Document 6 - Report of Delegation to All-African Convention and Unify Conference 16-17 December 1943. Presented to 2nd National Anti-CAD Conference, 4-5 January 1944

From: South Africa's Radical Tradition, a documentary history, Volume Two 1943 - 1964, by Allison Drew

Document 6 - Report of Delegation to All-African Convention and Unify Conference 16-17 December 1943. Presented to 2nd National Anti-CAD Conference, 4-5 January 1944

Members of the Conference.

Your delegation has much pleasure in presenting this Report of their visit to the All African Convention and their participation in the preliminary Unity Conference held in Bloemfontein on December 17th, 1943.

We consider that the Anti-C.A.D. has taken a wise and momentous step in sending a delegation to these Conferences, and that thereby we have moved nearer towards the Unity of all Non-Europeans.

The meeting of the A.A.C. was the most important one since 1935, which was the peak point in the resistance of the Africans to the three Native Acts (the Representation of Natives Act; the Land and Trust Act and the Amendment to the Urban Areas Act). It might be explained at this stage that the A.A.C. is a federal organisation which came into being in 1935 by rallying around it all the different African organisations and churches opposed to the three Acts. In 1936, it was decided to make it a permanent body to act as the mouthpiece of the African people. It met triennially so that the various affiliated organisations could lay down the general lines of policy for the ensuing period. Although the A.A.C. has always defined the term African as meaning all Non-Whites, and has affiliated members of the Coloured and Indian minority groups, no special effort was ever made to embrace all sections of the Non-Europeans.

The meeting of this occasion was made important because it marked the striking out on a new road after eight years bitter experience of the three Acts. This new outlook of the A.A.C. might be summarised as follows: (i) The A.A.C. reaffirmed it rejection of the three Acts and of the principle of trusteeship and declared that it has never been a party to the acceptance or working of these Acts; (ii) It determined to renew its resistance to these Acts and the principle of Trusteeship and to fight for full democratic rights; (iii) It welcomed the expressions of Unity which had come from the Coloureds his during the year, and endorsed the Executive's decision to invite these two groups to a preliminary Unity Conference; (iv) It decided to meet annually instead of triennially, and to form branches particularly in rural areas where people are unorganised or do not desire to join any existing organisation.

After 10 months of vigorous campaigning against the C.A.C. and for full democratic rights and after the active political education, which we have received during this, may be prone to underestimate the really great step forward which has been made by A.A.C. We should avoid falling into this error, and we would do well to remember our own general political level before the Anti-C.A.D. Movement commenced and realize that the Africans are rallying to their present position after a regression of eight years.

The significant features to notice are the rejection of advisory or representative council and allied forms of segregation, and the emphasis on the struggle, for full democratic rights. This, together with the active realisation of the need for the Unity of all Europeans points to a basic similarity between the aims of the Anti-C.A.D. Movement and the policy now adopted by the A.A.C. It is of very great importance for us to recognise this basic identity of needs and aims between the emancipatory it of the Africans and that of the Coloureds. It is of still greater importance for us to give further effect to this in practice.

Before reporting upon the Unity Conference, we must give prominence to the decision of the A.A.C. to reaffirm its previous opposition to the inclusion of the Protectorates in the Union. The reasons are that as long as the Africans in the Union are denied their full citizenship rights and the policy of the Government remains Segregationionist, the incorporation of the Protectorates into the Union will bring a still greater enslavement of the Non-Europeans both in the Protectorates and in the Union, and must, therefore, be sternly opposed by our people in the Union and firmly rejected by the people in the Protectorates. Only in a country based on full democracy for all the people, do we wish to be united with the people of the Protectorates and, until then, we wish to be united with them only in our mutual struggle for full democratic rights.

