The Natives Legislative Assembly Bill of 1894, formed part of the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

system of racial segregation in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. This legislation sought to deprive Indians in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

of the parliamentary vote. The bill was opposed by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, who submitted a petition signed by 10,000 Indians to the Natal government. Though they were unsuccessful in preventing the legislation from eventually being passed, the bill is believed to Gandhi's establishment of the

Natal Indian Congress The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) was an organisation that aimed to fight discrimination against Indians in South Africa. The Natal Indian Congress was proposed by Mahatma Gandhi on 22 May 1894. established on 22 August 1894. Gandhi was the H ...

to protect the rights of Indians in South Africa. It created awareness of the racial discrimination towards South Africa Indians around the world. As a consequence of legislation following this bill, the Indians living in Natal were removed of their rights to vote in the region.

External links

1894 Franchise Bill
Apartheid laws in South Africa 1894 in law 1894 in the Colony of Natal Colony of Natal 1894 in South Africa {{statute-stub