Hip hop identity in a township reality. - Poppunt

where the many townships arose. The report argued in favour of a solution that
allowed for the differences between the population groups without neglecting their
economical entwinement (Vervliet: 35). In other words, the report recommended a
gradual end to segregation in the cities, which would also mean the system of
labour migration would not be necessary anymore whereby the black population
was settled in distant rural areas (Wikipedia).
In response to the Fagan Commission, the NP (who took power from the UP later
that year) ordered its own commission (the Sauer Commission) to investigate the
general policy with regard to the black population (Vervliet: 35). The solution that
was proposed by the Fagan Commission was not feasible according to the Sauer
Commission. Instead, a system of complete partition was proposed. Different racial
groups would be completely separated from each other. The system of apartheid
was born as an ideology of fear from a minority to become overrun by the majority.
The integration of black people in the predominantly white cities would equal the
loss of identity for the whites. Apartheid was associated with the preservation of the
Afrikaner culture (Vervliet: 36). Every person was classified depending on his or her
race. There were three options: either somebody was white, coloured or black. A
fourth category – Asian/Indian – was later added. For questionable cases there was
a classification board who had to decide which category was most applicable
(Wikipedia). Members of the same family could find themselves categorised in
different race groups.
In 1950 the Group Areas Act was introduced in an attempt to geographically
separate the different racial groups (Wikipedia). The existing pass laws became even
more severe from 1952 on (Ross: 146). Blacks and coloureds were compelled to
carry identity documents and were kept away from white areas. They could only
enter with a pass, which was only given to people with an approved job (Wikipedia).
In daily life, apartheid led to the segregation on public transport, beaches,
swimming pools, libraries, restaurants and so on (Vervliet: 17-18). Apartheid
pervaded South African culture as well as the law. The media reinforced the
perception of non-white South Africans as second-class citizens (Wikipedia).
In 1955 the Tomlinson Commission proposed a plan to give black people their own
separate states that were going to be politically independent from South Africa
(Wikipedia). The black population was divided according to their mother language,
descent and cultural habits (Vervliet: 18). They would become citizens of the
‘homelands’ or ‘bantustans’ they were sent to. The South African government
attempted to divide the country into a number of separate states. More than eighty