Effects Of Apartheid In The Mother To Mother By Sindisiwe Magona

Apartheid was a system which segregated and oppressed the non-whites. White people where superior than any other race. People were treated according to their racial group. This affected black communities, they lived under harsh conditions and in fear. Even though black South Africans were segregated by this system and lived in their own communities, on their own, as In Sindisiwe Magona’s Mother to Mother. Black South Africans still experienced lawless violence, forced removals, discrimination and government brutality in their communities.
Black South Africans experienced lawlessness in their communities. In the text, Mandisa is quite scared of the policeman. During apartheid policemen used to shoot to kill and they used to shoot first and ask questions later. People did not get justice at all, policeman did as they pleased no law was taken. Mandisa explains that in her community they do not like police because of their corruption. “We know that many innocent people have died in their care”,page 56.

They were segregated under the law of Group Areas Act. And their lands were then used by whites. The white government introduced “slum clearance” policy, where people’s houses were bulldozed and some people got injured in the process, “Grandpa Mxube, who lived up near the top of the hill, broke an arm in one such scuffle”. People were not were not given time to clear all their belongings. “whites are pulling down our houses…we have to hurry and pack up everything; mama said’ page 81. The government never felt pity for people, even if they tried to reason with him, “the government would not listen to anyone’s appeals” page 80. The forced removals brought pain and misery to the people’s lives. They had to leave their own places and were moved from places of birth to unfamiliar places. They were dumped in barren lands, “many families had to put up shacks on the white, white sand” page