The Apartheid system was designed because of the small Caucasian group which identified as African having been born in South Africa, feeling threatened by the surrounding millions of indigenous Africans whose lineage goes back many generations. The Apartheid system was designed as a scheme to create a wall which would protect Caucasian Africans from all other Africans. de Klerk states that the purpose of Apartheid, which he preferred to refer to as “separate development,” was to bring justice to all South Africans, both Africans and Caucasian Africans alike, and that under this philosophy, all African children would be educated until at least age 16 with all Africans of any age group, having access to medical services. de Klerk argues that Apartheid helped improve the lives of most Africans of African descent. Critics of Apartheid argue that this system deprived these same indigenous people of basic living standards and therefore dignity and forcibly relocated people into slums so that they were out of sight and out of mind for Caucasian Africans.

Under the Apartheid system, Africans were not permitted to sit in seats designated for Caucasian Africans, of which most seats were, and were also unable to use shop entrances to purchase items, most often purchasing at a small window. Indigenous Africans were also required to carry a specialized booklet referred to as a “dompas” which stated where a person was permitted to live and work, with this booklet only carried by Africans of African descent and not required for Caucasian Africans.

Apartheid has been referred to as a “crime against humanity”, a disastrous central application which caused immense misery to millions of people for a long period of time. Caucasian South Africans were afraid that if they relinquished their sovereignty, South Africa would become subject to the same leadership and problems as neighboring countries (e.g. dictators and violent conflict). de Klerk’s administration tried a new strategy in which Caucasian South Africans would”