South African Population Registration Act of 1950

South Africas Population Registration Act No. 30 (commenced on July 7) was passed in 1950 and defined in clear terms who belonged to a particular race. Race was defined by physical appearance and the act required people to be identified and registered from birth as belonging to one of four distinct racial groups: White, Coloured, Bantu (Black African), and Other. It was one of the pillars of Apartheid. When the law was implemented, citizens were issued identity documents and race was reflected by the individuals Identity Number. The Act was typified by humiliating tests which determined race through perceived linguistic and/or physical characteristics. The wording of the Act was imprecise, but it was applied with great enthusiasm: A White person is one who is in appearance obviously white — and not generally accepted as Coloured — or who is generally accepted as White — and is not obviously Non-White, provided that a person shall not be classified as a White person if one of his natural parents has been classified as a Coloured person or a Bantu... A Bantu is a person who is, or is generally accepted as, a member of any aboriginal race or tribe of Africa... A Coloured is a person who is not a White person or a Bantu... Racial Test The following elements were used for determining the Coloureds from the Whites: Skin colorFacial featuresCharacteristics of the persons hair on their headCharacteristics of the persons other hairHome language and the knowledge of AfrikaansThe area where the person livesThe persons friendsEating and drinking habitsEmploymentSocioeconomic status The Pencil Test If the authorities doubted the color of someones skin, they would use a pencil in hair test. A pencil was pushed in the hair, and if it remained in place without dropping, the hair was designated as frizzy hair and the person would then be classified as colored. If the pencil dropped out of the hair, the person would be deemed white. Incorrect Determination Many decisions were wrong, and families wound up being split and/or evicted for living in the wrong area. Hundreds of colored families were reclassified as white and in a handful of instances, Afrikaners were designated as colored.  In addition, some Afrikaner parents abandoned children with frizzy hair or children with dark skin who were considered outcasts. Other Apartheid Laws The Population Registration Act No. 30 worked in conjunction with other laws passed under the apartheid system. Under the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act of 1949, it was illegal for a white person to marry someone of another race. The Immorality Amendment Act of 1950 made it a crime for a white person to have sex with someone from another race. Repeal of The Population Registration Act The South African Parliament repealed the act on June 17, 1991. However, the racial categories set forth by the act are still ingrained in the culture of South Africa. They also still underlie some of the official policies designed to remedy past economic inequalities. Source War Measures Continuation. Population Registration. South African History Online, June 22, 1950.