Natal Fever noticed a recent funeral notice for Sighard ‘SB’ de Bellelay-Bourquin.

SB was for many years the Director of the Durban Corporation’s Bantu Administration Department. This department was responsible for ‘influx control’ - one of the cornerstones of apartheid. To enforce this policy the Department had its own police force – the infamous ‘Blackjacks’ with powers of arrest for those ‘blacks’ who did not have permanent resident status (in Durban), a permit to seek work or proof of employment. What is interesting here is that these measures had been in place since the 1800’s. Durban was possibly the model on which the Nationalist Government based this aspect of their policy. But no further on this tack without some further research.

Returning to SB. He was also involved with the military as Commanding Officer of one of the local Commando Units. One of his other interests being KwaZulu–Natal history.

It was said that he conducted the affairs of his former department with compassion. Looking back, however, it is unbelievable that such things happened and that such complex administrative machinery existed. What is now even harder to believe is that such things were considered the norm by so many people for so long.