Since the middle of the 20th century the social structure of South African society undergoes signifi cant changes. The increase of the role of manufacturing industry in South African economy led to the rapid growth of the African working class. The percentage of Black South Africans in the structure of the economically active population by 1976 reached 82.1%. At the same time the number of Black peasants is going down while the number of Black small and medium business is going up. But the white minority regime continued to staunchly defend the system of racial discrimination. It blocked the development of South African economy, created preconditions for economic and political crisis while the living conditions of Africans continued to deteriorate which contributed to the intensifi cation of the liberation movement. The article is devoted to the analyses of the changes in the social structure of the black population of South Africa and to what extent these changes infl uenced the character and forms of political struggle and helped to eliminate apartheid regime.