Native Administration Act, 1927

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Native Administration Act, 1927
Coat of arms of South Africa (1910-1930).svg
Parliament of South Africa
  • Act to provide for the better control and management of native affairs.
CitationAct No. 38 of 1927
Enacted by Parliament of South Africa
Royal assent 30 June 1927
Commenced1 September 1927
Repealed12 April 2006, 30 September 2007, and various other dates
Administered by Minister of Native Affairs
Repealed by
Repeal of the Black Administration Act and Amendment of Certain Laws Act, 2005
Related legislation
Native Affairs Act, 1920
Bantu Authorities Act, 1951
Status: Repealed

The Native Administration Act, 1927 (Act No. 38 of 1927), subsequently renamed the Bantu Administration Act, 1927 and the Black Administration Act, 1927, was legislation enacted by the Parliament of the Union of South Africa in 1927. It was repealed I stages from 2006 onwards.

Contents

Description

According to the Native Administration Act, 1927, the Governor-General of South Africa could "banish" a "native" or "tribe" from one area to another whenever he deemed this "expedient or in the general public interest". [1] This Act set up a separate legal system for the administration of African law, and made the proclaimed Black areas subject to a separate political regime from the remainder of the country, ultimately subject only to rule by proclamation, not Parliament. [1]

The central imperative behind the Act was to establish a strong enough system of national 'native administration' to contain the political pressures that were likely to result from the legislative measures necessary for the implementation of territorial segregation. It was, together with the Native Affairs Act, 1920, part of a process of transferring power over the regulation of African life from Parliament to the executive. [1]

It also included a clause which stated: "Any person who utters any words or does any other act or thing whatever with intent to promote any feeling of hostility between Natives and Europeans, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment not exceeding one year or to a fine of one hundred pounds or both"; thus it became popularly known as the "hostility law". [1]

Repeal

Many provisions of the act became unconstitutional on the introduction of the Interim Constitution of South Africa on 27 April 1994, which invalidated all laws which unfairly discriminated on the basis of race. [2] On 12 April 2006, the remaining provisions of the act were announced to be repealed "incrementally" by the Repeal of the Black Administration Act and Amendment of Certain Laws Act, 2005. [3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The role of traditional leaders during Apartheid". South African History Online. South African History Online. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 200 of 1993". Justice.gov.za. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Repeal of the Black Administration Act and Amendment of Certain Laws Act, 2005". lawlibrary.org.za. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
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