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This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O’Malley. It is the product of almost two decades of research and includes analyses, chronologies, historical documents, and interviews from the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.

1879. Vagrancy Amendment Act No 23

Simons & Simons (1969: 39) refer to this as the AMENDMENT ACT 23 of 1879.

It "gave property owners or their representatives the right to apprehend 'idle or disorderly' persons 'wandering over any farm or loitering near a dwelling place, shop, store, kraal or any other enclosed place or loitering upon any road crossing a farm' "(Allen 1992: 191).

It "supplemented the pass laws by prescribing a maximum of six months' imprisonment with hard labour, soare diet and solitary confinement for any 'idle and disorderly person' " (Simons & Simons 1969: 39). Since "the onus of proof was placed on the Africans who were arrested it was obviously in their interest to carry passes when they travelled" (Allen 1992: 191).

This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O’Malley. Return to theThis resource is hosted by the site.