of synthetic fuels, and scorched-earth warfare against neighbouring countries. 3. With the Land Act of 1913, South Africa's Dutch settlers relegated its black population to only 13 per cent of the land area, in 10 "native reserves". Four of these areas were declared by apartheid to be semi-autonomous "homelands". In reality, the "homelands" are an excuse for crowding blacks into remote, barren regions entirely dependent on South Africa for economic survival. To begin with, the "homelands" have thin topsoil, scarce rainfall and sloping, rocky ground. Onto this poor land are crowded over half of South Africa's 29 million blacks. An example of the extent of the overcrowding is the Qwa Qwa reserve. During World War I the Government judged that that region's agricultural carrying capacity was exceeded by its 5,000 inhabitants. Over 500,000 people are forced to live there now. The land degradation has been so great that a decade ago the Government's Ciskei Commission estimated that 46 per cent of the land in the Ciskei reserve was moderately or severely eroded and 39 per cent of its pastures were overgrazed. The overcrowding in the "homelands" is also destroying those regions' forests, which the inhabitants consume for fuel wood. The Energy Research Institute at the University of Capetown has predicted that at current population growth rates, natural woodlands will be almost entirely denuded by the year 2020. 4. With 85 per cent of its commercial energy coming from coal. South Africa is more than twice as dependent on coal as is typical for other nations. Although South Africa has abundant coal deposits, the key to its over-reliance on coal is found in both the nation's pool of grossly underpaid and mistreated black labourers, and the hostility of oil-exporting nations to apartheid. With its coal industry subsidized by the 85,000 blacks who work in the mines 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the environmental and social impacts of apartheid policies in South Africa, specifically the overcrowding and degradation of land in black "homelands" and the country's reliance on coal as a primary energy source. The text highlights the economic and environmental consequences of these policies, including soil erosion, overgrazing, and deforestation.

**Category**
Natural resources and environment, Employment