The European commerce firms occupied South Africa in the seventeenth and eighteenth century.
As a result, Apartheid was the label given to a system of racial oppression enforced by white European rulers on South Africa.
Apartheid policies included:
A system of apartheid segregated people and labelled them according on their skin colour.
Non-whites had no voting privileges.
Non-whites were considered as second-class citizens by the white overlords. Non-whites were denied the right to vote.
apartheid system was particularly repressive for black people.
They were not allowed to live in white regions. They were only allowed to labor in white zones if they got a permission.
Trains, buses, taxis, hotels, hospitals, schools and colleges, libraries, cinema halls, theaters, beaches, swimming pools, and public restrooms were all segregated.
They were not allowed to go to the churches where white people worshipped.
Protests and the establishment of associations were prohibited, and blacks were unable to form organizations or demonstrate against the terrible discrimination they faced.
This hampered their ability to peacefully oppose apartheid.
India had a significant role to play in the abolition of Apartheid System:
Soon after taking power, Nehru proclaimed that India's strategy would be to abolish colonialism in Asia, Africa, and abroad, as well as racial equality and the elimination of one nation's dominance or exploitation by another.
Gandhi's Influence:
Gandhi's political actions were mostly focused on the Indian population, notwithstanding his deep esteem and sympathy for Africans.
As a result, his effect on the South African independence struggle was mostly by example.
Even if indirect, his impact on the history of the South African fight was everlasting, as great leaders such as Nelson Mandela recognized.
The role of the Indian diaspora:
During WWII, the relationship between India's and South Africa's national movements grew even deeper.
They recognized that their fate was tied to that of the African majority, and they increasingly participated in combined campaigns against racist laws, thanks to the encouragement of the Indian national movement.
Because of significant popular emotion in the country, India filed a protest with the United Nations in 1946 against racial discrimination in South Africa, even before the country had established a national government.
In important international organizations, India had spoken out against apartheid:
India was a co-sponsor of the 1962 United Nations General Assembly resolution encouraging other countries to impose sanctions on South Africa and established the Special Committee against Apartheid.