Immorality Act, 1927
Immorality Act, 1927 | |
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Parliament of South Africa | |
Long title
| |
Citation | Act No. 5 of 1927 |
Enacted by | Parliament of South Africa |
Royal assent | 26 March 1927 |
Commenced | 30 September 1927 |
Repealed | 12 April 1958 |
Amended by | |
Immorality Amendment Act, 1950 | |
Repealed by | |
Immorality Act, 1957 | |
Status: Repealed |
The Immorality Act, 1927 (Act No. 5 of 1927) was an act of the Parliament of South Africa that prohibited extramarital sex between white people and people of other races. In its original form it only prohibited sex between a white person and a black person, but in 1950 it was amended to apply to sex between a white person and any non-white person.
The act forbade any "illicit carnal intercourse" (which meant sex outside of marriage) between a "European" (i.e. white) male and a "native" (i.e. black) female, or vice versa. It imposed a penalty of up to five years in prison for the man and four years for the woman. It also prohibited "procuring" women for the purpose of interracial sex, and knowingly allowing premises to be used for interracial sex; both offences carried a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment.
In 1950, the Nationalist government of DF Malan, in one of the first legislative acts of apartheid, introduced the Immorality Amendment Act, 1950 (Act No. 21 of 1950) to extend the prohibition to sex between "Europeans" and all "non-Europeans". This therefore included in the scope of the act people of mixed descent and people of Asian descent. Between 1950 and the repeal of the law in 1985, at least 19,000 people were fully prosecuted for violating the law, whereas thousands more were arrested without a trial.[1]
The 1950 amendment came one year after the passage of the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, which forbade marriages between white and non-white people.
The act was repealed by the Immorality Act, 1957, section 16 of which contained a similar prohibition of sex between whites and non-whites. The prohibition was finally lifted by the Immorality and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Amendment Act, 1985.
See also
- Anti-miscegenation laws
- Immorality Act
- Mbasa Majiza
References
- ^ Klausen, Susanne M (2022). ""Do You Call Yourself a White Man?"". The American Historical Review. 127 (1): 159–193. doi:10.1093/ahr/rhac013. ISSN 0002-8762.
External links
- Texts on Wikisource:
- Immorality Act, 1927
- Immorality Amendment Act, 1950
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(before 1948)
- Hut tax (1884)
- Franchise and Ballot Act (1892)
- Glen Grey Act (1894)
- Natal Legislative Assembly Bill (1894)
- Transvaal Asiatic Registration Act (1906)
- South Africa Act (1909)
- Mines and Works Act (1911)
- Natives Land Act (1913)
- Natives (Urban Areas) Act (1923)
- Immorality Act (1927)
- Native Administration Act (1927)
- Representation of Natives Act (1936)
- Native Trust and Land Act (1936)
- Native (Urban Areas) Consolidation Act (1945)
- Asiatic Land Tenure Act (1946)
Verwoerd
(1948–1966)
- Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act (1949)
- Immorality Amendment Act (1950)
- Population Registration Act (1950)
- Group Areas Act (1950)
- Suppression of Communism Act (1950)
- Native Building Workers Act (1951)
- Separate Representation of Voters Act (1951)
- Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act (1951)
- Bantu Authorities Act (1951)
- Native Laws Amendment Act (1952)
- Pass Laws Act (1952)
- Public Safety Act (1953)
- Native Labour (Settlement of Disputes) Act (1953)
- Bantu Education Act (1953)
- Reservation of Separate Amenities Act (1953)
- Natives Resettlement Act (1954)
- Group Areas Development Act (1955)
- Riotous Assemblies Act (1956)
- Industrial Conciliation Act (1956)
- Natives (Prohibition of Interdicts) Act (1956)
- Immorality Act (1957)
- Bantu Investment Corporation Act (1959)
- Extension of University Education Act (1959)
- Promotion of Bantu Self-government Act (1959)
- Unlawful Organizations Act (1960)
- Indemnity Act (1961)
- Coloured Persons Communal Reserves Act (1961)
- Republic of South Africa Constitution Act (1961)
- Urban Bantu Councils Act (1961)
- General Law Amendment Act (1963)
- Coloured Persons Representative Council Act (1964)
(1966–1994)
- Terrorism Act (1967)
- Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act (1968)
- Prohibition of Political Interference Act (1968)
- Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act (1970)
- Bantu Homelands Constitution Act (1971)
- Aliens Control Act (1973)
- Indemnity Act (1977)
- National Key Points Act (1980) - List of National Key Points
- Internal Security Act (1982)
- Intimidation Act (1982)
- Black Local Authorities Act (1982)
- Republic of South Africa Constitution Act (1983)
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