Fagan Commission

South African commission on race relations

The Native Laws Commission, commonly known as the Fagan Commission, was appointed by the South African Government in 1946 to investigate changes to the system of segregation. Its members were: Henry Allan Fagan, A. S. Welsh, A. L. Barrett, E. E. von Maltitz, and S. J. Parsons. It has been described as "[a]rguably the most liberal official document produced in the segregation era."^[1]

The report

The commission's main recommendation was that "influx control" of African people to urban areas should be relaxed.^[2] This in turn would increase the flow of labour and prevent the problem of migrant labour living in distant rural areas. Another recommendation was the creation of a stabilised population of African workers within urban areas to create a reliable workforce for business as well as an increased consumer base for retailers.

The report was published at a time when Jan Smuts' popularity was low and his detractors had more support. In response, the National Party created their own commission called the Sauer Commission. Its report suggested the exact opposite of the Fagan Commission, i.e. segregation should continue and be implemented across all social and economic areas of life. The rise of postwar apartheid can be attributed to the Sauer commission.

Notes

^ Evans 1997, p. 58.
^ Suzman 1952, p. 7: "[It] is clear that the old cry 'Send them back' is no longer a solution to the problem…"

References

Evans, Ivan (1997). Bureaucracy and Race: Native Administration in South Africa. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20651-9.
Suzman, Helen (1952) [1948]. A digest of the Fagan report. The Native Laws (Fagan) Commission (PDF) (3rd ed.). Johannesburg: South African Institute of Race Relations.

Political history of South Africa

Defunct polities

Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–c. 1220)
Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806)
Mthethwa Paramountcy (c. 1780–1817)
Ndwandwe Kingdom (c. 1780–1819)
Cape Colony (1795–1910)
Zulu Kingdom (1816–1897)
Natalia Republic (1839–1843)
Natal Colony (1843–1910)
Orange Free State (1854–1902)
South African Republic (1856–1902)
Griqualand East (1861–1879)
Griqualand West (1870–1873)
Goshen (1882–1883)
Stellaland (1882–1885)
Nieuwe Republiek (1884–1888)
Upingtonia (1885–1887)
Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891)
Orange River Colony (1902–1910)
Transvaal Colony (1902–1910)
Union of South Africa (1910–1961)
Transkei (1976–1994)
Bophuthatswana (1977–1994)
Venda (1979–1994)
Ciskei (1981–1994)

Events

Pre-colonial	Bantu migrations Battle of Salt River
1652–1815	Dutch settlement French Huguenot settlement Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars Xhosa Wars Battle of Muizenberg Battle of Blaauwberg Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814
1815–1910	Mfecane 1820 Settlers Great Trek Boer Republics Transvaal Civil War Mineral Revolution Witwatersrand Gold Rush South African Wars South Africa Act 1909 (National Convention)
1910–1948	South West Africa campaign Maritz rebellion Rand Rebellion Great Depression 1946 African Mine Workers' Union strike Bantustans
Apartheid	1948 general election Apartheid legislation Pass laws Internal resistance Coloured-vote constitutional crisis Defiance Campaign Congress of the People Freedom Charter Women's March 1956 1957 Alexandra bus boycott Sharpeville massacre 1960 republic referendum International isolation UN Resolution 1761 UNSC Resolution 591 Academic boycott Disinvestment Constructive engagement Tar Baby Option Sporting boycott Olympics Rugby union Rivonia Trial Durban Moment Border War Mafeje affair Soweto Uprising Weapons of mass destruction Project Coast Church Street bombing 1983 constitutional referendum Langa massacre Rubicon speech Operation Vula Dakar Conference Transkei coup d'état Ciskei coup d'état Venda coup d'état Third Force CODESA Storming of the Kempton Park World Trade Centre Bisho massacre 1992 apartheid referendum Saint James Church massacre Bophuthatswana crisis Shell House massacre
Post- apartheid	1994 general election Government of National Unity Reconstruction and Development Programme Truth and Reconciliation Commission Arms Deal Floor crossing Soweto bombings African Renaissance Travelgate Xenophobia Attack on Kennedy Road Blikkiesdorp Marikana massacre 2012 Western Cape farm workers' strike Nkandlagate Racism 2014 platinum strike #RhodesMustFall protests #FeesMustFall student protests Tshwane riots 2019 service delivery protests 2019 Johannesburg riots COVID-19 pandemic 2020 Phala Phala Robbery 2021 unrest Lady R incident

Political culture

Defunct
organisations

Civic and political organisations	Afrikaner Bond Afrikaner Broederbond Afrikaner Party AITUP APO AVF BPC Black Sash Boerestaat Party CDA CNIP CTEG COD Congress Alliance COSG CP DLF Dominion Party DP (1973–1977) DP (1989–2000) DPP DSM ECC FA FD Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners GNP Het Volk HNP (Herenigde) HNP (Herstigte) IDASA ID IP ISL Jeugkrag Johannesburg Reform Committee Labour Party (1910–1958) Labour Party (1969–1994) Liberal Party (1953–1968) NA NCP Natal Indian Congress NLP NNP NP NPP NRP NUSAS Occupy Orangia Unie Oranjewerkers Orde Boerevolk PAVN PFP Progressive Party (Cape Colony) Progressive Party PRP Radio Freedom Reform Party SABP SADECO SAIC SASO SAYCO SAYRCO South African Party (Cape Colony) South African Party (1911–1934) South African Party (1977–1980) TNIP Torch Commando UFP United Party Unionist Party Volksparty Workers Party WOSA
Trade unions and social movements	APF BCM BLATU CNETU CTSWU FCWU FNETU FOSATU ICU IWW MUSA NEUM NURHS PAWE SAAPAWU SACTU SAIF SARHU SATUC Die Spoorbund UDF Umkosi Wezintaba
Paramilitary and terrorist organisations	APLA ARM AWB BBB Boeremag Greyshirts MK Ossewabrandwag Orde van die Dood PAGAD SANF