These protests became one with the rejection of the black local authorities by the UDF. People began to organise protests against these increases in the cost of living. In the early 1980s, the black local authorities raised the costs of rent, electricity, water, and transport in many black townships. They also made money through selling beer through beerhalls owned and run by the Bantu Administration Boards. Therefore, the black local authorities tried to make people pay higher rents. And there were few businesses or factories in the townships, so the authorities did not make money from taxing business. At this time, the black local authorities owned all houses in the black townships and rented them out to people – a person classified as African could not own a house in a “white area”. The black local authorities were expected to pay for most of the “administration” of the townships through raising money from the people who lived in there. The fight against black local authorities and the Bantu Administration ran side by side with the struggle against increases in rents, electricity, rates, and public transport fares for the black communities. At the same time, black local authorities would be paid by, and remain under the control of, the national government’s Bantu Administration Board – white officials appointed by the whites-only government.įrom November 1983, the UDF called for a boycott of elections for black local authorities. Africans living in the townships would be allowed to vote for these authorities – but not for the national government in the Republic of South Africa. Botha’s “new deal” aimed to reinforce this situation by creating “black local authorities” in the townships.
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