64 years since apartheid government passed the Natives Resettlement Act
SOPHIATOWN – The apartheid government destroyed the magic of one of the country's most culturally diverse neighbourhoods.
The 1st of August marks 64 years since the Natives Resettlement Act resulted in the forced removals of residents.
With land ownership and expropriation on the lips of politicians, business people and ordinary citizens, this day acts as a reminder of the horrendous history of land-related issues in our country.
WATCH: This Truth and Reconciliation Commission video by the SABC goes into detail about the forced removals in Sophiatown
It was on 1 August that the apartheid government passed the Natives Resettlement Act, Act No 19 of 1954. This act empowered the government to remove people of colour from any area within and next to the magisterial district of Johannesburg, according to South African History Online.
This was the exact law used by the government to violently remove Africans, coloureds, Indians living in Sophiatown less than a year after it was passed.
The Nationalist government deployed security police to Sophiatown in January 1955 in anticipation of major resistance against the forced removals.
People were manhandled onto trucks and their belongings haphazardly loaded and driven to remote locations where they were forced to live.
