Introduction: Voted into South African law in 1950, the Population Registration Act, no. 30 was not repealed until 1991. All South African citizens were required to register according to racial characteristics; this classification then helped in the enforcement of other laws prohibiting mixed-race activities. The extracts reproduced here showcase the strictly apartheid nature of life in South Africa throughout much of the twentieth century.

The Population Registration Act, No. 30, of 1950

2. There shall, as soon as practicable after the fixed date, be compiled by the Director and thereafter maintained by him, a register of the population of the Union….

5. (I) Ever person whose name is included in the register shall be classified by the Director as a white person, a coloured person or a native, as the case may be, and every coloured person and ever native whose name is so included shall be classified by...