1958-1978 Development of Apartheid and Growing Resistance

• Hendrick Verwoerd became Minister of Native Affairs in 1950. He was primarily responsible for the creation of the Bantustans.
• In 1958, Hendrick Verwoerd became prime minister of South Africa. Of all South African leaders he was the most determined to enforce Apartheid.
• Verwoerd introduced the Bantu Self-government Act in 1959, which led to the setting up of tribal homelands.
• Many worker began to live hundreds of miles from their families in hostels of the edge of the big cities.
• Verwoerd steadily increased police powers. He believed that incidents like Sharpeville needed to be dealt with severely.
• In 1963, The General Law Amendment Act allowed for suspects to be held without trial for 90 days and in 1965 up to 180 days.
• Reports of torture began to increase during Verwoerd's time as Prime Minister, with the first prisoner dying under police custody in 1963.
• Banning orders became more and more frequent. These prevented people from attending meetings, leaving home without police permission, meeting other "banned" people.