Verwoerd and grand apartheid, 1955 to 1966

In the late 1950s apartheid moved from separating people in daily life to a bigger plan: dividing South Africa into separate 'homelands'. Hendrik Verwoerd was its chief architect.

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Removals and resistance

Forced removals: from February 1955 the people of Sophiatown, a mixed suburb of Johannesburg, were moved out, many to Meadowlands; the area was rebuilt for white residents.
Women's March (9 August 1956): about 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against extending pass laws to women.
The Treason Trial (1956 to 1961) tied up 156 leaders of the opposition in court; the case collapsed and the last accused were acquitted in 1961.

Verwoerd's grand apartheid

Hendrik Verwoerd, Minister of Native Affairs from 1950, became Prime Minister in 1958.
The Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act (1959) planned separate 'national units' for Black Africans, the future homelands (Bantustans). The aim was that Black South Africans would be citizens of a homeland, not of South Africa.
The Extension of University Education Act (1959) stopped Black students attending 'white' universities and set up separate colleges.

A republic outside the Commonwealth

After a whites-only referendum, South Africa became a republic on 31 May 1961 and left the Commonwealth, which had criticised apartheid.
Verwoerd was assassinated in parliament in September 1966.
The homelands policy continued: Transkei was the first to be declared 'independent', in 1976, though no other country recognised it.
Worked example

Explain one effect of the Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act (1959).

  1. Identify the effect: Black South Africans were assigned to homelands.
  2. Develop: they were to lose South African citizenship and be treated as foreigners in most of the country.
  3. Consequence: millions were later moved, and the homelands were poor and overcrowded.

Answer: It began the homelands system, which treated Black South Africans as citizens of poor, separate territories rather than of South Africa.

Key idea

Sophiatown removals from 1955; Women's March, 9 August 1956 (about 20,000 women); Treason Trial 1956 to 1961. Verwoerd, Prime Minister 1958 to 1966, built grand apartheid: Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act (1959) created homelands; Extension of University Education Act (1959). Republic and exit from the Commonwealth, 1961. Transkei 'independent' 1976.

Key words
Apartheid
The South African system of racial separation and white minority rule, introduced after the National Party won in 1948.
Treason
Betraying the monarch or the state, for example by plotting rebellion.
Pass laws
South African laws forcing Black people to carry passes controlling where they could live and work.

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  1. Where were many Sophiatown residents moved to?

    1. District Six
    2. Meadowlands, part of Soweto
    3. Robben Island
    4. Transkei
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    Answer: Meadowlands, part of Soweto

    The removals began in February 1955.

  2. Which city did the women march to on 9 August 1956?

    1. Cape Town
    2. Durban
    3. Pretoria
    4. Soweto
    Show the answer

    Answer: Pretoria

    They delivered petitions to the Union Buildings.

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Sources and references

Checked by the GCSE-ready editorial team, 17 October 2026. Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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