South African apartheid was based on racial segregation.
Segregation , from the Latin segregatĭo , is the action and effect of segregating (separating, marginalizing or setting aside something or someone from other things or people). The segregation of human beings is usually motivated by social, cultural or political reasons.
The UN (United Nations Organization) is very clear when it comes to determining what segregation is. In this case, it establishes that any action that clearly and forcefully aims to subject people to torture, that denies them the right to life and freedom, that divides the population by race, that prevents certain racial groups participate in social life and imposes a series of vital conditions on them that are intended to make them disappear.
Starting from all this, we must, therefore, make it clear that segregation is irremediably linked to other elements such as racism , marginalization , classism and discrimination in general.
racial segregation
The policy that seeks to separate, separate and exclude certain social groups is known as segregationism. It is common for segregation to be exercised against minorities (whether religious, sexual, etc.), although it can also be a regime imposed by a dominant minority against the majority. That was the case of South African apartheid , where the white minority established the conditions of segregation against the black majority.
The aforementioned apartheid is a clear example of what is known as racial segregation. This has not only occurred throughout history in underdeveloped continents such as Africa but also in other so-called "first world" continents. Thus, in the United States, even in the 20th century, black people were discriminated against and could not access certain services or places that white people went to.
In this way, there even came to be neighborhoods, bars, cinemas or toilets for people of one race or another. Something that entities such as the well-known Klu Klux Klan, which is a far-right organization that promotes the supremacy of the white race and advocates discrimination, supported with great passion.
Segregation can be reflected in access to resources ( work , the health system, education, housing), which intensifies the differences between groups that are segregated.
Private or gated neighborhoods establish segregation.
Private neighborhoods and ghettos
An example of segregation occurs with private neighborhoods. This type of segregation is not characterized by discrimination or violence , although it is still an element that separates and separates different social groups. People who buy properties in these neighborhoods access the right to live there, circulate through its streets and enjoy its services. Those who do not reside in the private neighborhood, on the other hand, are prohibited from entering.
Another example of segregation takes place in ghettos . These areas usually arise spontaneously from the meeting of people of the same race or religion. In the United States there are neighborhoods with black residents, neighborhoods with Latinos and others. There is no segregation provided by law, but rather the separation arises in fact.