Bantustan facts for kids

A map of the Bantustans in South Africa at the end of apartheid.

A Bantustan was a special area created in South Africa during a time called apartheid. Apartheid was a system where people were separated based on their race. These Bantustans were meant to be "homelands" for black South Africans.

The idea was to make these areas like separate countries for different black groups. Ten Bantustans were set up in South Africa itself. Another ten were created in South-West Africa, which is now called Namibia.

The word "Bantustan" comes from "Bantu," which means "people" in many African languages. The "stan" part means "land" in the Persian language.

The government that created apartheid wanted other countries to see Bantustans as real, independent nations. However, most countries around the world did not agree. Also, most black people living in South Africa did not like the Bantustans.

They were unpopular for a few reasons:

• The borders of these areas were drawn to leave out good land.
• Many people were forced to move into these small areas. This meant there wasn't enough land for everyone.
• If you became a citizen of a Bantustan, you lost your South African citizenship. This was a big problem because most people lived and worked in South Africa. Losing their citizenship meant losing the few rights they had.

The Bantustans were finally ended in 1994. Their land became part of the Republic of South Africa again. After 1994, South Africa was divided into new provinces.

What were the Bantustans?

Bantustans were territories created by the South African government. They were part of the apartheid system. This system separated people by race and gave white people more power. The government claimed these areas would allow black groups to govern themselves.

However, the main goal was to control black people. It also aimed to limit their rights in South Africa. Black people were often forced to move to these areas. This made it harder for them to live and work freely.

Bantustans in South Africa

There were ten Bantustans created within South Africa. Four of these were declared "independent" by the South African government. These four were called the "TBVC States." They were:

• Transkei (became "independent" on October 26, 1976)
• Bophuthatswana (became "independent" on December 6, 1977)
• Venda (became "independent" on September 13, 1979)
• Ciskei (became "independent" on December 4, 1981)

No other country in the world recognized these four Bantustans as independent. They were still seen as part of South Africa.

The other six Bantustans in South Africa had a lot of self-rule. But they were never declared independent. These were:

• Gazankulu
• Lebowa
• QwaQwa
• KaNgwane
• KwaNdebele
• KwaZulu

It's important to know that Lesotho and Swaziland were not Bantustans. They were former British colonies. They were granted independence by Great Britain and were recognized by countries worldwide.

Bantustans in South-West Africa

Ten Bantustans were also set up in South-West Africa. This area is now the country of Namibia. These were created starting in 1968.

Unlike the Bantustans in South Africa, none of these were declared independent. Only four of them were given some self-rule. These included:

• East Caprivi (self-rule from 1976)
• Hereroland (self-rule from 1970)
• Kavangoland (self-rule from 1973)
• Ovamboland (self-rule from 1973)

The other Bantustans in South-West Africa were:

• Bushmanland
• Damaraland
• Kaokoland
• Namaland
• Rehoboth
• Tswanaland

All the Bantustans in South-West Africa were ended in May 1989. This happened as the area moved towards becoming the independent country of Namibia.

Images for kids

• 

  Racial map of South Africa from 1979. It shows where different racial groups lived.

• 

  This map shows how land was given to the Bantustans. Grey areas show the Etosha National Park.

• 

  Map of the black homelands in Namibia in 1978.

See also

In Spanish: Bantustán para niños