On 7 July 2020, it was 70 years since the passing of the Group Areas Act of 1950. The Group Areas Act was one of the main legal instruments used to reinforce apartheid, and emphasised the provision of separate residential areas, educational services and other amenities for the different race groups.
The Durban City Council, representing the white ruling class, was at the forefront of calls for the segregation of Indians. In the 1940s, white civic organisations and the Durban Chamber of Commerce complained about the increased Indian encroachment into white residential areas, and this led to commissions of inquiry into Indian “penetration” in 1941 and 1943.
Restrictions on Indian acquisition and occupation of land in Durban dates back almost to their arrival in South Africa in 1860 as indentured labourers, who were followed by “passenger” Indians who were mainly traders. As Indians progressed economically, they were perceived to be a threat to European interests. Basically, there was a conflict between white and Indian capital, and this was being expressed in racial and ethnic terms. Indian merchants challenged white economic hegemony and status.
Indian political and civic organisations were vociferous in their condemnation of, and opposition to, the Group Areas Act, which was intended to ruin the community economically, relocate them into ghettos and ultimately force their repatriation to India.
While there was some collaboration between the NIC and ANC leaders, a telling indictment against the political leadership of the period was their elite tendencies and the failure to mobilise across racial barriers at the grassroots level. There was also a leadership vacuum as several leaders in the Indian and African congress movement, including Dr Monty Naicker and Chief Albert Luthuli, were arrested and charged with treason in 1956. Their trial continued until 1961, when all were acquitted.
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