The Situation of the Coloureds in South Africa

In 1950, South Africa’s population was divided by law. From then on, the country’s apartheid government mainly recognised three groups – Europeans (whites), indigenous people (blacks or Africans), and coloureds. Individuals who were neither white nor black were regarded as coloured. As they were seen as a residual group, they never enjoyed a good reputation. Every area of life was separated, and sexual relations and marriages beyond the defined limits were taboo. Moreover, the coloureds lost the right to vote in 1956.