Die Burger publishes the term 'Apartheid' for the first time

On 26 March 1942, an article was published by an Afrikaner political correspondent of the Nationalist newspaper, Die Burger, which was written using the pseudonym ‘Dawie.’ The article gave some insight into the term ‘Apartheid’ and the state of consciousness of White Afrikaners at the time. Dawie defined Apartheid to mean “apartness,” and in the case of South Africa, the implicit emphasis was on the racial differences between ethnic groups. Afterwards the term become commonly used in defence of Afrikaner nationalism and National Party policies. Die Burger, in many ways, promoted the theoretical and practical ideology of Apartheid to appeal to White interest. By establishing the genealogical use of the term, Apartheid, within Afrikaner terminology, it is possible to mark the origins of Apartheid itself, as well as recognise the collusion between government and media that contributed to its implementation. Today Die Burger remains one of the widest read Afrikaans national newspapers.