ABSTRACT
The history of South Africa, which is relevant in explaining present patterns of disease and health care, has roots reaching back to 1652 when the first white settlers from the Netherlands landed in the Cape of Good Hope. The face of private capitalism was not dependent on government intervention to maintain economic domination, and the growth of African political power was not a threat to them since they could have used other means to advance their interests. The position of the white working class was protected by purposive government intervention, not least the colour bar in employment which reserved certain jobs for white workers. The growth of the African political power would have inhibited the State from maintaining these interests hence the need to suppress all forms of African protests through extra-economic measures enshrined in the apartheid laws and regulations. The Nationalists encouraged the emergence of a black middle class, not in urban areas, but in the 'homelands'.
