
Summary | |
Repealed laws that imposed racially based restrictions on land ownership and use. | |
Status: Spent |
In his speech at the Opening of Parliament on 1 February 1991, State President F. W. de Klerk announced that the Land Acts and the Group Areas Act would be repealed. A white paper on the topic was tabled on 12 March. The bill was passed by Parliament on 5 June, signed by President de Klerk on 27 June, and came into force on 30 June.[1] The reasons that the white minority government repealed what had been its key legislation were to respond to longstanding demands by activists, to build its legitimacy ahead of the negotiations for a transition to democracy and to preempt more radical reforms that the democratic state would potentially bring. [2][3]
List of repealed principal acts
edit- Black Land Act, 1913 (Native Land Act, 1913)
- Development Trust and Land Act, 1936 (Native Trust and Land Act, 1936)
- Unbeneficial Occupation of Farms Act, 1937
- Coloured Persons Settlement Act, 1946
- Asiatic Land Tenure Act, 1946
- Black Affairs Act, 1959 (Native Affairs Act, 1959)
- Rural Coloured Areas Act, 1963
- Group Areas Act, 1966
- Black Communities Development Act, 1984
References
edit- ^ O'Malley, Padraig. "Chronologies: 1991". Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Dialogue. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ Letsoalo, E.M.; Thupana, M.J.J. (June 2013). "The repeal of the land acts: the challenge of land reform policies in South Africa". Social Dynamics. 39 (2): 298–307. doi:10.1080/02533952.2013.796120. ISSN 0253-3952. S2CID 143916268.
- ^ Marcus, Tessa (1991). "Palace Coup on Land Reform". Indicator SA. 8: 49–54.
External links
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