This matter is just as important for Coloureds and Indians as for Africans, and we must give it due attention for it is going to loom very large during the coming months. Union Government succeeds in getting the Protectorates as part of its spoils of war then the Africans in the reserves, the so-called "black-spots" in white South Africa, shifted to the Protectorates which will then become the Reserves - the reservoirs of black labour and the dumping ground for "redundant" labour. Moreover, the shifting of Africans from the present Reserves will then give the Union Government sufficient or the removal of the remaining black-spots, the Coloureds and Indians, into segregated areas. It is necessary, therefore, that all Non-Europeans should stand firm in losing the inclusion of the Protectorates into the Union until such time as everyone enjoys full democratic rights.

The Unity Conference took place on the evening of the 17th, immediately after the Convention had ended. We had anticipated that it would only meet on the 18th, but this ' deemed inadvisable as many of the African delegates had to leave by that time. However, the sessions of the A.A.C. had in very large measure prepared the ground, so that we were able to assume the necessity for Unity and thus proceed to the practical task of finding a working basis.

The Convention had chosen a delegation which included their President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Our delegation consisted of the official delegation of 7 from the Provisional National Committee and representatives from the Kimberley, De Aar, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg local Committees. Councillor A. Ismail was prevented by ill-health from attending on behalf of the Cape Indian Congress. Messrs. Kajee and Father had signified their intention of attending from the Natal Indian Congress, but sent word to say that they were unable to attend as they were busy as the time with certain matters affecting the extension of the Pegging Act. This was a disappointment to the delegations, but it was felt that there is no present justification for thinking that the Indian Congress is intentionally keeping itself aloof from the other two sections of the Non-Europeans, or that the Indians of Natal have been taken in by Senator Clarkson's bait of a sham Municipal vote on a communal basis. Therefore, arrangements were made whereby the chairman of the Conference, Professor D. D. T. Jabavu, and the secretaries were to give the Indian Congress a full report of the proceedings, keep them acquainted with subsequent decisions and make certain sug­gestions as to their full participation in our further work.

A 10-Point Programme for full democratic rights was provisionally adopted as a basis for Unity. It was considered that this provides a minimum programme to which all three sections of the Non-Europeans can subscribe and which should be the programme around which propaganda for Unity should now be made. It was considered that all three sections should, wherever possible, hold joint-meetings, throughout the Union in order to make the people acquainted with the programme upon which Unity of struggle may be achieved and in order to fight together upon matters fundamentally affecting the needs and aspirations of all three sections. It was decided that another Unity Conference shall be held within six months and it was urged that all three sections should start a Unity campaign to prepare the ground for this Conference by explaining to the people what is meant by unity, how it may be achieved and demonstrating this unity by practical defence of the rights of Africans, Coloureds and Indians, commencing with the coming Parliamentary session when further attacks will certainly be made upon all three sections. It was considered that such active campaigning for unity, by demonstrating how unity of action may be achieved upon the basis of the 10-Point Programme, would be the best possible preparation for the next Unity Conference when the furtherance of the Unity Movement may be decided upon in light of our further experiences.

A provisional Unity Executive Committee was appointed in order to coordinate the work as far as possible. This consists of a Chairman,. Professor Jabavu and 2 Vice Chairmen; Dr. G. H. Gool of the Anti-C.A.D. is one, and it was decided to invite Mr. A. I. Kajee to be the other; a joint-secretariat was appointed consisting of Mr. S. Jayiya, Mr. E. Ramsdale, and one to be invited from the S. A. Indian Congress. It was decided to invite Councillor A. Ismail to be treasurer. The rest of the Committee is to consist of 8 members of the A.A.C. and 4 each from the Anti-C.A.D. and the S.A. Indian Congress. The 4 provisionally appointed from the Anti-CAD are Mrs. Z. Gool, Mr. E. C. Roberts, Mr. E. Marthinus, Mr. B. M. Kies. Those from the A.A.C. are Messrs. T. Sinyogo, Sesedi, Koza, Tabata, 12 Sondio, Dr. Moroka, Tsotsea, Morani, and the Indian Congress is asked to appoint 4. This provisional Executive should meet by Easter in order to decide upon the venue and other matter affecting the 2nd Unity, Conference. A copy of the 10-point programme is attached and we feel sure it will play an important part in our movement for liberation.