Group Areas Act

{{Short description|South African laws codifying racial segregation}}

{{Use South African English|date=February 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

File:Mass Meeting at Durban on May 28, 1950 to protest against Group Area Bill and Suppression of Communism Bill.jpg attended by over 20,000. The meeting was jointly organised by the African National Congress, Natal Indian Congress, and the Coloured People Organisation.]]

{{Infobox legislation

| short_title = Group Areas Act, 1950

| legislature =

| image = Coat of arms of South Africa (1932–2000).svg

| imagesize = 200px

| imagealt = 258 x

| caption =

| long_title = Act to provide for the establishment of group areas, for the control of the acquisition of immovable property and the occupation of land and premises, and for matters incidental thereto.

| citation = Act No. 41 of 1950

| territorial_extent =

| enacted_by = Parliament of South Africa 

| date_enacted =

| passed = 2785x

| date_commenced = 30 March 1951 (Cape, Transvaal, Natal)
31 October 1952 (O.F.S.)

| date_of_expiry =

| date_repealed = 1 November 1957

| administered_by = Minister of the Interior

| bill = 250009665

| bill_citation =

| bill_date =

| introduced_by =

| 1st_reading =

| 2nd_reading =

| 3rd_reading =

| conf_committee_passed =

| bill2 =

| bill_citation2 =

| bill_date2 =

| introduced_by2 =

| 1st_reading2 =

| 2nd_reading2 =

| 3rd_reading2 =

| conf_committee_passed2 =

| date_conf_committee =

| white_paper =

| committee_report =

| amendments =

| repealed_by = Group Areas Act, 1991

| related_legislation =

| summary =

| keywords =

| status = repealed

}}

{{Infobox legislation

| short_title = Group Areas Act, 1991

| legislature =

| image = Coat of arms of South Africa (1932–2000).svg

| imagesize = 200px

| imagealt =

| caption =

| long_title = Act to consolidate the law relating to the establishment of group areas, the control of the acquisition of immovable property and the occupation of land and premises and matters incidental thereto.

| citation = Act No. 77 of 1957

| territorial_extent =

| enacted_by = Parliament of South Africa 

| date_enacted =

| date_passed =

| enacted_by2 =

| date_enacted2 =

| date_passed2 =

| date_assented =

| royal_assent = 24 June 1957

| date_signed =

| date_commenced = 1 November 1957

| date_of_expiry =

| date_repealed = 26 October 1966

| administered_by = Minister of the Interior

| bill =

| bill_citation =

| bill_date =

| introduced_by =

| 1st_reading =

| 2nd_reading =

| 3rd_reading =

| conf_committee_passed =

| bill2 =

| bill_citation2 =

| bill_date2 =

| introduced_by2 =

| 1st_reading2 =

| 2nd_reading2 =

| 3rd_reading2 =

| conf_committee_passed2 =

| date_conf_committee =

| white_paper =

| committee_report =

| amendments =

| repeals = Group Areas Act, 1950

| repealed_by = Group Areas Act, 1991

| related_legislation =

| summary =

| keywords =

| status = repealed

}}

{{Infobox legislation

| short_title = Group Areas Act, 1966

| legislature =

| image = Coat of arms of South Africa (1932–2000).svg

| imagesize = 200px

| imagealt =

| caption =

| long_title = Act to consolidate the law relating to the establishment of group areas, the control of the acquisition of immovable property and the occupation of land and premises, and matters incidental thereto.

| citation = Act No. 36 of 1966

| territorial_extent =

| enacted_by = Parliament of South Africa 

| date_enacted =

| date_passed =

| enacted_by2 =

| date_enacted2 =

| date_passed2 =

| date_assented = 5 October 1966

| royal_assent =

| date_signed =

| date_commenced = 26 October 1966

| date_of_expiry =

| date_repealed = 30 June 1991

| administered_by = Minister of Planning

| bill =

| bill_citation =

| bill_date =

| introduced_by =

| 1st_reading =

| 2nd_reading =

| 3rd_reading =

| conf_committee_passed =

| bill2 =

| bill_date2 =

| introduced_by2 =

| 1st_reading2 =

| 2nd_reading2 =

| 3rd_reading2 =

| conf_committee_passed2 =

| date_conf_committee =

| white_paper =

| committee_report =

| amendments =

| repeals = Group Areas Act, 1957

| repealed_by = Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act, 1991

| related_legislation =

| summary =

| keywords =

| status = repealed

}}

Group Areas Act was the title of three acts of the Parliament of South Africa enacted under the apartheid government of South Africa. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of urban apartheid. An effect of the law was to exclude people of colour from living in the most developed areas, which were restricted to Whites (e.g. Sea Point, Claremont). It required many people of colour to commute large distances from their homes to be able to work. The law led to people of colour being forcibly removed for living in the "wrong" areas. People of colour, who were the majority at the time, were given much smaller areas (e.g., Tongaat, Grassy Park) to live in than the white minority. Pass Laws required people of colour to carry pass books and later "reference books",Women's Anti-Pass Law Campaigns in South Africa http://africanhistory.about.com/od/apartheid/a/WomensAntiPass.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004131756/http://africanhistory.about.com/od/apartheid/a/WomensAntiPass.htm |date=4 October 2016 }} similar to passports, to enter the "white" parts of the country.

The first Group Areas Act, the Group Areas Act, 1950 was promulgated on 7 July 1950, and it was implemented over a period of several years. It was amended by Parliament in 1952, 1955 (twice), 1956 and 1957. Later in 1957, it was repealed and re-enacted in consolidated form as the Group Areas Act, 1957, which was amended in 1961, 1962, and 1965. In 1966, that version was, in turn, repealed and re-enacted as the Group Areas Act, 1966, which was amended in 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, and 1984. It was repealed, along with many other discriminatory laws, on 30 June 1991 by the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act, 1991.