Crime and Punishment in South Africa in the 1940’s

1. Crime and Punishment in South Africa in the 1940’s Paris Bloomquist Emily Murchison Chris Smith

2. What is happening during the 1940s in South Africa? • Apartheid • Struggle for power

3. Crimes Committed During Apartheid • Murder • Extermination • Enslavement • Torture • Deportation or forcible transfer of population • Burglary • Other inhumane acts against people’s liberty and freedom • Illegal townships • Treason

4. What Factors Influenced Crime? • Anger towards apartheid and lack of civil rights. • During apartheid, some people organized a demonstration protesting the laws that required black citizens to carry passes and then the police opened fire killing 69 people. • Unemployment/ Poverty • Racial tensions

5. How did Crimes Affect South Africa? • They made everyday life more dangerous • Increased taxes • Caused emotional distress on citizens • Made it harder to travel

6. Common Crimes in Different Ethnicity • Africans would often live illegally in townships • The few white people who were against apartheid would often join Africans in rebellions against the government • Indians would often not participate in crimes, but passively resist to apartheid, often lead by Gandhi

7. Common Crimes in Different Sexes • Women would often organize boycotts and campaigns • Men often engaged in physical revolts toward one another

8. Crime Penalties • If one committed high enough treason, they would be punished with death • Anti-apartheid groups were often banned • Many people would attend jail for the more minor crimes

9. Crime Rates • We researched crime rates in South Africa for an extensive period of time, however we were unable to find any records that reach back to the 1940. We would assume that crime rates were higher compared to crime rates before and after apartheid.