The Sauer Commission (South Africa), was created in 1948 largely in response to the

Fagan Commission The Native Laws Commission, commonly known as the Fagan Commission, was appointed by the South African Government in 1946 to investigate changes to the system of segregation. Its members were: Henry Allan Fagan, A. S. Welsh, A. L. Barrett, E. E. ...

. It was appointed by the

Herenigde Nasionale Party The Herenigde Nasionale Party (Reunited National Party) was a political party in South Africa during the 1940s. It was the product of the reunion of Daniel François Malan's Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party (Purified National Party) and J.B.M. Hertzo ...

and favoured even stricter segregation laws. The Sauer Commission was concerned with the 'problem' of controlling the influx of African people into urban areas. White workers, traders and merchants were concerned that this would represent a threat to their jobs and businesses, particularly since African workers would work in semi-skilled positions for a lower wage than white workers. Businesses demanded racially segregated trading zones in order to protect their businesses from competition. Numerous groups influenced this policy of 'total Apartheid', including the

South African Bureau for Racial Affairs The South African Bureau of Racial Affairs (SABRA) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Buro vir Rasse-Angeleenthede'') was a South African think tank based at Stellenbosch University. It was founded in 1948 at the initiative of the Afrikaner Broederbond ...

(SABRA). Ultimately the Sauer commission did not enforce the total segregation to the extent originally envisioned. Rather, it resulted in the immediate implementation of 'practical Apartheid', which allowed some African people to enter and work in urban areas, with the complete implementation of total Apartheid envisioned as a future goal. The recommendations made by the Sauer commission were still more restrictive than those made by the Fagan Commission. The members of the Sauer commission were:

Paul Sauer Paul Oliver Sauer ( 1 January 1898, Wynberg, Cape Town - 11 January 1976, Stellenbosch) was a South African Cabinet Minister and lifelong member of the National Party. Background Sauer was born in Wynberg near Cape Town in 1898 as the third ...

, G.B.A. Gerdener, E.G. Jansen, J.J. Serfontein and M.D.C. De Wet Nel.

Publication

* ''Verslag van die Kleurvraagstuk-Kommissie van die Herenigde Nasionale Party'' auer Report, 1948 Organisations associated with apartheid 1947 in South Africa {{Apartheid-sa-stub