How the 1910 Act of Union in South Africa affected the Indians in Natal province

How the 1910 Act of Union in South Africa affected the Indians in Natal province

The effects were political, economic and social.

There was a registration fee of 3 pounds levied on every Indian.

A Pass was necessary to work from one place to another.

If they were married they were required to register with the Protectorate as Indian immigrants.

No Indian was to pray without a license and one had to face many difficulties in obtaining a license.

The Indian immigrants were supposed to pass the education test or an examination. Thus the Indians were subject to many difficulties and insulting treatment- they were called Sammy or Coolies-Porters.

They were not required to move freely and had to remove Turbans in court proceedings.

The 1910 Act of Union made the Indians in Natal to unite as one group, irrespective of caste, religion, cultural diversity against the whites.

The Natal Indian Congress (NYC) was consolidated further by Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi and his friends to use non violence (or Passive resistance) to fight for the rights of the Indians in South Africa.

The Indian opinion Newspaper was printed to de-campaign racism in South Africa.

The 910 Act consolidated Indian nationalism in Natal and other areas with Gandhi as the leader or the moving spirit.

He founded a Philosophy or a political thought of Satyagraha (truth and passive resistance) or the moral equivalent of war.

There was disenfranchisement of over 250 able Indians who could vote out of a total of over 43,000 Indians after 1910. Indians who didn't possess a Certificate of Registration were required by law to leave South Africa.

The Indian entry in South African was restricted on grounds of education and not race.

The Act of union also laid ground after 1912, the enactment of the Black Act, which touched on registration of Indians in South Africa. The racial bar was added in the immigration law and a tax of 3 pounds was continued.

Only marriages performed under Christian rites and registered were legal in South Africa to the Indians.

By 1913, there were strikes of Indians working in the mines and plantations over discrimination/ racism in South Africa.

In 1914, the Indian Relief Act was passed with a tax of 3 pounds abolished Indian religions (Hindu, Muslim. and Parshi), marriages were recognized.

There were to be no indentured (Indian laborers) to move in South Africa after 1920.

It should be noted that, it was not possible to fight for the rights of the Indian already in South Africa and for a fresh flow of immigrants.

A law, which restricted the Indians from the right to trade, reside or own land in Transvaal was maintained

Indian Naturalism later inspired African Nationalism in the liberation struggle in the whole continent.

In 1920, due to nationalism pressure from the Indians, the white government allowed Indians to be classified with freedom but the Africans remained isolated.

Attachments

Why the Union of South Africa delayed until/ upto 1910 (What problems had hindered the Union attempts)

The Boers Afrikaaners opposed the Federal system of government proposed by the British.

The British also opposed the Unitary system of government by the Boers. In the end, the Boer system was accepted.

The whites feared to maintain a very big structure of administration in form of a Union.

The Boers Afrikaaners feared British domination in the Union government.

The whites were still in a commercial competitionziver; economic resources, tariffs and the transport sector.

The British wanted to have influence on the new proposed Union Constitution. The 1908 National Convention solved this.

The character and personality of Boer hardliners like Paul Kruger and Joubert.

The arrogance of Lord Carenarvon unlike Lord Selbourne.

The Boers at first looked at the proposed Union as a British affair. In 1970's delegates were invited in London, which the Boer representatives abandoned.

The Sand River Convention 1852 and the Bloemfontein Convention 1854 and their terms made the Boers in the Republics very stubborn and arrogant.

Africkaaner/ Boer nationalism was a threat to the proposed Union.

The Boers remained a proud and an arrogant race.

The annexation of the Boer Republics by the British thwarted all efforts at Union. For example;

(a) 1877 annexation of Transvaal by the British

(b) 1871 annexation of the Orange Free State by the British after the Kaete Award that led to Boer loss of the Diamond fields.

The role and character of Cecil Rhodes, 1.S Leander and the BSACO tainted efforts at Union.

Many British leaders in the Cape Colony could not accept/ give in their powers due the proposed Union for example Prime Minister Molteno and John Cecil Rhodes.

The Anglo- Boers of 1880-81 and 1899-1902 made the Boers believe that the British proposed Union could not work.

The Jameson Raid of 1895 also thwarted efforts at Union.

Utilander - British - Boer worse relations prevented the idea of Union.

By 1902, the British colonial government never supported the idea of Union! Federation. In 1850's the British colonial govermnent in London recalled Sir. George Grey to London.

