An effect of the law was to exclude people of colour from living in the most developed areas, which were restricted to Whites (e.g. Sea Point, Claremont).

People of colour, who were the majority at the time, were given much smaller areas (e.g., Tongaat, Grassy Park) to live in than the white minority.

The government hoped to achieve this through "separate development" of the races and this entailed passing laws that would ensure a distinction on social, economic, political and, in the case of the Group Areas Act, geographical lines.

[4] Once this time had expired, it became a criminal offence to remain in occupation of property in that area with the punishment potentially being a fine and two years' imprisonment.

It also granted the Minister of the Interior a mandate to forcibly remove non-whites from valuable pieces of land so that they could become white settlements.

[6] On 9 February 1955, 2,000 policemen began removing residents to Meadowlands, Soweto and erected a new white-only area called Triomf (Victory).