Britain. The government had intended to follow the precedent whereby
India remained a member of the British Commonwealth when it became a
republic. At a conference of Commonwealth. countries, however, the
African members, supported by Canada as well as India, sharply criti-
cized apartheid, and South Africa then withdrew from that loose asso-
ciation.
The government meanwhile Afrikanerized every state institution, ap-
pointing Afrikaners to senior as well as junior positions in the civil service,
army, police, and state corporations. Medical and legal professional asso-
ciations, too, came increasingly under Afrikaner control. The government
also assisted Afrikaners to close the economic gap between themselves and
English-speaking white South Africans. It directed official business to Af-
rikaner banks and allotted valuable state contracts to Afrikaners. Af-
rikaner businesspeople channeled Afrikaner capital into ethnic banks,
investment houses, insurance companies, and publishing houses. By 1976,
Afrikaner entrepreneurs had obtained a firm foothold in mining, manufac-
turing, commerce, and finance-all
previously exclusive preserves of En-
glish-speakers. Whereas in 1946 the average Afrikaner's income had been