1991 – South Africa Repeals Final Pillars of Apartheid Land Acts

On June 18, 1991, the South African Parliament repealed the last remaining apartheid land laws, including the Group Areas Act and Land Acts of 1913 and 1936. These laws had systematically dispossessed Black South Africans of land and confined them to impoverished “homelands” and segregated urban areas. The repeal was a key moment in dismantling the legal architecture of apartheid and signaled that political negotiations between Nelson Mandela’s ANC and the white minority government were yielding structural change. Though the legacy of land dispossession remains unresolved, June 18, 1991, stands as a milestone in the legal death of apartheid. It offered a glimpse of the new South Africa to come and gave hope to millions who had lived under racial tyranny. This pivotal date marked the end of forced removals and began a long journey toward land justice.