Apartheid In The Early 1950's

Apartheid was the most brutal thing that has ever happened to the people of South Africa. It was a law formed by the people under the National Party. It strived to separate people who weren’t white from the people who were white. It gave birth to laws that only benefitted the white people and when something was a threat, the create a new law to get rid of the threat. There were Black, Coloured and Indian people who were oppressed during Apartheid. There were Pass Laws that were created for the black people to be given permission to enter a certain area for a specific amount of time. However, with the rise of Apartheid came the rise of Black leaders who would later liberate the black people. People like Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe and Nelson Mandela were seen as heroes because of their determination to liberate the black people. To liberate them from the slave mentality that Apartheid brought. However, the most unexpected leader who saved the black people in communities from poverty was the Shebeen owners.
In order to create a living. The women use their traditional skills to make an income for their families. The women began brewing alcohol. The alcohol had a high percentage of alcohol and it had a very strong aroma. It also had a bitter taste. The people of the communities called it different names such as: Umqombothi, Devil’s water etc. (Source D) Shebeens were owned by the women. Shebeens were places where people could drink and have fun. They were also places where political leaders held their meetings. Women often had to befriend some of the police officers and those police officers would warn the women in time for them to hide the alcohol and clear the Shebeen out before the police raided the place (Source B) The women used the Shebeens to survive Apartheid by creating income for their