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By TOM MORRIS

MSss* Canadians have a working
&¥& knowledge of South Africa’s
Apartheid. Most abhor it. 1968
is Human Rights Year, declared by
the United Nations. This alone gives
cause to reflect about South Africa.
it is also the 56th anniversary of
the founding of the African National
Congress in 1912 at Bloemfontein. Pro-
fessionals, intelléctuals and a large
number of chiefs and tribesmen, work-
€rs and peasants, met in unity in pur-
Suit of freedom for South Africa. The
A.N.C, is not only the oldest liberation
organization, but the only one with
a mass base, dedicated leadership and
today has built up a highly-trained
people’s army. The long experience of
the A.N.C. has shown that events to-
day have forced armed Struggle upon
the South African people. Contrary to
claims that the armed units of the
ANC. are “terrorists”, (how often the
colonists have termed armed resistance
terrorism!), the history of Struggle of
the South African patriots shows that
every possible method has been tried
to bring justice and equality to bear.
These efforts increasingly have been
met with brutal suppression by the
white minority who rule the country.

In 1910 Britain granted “indepen-
dence” to the white minority and the

FEBRUARY 16, 1968—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 6

Union of South Africa was born. This
Union excluded Africans and other non-
whites from government,and, in 1913,
the Land Act was passed robbing the
Africans by dividing the land so that
87 percent of all land became the
property of the white minority.

A Poll Tax was also introduced in

this period, Its purpose was to force a.

population, whose: mode of life was a
commodity one, to pay taxes in the
form of money, thereby creating a
migrant labor force which could be
used as the needs of South African
capitalism demanded.

This legal bit of thievery forced the
mass of the African population into
white-owned mining and industry—a
poorly paid work force which remains
to this day the backbone of South
Africa’s economy.

The year 1913 also saw the begin-
nings of A.N.C.-inspired anti-pass law
actions. The discriminatory pass laws,
long a badge of slavery, were being
extended to include women. Violent op-
position defeated this - move by the
government and the extention attempts
failed. At that time Britain still held
powers to disallow discriminatory ac-
tions passed by South Africa’s parlia-

“ment. Delegations visited London on

several occassions to press Britain to
use her constitutional powers against
discrimination, all without success.
During the Twenties, trade union
activity was stepped up as South Africa
underwent rapid industrialization. The

A.N.C. was right there, supporting
workers’ strikes and denouncing the
brutal repressive measures used by the
white minority against the people.

_ The mid-Thirties saw the rise of fas-
cism in Europe and the support of the
South African white ruling circles for
the nazi ideas of racial superiority.
During this period, legal intrigues in.
parliament took away the vote of the
Cape Africans. The disenfranchisement
of the colored people quickly followed
in 1962. These days sounded the death

.Knoll on the: promises of the white

minority for constitutional guarantees.
It also ended the possibility of the mass
of the South African population to
advance their demands via the par-
liamentary path. The battle lines were
tightening.

The period of the Second World War
and after brought the rise of the na-
tional liberation struggles across the
world. Corrupt old empires died, some
quietly, other were buried screaming.
These events inspired the South Afri-
can people even further with the hopes
and determination of all oppressed
mankind. .

The return to power of the Nationa-
list party with: the its openly-proclaim-
ed aims of Apartheid marked a turning
point, in the oppression of the people.

‘A fi

These racists, who openly supported
the nazis during the Second World
War, whipped up the white population
with the cry of “Swart Gevaar” (Black
Danger) and, once firmly in power,
quickly eliminated all vestiges of
equality that may have survived in the
land.

The Program of Action of the A.N.C.
in 1949 defined the principle and con-
tent of struggle to be mass: action.
This included boycotts, strikes, passive
resistence—many forms, flexibly used
as time dictated. In 1950 two massive
one-day political strikes rocked the
country in honour of those killed in
long struggle for liberty. In 1951 the
A.N.C., jointly with the South African
Indian Congress, launched the famous
Defiance Campaign against the Apar-
theid laws. Some 8,000 A.N.C. members
openly defied the laws and were jailed.
The white regime provoked riots which
were used as a pretext to arrest seve-
ral A.N.C. leaders.

Stay-at-home strikes greeted the
“Suppression of Communism Act” that
year. This Act became vitally important
in the government’s ability to terrorize
the people. Its wording was broad
enough to enable the police to pin the
label on any African for actions felt
by the White regime to endanger it.
The Act stands today. Speeches and
documents of the government are libe-
rally spiced with the “communist men-
ace” bogey. Countless patriots have
been rounded up, convicted and jailed
under its provisions.

The years that followed were of con-
tinuing mass action. These took place
both in the countryside and the cities.
In places like Zeerust, Sekhukhuniland
and Mabieskraal the A.N.C.-led cam-
paigns against the pass laws, Bantu
Education laws and Bantu authorities
became so widespread that in 1959 the
A.N.C. was banned in rural areas. A
year later the A.N.C. became illegal
throughout the country.

The arrests began in 1950 and by
1956 a total of 156 leaders of the

A.N.C. and other people’s organizations:

were charged with High Treason. Hun-
dreds of other local leaders have also
been arrested, banished, restricted or
victimized in other ways. The best sons
of the people like Nelson Mandela,
Govan Mbeki, Elias Motsoaledi, Ahmed
Kathrada and Bram Fischer are serving
long prison terms including life im-
prisonment. Patriots such as Vuyisile
Mini, Zinakile Mkhaba, Washington
Bongco and others have died on the
gallows,

Violence more and more became the
criterion. People’s demonstrations were
marked for police butality. The Sharpe-
ville massacre in 1960 was but a sign
of the times. There were many Sharpe-
villes in those years and the pattern of
reaction was more violence to come. It
became clearer that the A.N.C. could
no longer advise the people to remain
non-violent in the face of violence. The
time had come for reappraisal, to take
up arms in the defense of hard-won
gains, and for the overcoming of the
white tyranny. .

Umkhonto We Sizwe (The Spear of
the Nation) units, the military wing of
the African National Congress, directed
their first attacks on South African gov-
ernment and military installations in
December, 1961. -

The banning of the A.N.C. marked
the end to the non-violent phase of
Struggle. The following situation has
arisen: 3

@ South Africa is now ruled with’

the gun. It has become the strongest
military power on the continent. |

e Defying numerous United Nations
resolutions against Apartheid, the gZOv-
ernment instead stepped up racism.

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