Efforts at Federation in 1850's and 1870's had been made quick before approval of the British colonial government, hich made it unpopular even among the British.

The long term hatred and hostilities between the Boers and the British since 1830's.

Both the white communities had mistrusts and suspicions over the benefits of the proposed Union.

Boer - African conflicts with the Zulu, Sotho diverted efforts aimed at FederationlUnion.

The strength of the Sotho state under Moshoeshoe also slowed down the plans of the Union.

Up to 1908, it was not clear as to what form of Union South Africa would take. Some wanted unitary System and others the federal state but unitary by the Afrikaners was taken .

The question of language to be official. It was later resolved with English and Dutch were to be official.

The question of capital of the Union was also a problem. But later three capitals were set, Cape Town as Legislative, Pretoria in Transvaal as administrative while Bloemfontein in Orange Free State became the legal or Judicial Capital.

The other issue concerned franchise and racial Policy. Who was to vote, or to be voted into Parliament? If the Boers left out the Africans, the British wanted equal representation and equal rights to non-whites and later a common Policy against the Africans was adopted.

Results of the 1910 Act Union on the whites and the Africans

The results were positive and negative;

The Union Constitution promoted the position of the whites in South Africa at the expense of the Africans.

The Africans were still to be inferior to the Boers.

The Union Constitution promoted racist policies in its acts and laid background for Apartheid policies.

It led to the formation of other Acts against the blacks in south Africa, for example in 1911, the whites passed the Mines and Works Act were they restricted employment of Africans as skilled workers.

In 1913, the Land Act formed Native and Non-Native areas.

The Act of Union resulted in the creation of separatist policies in South Africa with these policies of discrimination.

Africa became poorer than before. They had lost their fertile and rich lands to the whites.

The 1910 Act of Union laid a basis for reconciliation of the white race in South Africa.

The terms of the Union were mainly dictated by the Boers, for instance the Union Parliament was to be dominated by the Boers. This consolidated them politically from 1910.

The policy of Sir Alfred Milner and Joseph Chamberlain of upholding British interests was defeated by the Union in 1910.

The Union ended conflicts between the Boers and the British as the two developed uniform racial policy against the Africans.

The Union led to African loss of independence, which led to the growth of African nationalism. For instance in 1912 the African National Congress (ANC) was formed to struggle for the rights of the Africans.

The powers of the individual white states were reduced by the Union Parliament.

The Act of Union also recognized the idea of separate existence of Africans, as Africa's were confined in reserves and camps that were semi arid and Tsetse fly infested. The whites had to take over African fertile land.

With the white man's Union in 1910, tariffs and quotas were removed. This eventuaJly boosted trade in South Africa, which led to rapid development of South Africa.

The British no longer supported Africans over their rights. And this marked African loss of their independence .

South Africa became more British economically, politically and socially.

The Economic Co-operation and progress among the white terrorists was strengthened. This co-operation led to a large market of about 6 million people.

The exclusion of Africans from politics led to the formation of African political parties to claim for political, social and economic independence, for example the African National Congress was started in 1912 by Dr. Pixley-Seme.

The Union was a victory for the Afrikaaner freedom. It was practically an Act of Conciliation between the Boers and the British.

The British government gave up its position to influence the affairs of the non- whites in South African community. It confirmed white domination in the politics of South Africa.

Officially by the Act of Union, South Africa became one country under one central government on May 31, 1910.

The Afrikaaners were in a position to gain control of the South African government the Afrikaaner political parties joined to form a bigger South African National Party (NP).

Africans lost out, for example voting rights, political systems and Parliamentary representation.

The Act also registered some failures- the black people became poorer and the rich whites' richer triumph of Afrikaner nationalism, the deceptive political environment, Africans were segregated .

It guaranteed the independence of the blacks in the High Commission Territories, as well as in Rhodesia.

It aroused political consciousness of the Africans who now formed political parties in the need for freedom since 1912.

The whites in a way started the struggle for power from 1910.

The Act of Union led to the growth of shanty towns and slums with all the bad associated evils. The magnificent areas were for the Europeans.

The treaty led to equal sharing of the white provinces in South Africa- Transvaal and Orange Free State went to the Boers, Natal and Cape Colony went to the British.

The Union recognized English and Dutch languages as official languages of South Africa