The name of the social and political system in place in South Africa from 1948 to 1994 was apartheid.
Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that was implemented by the National Party in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It was a system that was designed to maintain white minority rule and to deny basic rights and freedoms to the black majority population.
Under apartheid, people were classified into different racial groups and were subjected to different laws and treatment based on their race. The system was structured in such a way that whites held the majority of political, economic, and social power, while black people were denied access to many basic rights, including the right to vote, the right to own land, and the right to move freely.
Apartheid was enforced through a series of laws and policies that created separate and unequal institutions for different racial groups. For example, black people were forced to live in designated areas called townships, while white people lived in suburban areas with better services and infrastructure. Education, healthcare, and employment opportunities were also segregated along racial lines.
The system was opposed by many people both within and outside of South Africa, and a global campaign of boycotts, divestment, and sanctions was launched to pressure the government to end apartheid. The system was finally dismantled in the early 1990s, and in 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections, with Nelson Mandela becoming the country's first black president.