Kaffir Boy Essay

The Impact of Apartheid on South African Life: A Study of Mathabane's Autobiography, "Kaffir Boy"

Hani Ahmed

History 1730

7/26/23

For decades, apartheid was the official policy of the South African government, a system of institutionalized racial segregation that created deep division between black and white South Africans. It limited the rights and opportunities o black citizens leading to widespread discrimination and violence. In his autobiography “Kaffir boy”, Mark Mathabane provides a personal count of growing up under apartheid and the devastating impact it had on his life and the lives of those around him. Mathabane's autobiography shows us the extreme poverty, violence, and discrimination under the

“The party's leaders believed in the principle of separate development which meant that different racial groups should be kept and allowed to develop Independently.” 1 Under the apartheid the government implemented a range of policies that institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination, including laws that restricted the rights and movements of black South Africans, and that enforced racial segregation in public spaces like schools, hospitals, and public transportation. They made laws that discriminated against black people and limited their rights. One of the unfair laws was the pass laws, which required black people to carry special passes called passbooks that controlled where they could go. If they didn't have a pass or were found in the wrong area, they could get arrested. The government also forced black families to move from their homes to live in poor areas far away from cities. This caused a lot of hardships and made it harder for them to access basic services. In schools, black students received a lower quality of education compared to white students. This made it difficult for them to find good jobs and improve their lives. The apartheid system made life very hard for black South Africans, limiting their opportunities and subjecting them to discrimination and poverty. At the same time, white South Africans enjoyed privileges and advantages simply

The book's title comes from a derogatory term he endured as a child, symbolizing the era of apartheid—a system of legalized racial segregation between black and white communities in South Africa. From the beginning we see how life is different for black south Africans compared to their white peers. "Sirens blared, voices screamed and shouted, wood cracked, and windows shattered, children bawled, dogs barked, and footsteps pounded."2. Mark Mathabane shares one of the many challenging experiences he and other black kids faced every morning in apartheid South Africa. Apartheid was a policy that segregated and economically discriminated against non-white people, impacting all black people living in the country and making them feel like slaves in their own