Explain how and why the apartheid government tried to end the coloured vote in the cape province
The apartheid government in South Africa implemented discriminatory policies based on race, with the aim of promoting the dominance of the white minority population. One way in which they tried to achieve this was by limiting the political rights of non-white racial groups, including the coloured population in the Cape Province.
The coloured people in the Cape Province had been granted limited voting rights under the Cape Qualified Franchise, which allowed them to vote in Cape Provincial elections. However, the apartheid government sought to abolish this system in order to undermine the political power of the coloured community, as they were seen as a threat to the white minority rule.
In an effort to end the coloured vote in the Cape Province, the government introduced the Tricameral Parliament in 1984, which divided the South African population into separate racial groups – white, Indian, and coloured – each with its own separate house of parliament. This system effectively disenfranchised the majority of the coloured population, as they were excluded from participating in national elections and were only allowed to vote in the newly created Coloured Persons' Representative Council.
The apartheid government justified these measures as necessary to maintain white supremacy and prevent political unrest among the non-white population. By limiting the political rights of the coloured community, they sought to consolidate their power and control over the country.
Overall, the apartheid government tried to end the coloured vote in the Cape Province in order to further entrench racial segregation and maintain the dominance of the white minority population in South Africa.