The law was passed on July 7, 1950. It is the Group Areas Act in South Africa, which was enacted during the apartheid era to divide the country into areas based on racial categories determined by the government. The purpose of the law was to enforce racial segregation by designating specific geographic areas for exclusive use by a single race, primarily to push nonwhites out of areas where they had previously settled. The law was part of broader apartheid policies by the white minority government to institutionalize racial discrimination and segregation in political and economic life. The law was implemented through designation by government authorities and supported by other related laws enabling removal and resettlement based on race. The Group Areas Act was amended several times and remained in effect until it was repealed in 1991. Hence, the law was passed in 1950 to formally implement and enforce racial segregation and control over land and residential areas in South Africa as part of apartheid policies.