The nationwide day of protest against the segregation proposals and the Colour Bar laws on Easter Monday in 1939 united all sectors of civil society, writes Michael Weeder.
In the history of South Africa, the youth-led national uprising of June 16, 1976 forms part of what Nelson Mandela referred to as “a three-stream heritage”. He notes this in a letter to a certain Nomabutho Bhala dated January 1, 1971.
The first resisters to colonialism were followed by a more urbane group of individuals whom Madiba named as: “the Selope Themas, Jabavus, Dubes, Abdurahmans, Gools, Asvats, Cachalias”.
In a salutory embrace of an apparently young Nomabutho Bhala, Madiba affirmed he and his generation “have joined this legion of honour”.
Similarly, the contribution of the Ashley Kriels of the 1980s is premised on the example of people such as Looksmart Ngudle. After the ANC was banned in 1960 Ngudle was part of the first MK training camp in the Cape. This camp, led by Dennis Goldberg, took place at the end of 1962 between Christmas and New Year.
It was held within the precincts of the Mamre Moravian Station on a farm identified by Reverend Chris Wessels as Louws Kloof. Ngudle was the first person to die in detention - on September 5, 1963.
By and large, the Struggle was mass-led and consisted of all sectors of civil society. The banner of the ANC was but one of many others. The nationwide day of protest against the segregation proposals and the Colour Bar laws on Easter Monday, March 27, 1939 is a case in point. In Cape Town, the resistance to the Servitude Bill was led by the National Liberation League and the Non-European United Front.
This bill, introduced by Richard Stuttaford, would have given provincial councils the right to introduce the equivalent of the Group Areas Act.
Stuttaford, the owner of the store bearing his family name on Adderley Street in the city, was a cabinet member of the Coalition Government headed by the two generals, JBM Hertzog and Jan Smuts. He was also a benefactor of the Methodist Church on Second Avenue Kenilworth, where Reg September and his family worshipped.
Flora, Reg’s mother, had a stall at the annual bazaar: “RS Stuttaford would visit my mother’s,” Reg recalled with a wry smile, “and she would thank him profusely for contributing half-a-dozen bottles of Oros.”
The Cape Standard in its report on the day of protest observed the crowd of more than 20 000 people included “Indians, Malays, Bantu and a sprinkling of Europeans”.
Their banners included queries about the identity of some: “How Pure are the Purified Nationalists?”; or expressed the mood of the gathering, “To Hell with Segregation” and the non-negotiable, “Give our Country Back”.
The writer, Peter Abrahams, provided an account of his life in Johannesburg. Other speakers were an incongruent array of traditional adversaries and fellow travellers. Mr Z Gamiet represented the Cape Malay Association, Sam Khan The Hairdressers” Union, John Gomas and Moses Kotane respectively the Communist Party and the ANC respectivley.
At 8pm, as darkness settled over the parade, Councillor Cissy Gool lit a torch of liberty. Similar torches were lit throughout the crowd as a Moravian brass band accompanied them in the singing of the anthem composed by James la Guma, Dark Folks, Arise!
Before the close of the meeting, Jimmy La Guma read out the resolutions which included the rejection of “the segregation proposals of the government”. After it had been put to the vote “the resolutions were passed by 20 000 to 0”, noted La Guma.
But there was a consequence for the 16-year-old Reg September: “The day before the protest I was walking across the parade with a pile of posters. Our principal, Mr Pyp Heinecke, and I exchanged civilities and went our separate ways.
“The next morning: ‘Come, those of you didn’t do your homework’.Dougie Mathews and I were called up. Mr Biggs, our physical culture master, was told, ‘Give these boys six of the best’.”
“As far as a lot of people were concerned we were heroes.”
* The Very Rev Michael Weeder is the current Dean of St George's Cathedral.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Weekend Argus