Reservation of Separate Amenities Act
Encyclopedia
The Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, Act No 49 of 1953, formed part of the apartheid system of racial segregation in South Africa
.
The Act legalized the racial segregation
of public premises, vehicles and services. Only public roads and streets were excluded from the Act. Section 3b stated that the facilities for different races did not need to be equal, while Section 3a made it legal not only to supply segregated facilities, but also to completely exclude people, based on their race, from public premises, vehicles or services. In practice the best facilities were reserved for whites while those for other races were inferior.
Municipalities quickly made use of the Act to pass by-laws that reserved certain areas for whites only.
On 20 June 1990 the South African Parliament voted to repeal the Act, and on 15 October 1990 it was finally repealed.
A notable exception to the segregation that was implemented following the Act was the Johannesburg Zoo
and Zoo Lake. Due to requirements in the Deed of Gift, under which the land for the zoo and lake was acquired, segregation was not permitted and consequently the zoo and public park where the lake is located was open to all races from the time they were established.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The Act legalized the racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
of public premises, vehicles and services. Only public roads and streets were excluded from the Act. Section 3b stated that the facilities for different races did not need to be equal, while Section 3a made it legal not only to supply segregated facilities, but also to completely exclude people, based on their race, from public premises, vehicles or services. In practice the best facilities were reserved for whites while those for other races were inferior.
Municipalities quickly made use of the Act to pass by-laws that reserved certain areas for whites only.
On 20 June 1990 the South African Parliament voted to repeal the Act, and on 15 October 1990 it was finally repealed.
A notable exception to the segregation that was implemented following the Act was the Johannesburg Zoo
Johannesburg Zoo
The Johannesburg Zoo is a zoo in Johannesburg, South Africa. Established in 1904, it has traditionally been owned and operated by the City of Johannesburg...
and Zoo Lake. Due to requirements in the Deed of Gift, under which the land for the zoo and lake was acquired, segregation was not permitted and consequently the zoo and public park where the lake is located was open to all races from the time they were established.
External links
- Copy of the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, Act No 49 of 1953 from the DISA library of the University of KwaZulu-NatalUniversity of KwaZulu-NatalThe University of KwaZulu-Natal or UKZN is a university with five campuses all located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.-History:-University of...