Rights and Protest: SA Apartheid - Protests and Action

National Day of Protest (21st October 1950)

* Mandela and ANC leadership called for National Day of Protest (26/6/1950)


* In cooperation with political organisations representing: 
* Coloured = African People’s Organisation (APO) 
* Indian = South African Indian Congress (SAIC) 
* In cities, most black businesses closed and a majority of workers stayed home 

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Suppression of Communism Act (no.4) (1950)

* Outlawed Communist Party → didn’t form a significant threat to the government 
* Any criticism of government = communism
* Empowered the minister of justice to list members of such organisations 
* ‘Ban’ them usually for 5 years from public office, attending public meetings, being in any area of SA


* Minister of Justice could investigate any organisation, declare it illegal, liquidate its assets and ban any gatherings deemed likely to further the aims of communism 

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Defiance Campaign (April 1952)

* ANC + SAIC organised mass rallies and stay-at-homes for 6th April and 26th June → thousans of men and women supported it 
* Aimed to repeal:
* Pass Laws Act
* Group Areas Act
* Suppression of Communism Act
* Separate Representation of Voters Act
* Stock Limitation Act
* Made it compulsory for Africans to cull their cattel = unpopular in rural aras and included in campaign to broaden support to African peasants


* Government reacted by banning leaders and newspapers under Suppression of Communism Act + arresting participants 
* December 1952: approx. 8500 people had been arrested → Defiance Campaign largely come to an end with no real change in laws

Successes of the Defiance Campaign (1952)

* For first time, ANC coordinated extended national campaign against Apartheid 
* Leadership proved capable of discipline and sacrifice 


* Thousands of ordinary SA people demonstrated readiness to be involved → as volunteers and supporters 
* Stage had been set for development of true mass movement
* Broad coalition of interest groups involved in planning and execution 
* From communists and trade unions to members of Indian community and ANC Women’s League
* Hardly anyone in party (including members of emerging Africanist faction) objected in principle to working alongside non-African groups
* National and global profile of ANC grew as a result

Failures of the Defiance Campaign (1952)

* ANC failed to achieve any of its main political objectives = not a single one of the six laws was repealed


* Government emerged with even stronger repressive powers with passage of Criminal Law Amendment Act and Public Safety Act (also introduced during the campaign) 
* Anticipated wave of general strikes that would herald climax of campaign + cripple SA economy never materialised 
* Campaign viewed with hostility by many in the white community → viewed it as revolutionary challenge to their interests particularly after outbreak of riots


* English language press unsympathetic → liberal whites sought to distance themselves from campaign they believed to be radical + confrontational

Congress of The People (25-26th June 1955)

* 3000 delegates met near Soweto 


* Represented: 
* African = ANC
* White = The Congress of Democrats
* Indian = SAIC
* Coloured = The Coloured People’s Congress 
* South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) 
* Goal to develop a new vision for a future South Africa 
* Main document discussed = Freedom Charter → drafted several weeks previously 

Government Response to Freedom Charter

* Charter ratified by Congress delegates when police surrounded the meeting
* Announced treason was being committed
* Took the names of all those attending 


* Following year using this information = police arrested 156 leaders
* Put on trial for next 5 years 
* Passed 2 censorship acts: 
* Customs and Exercise Act (1955) 
* Official Secrets Act (no.16) (1956) 
* Established Board of Censors to censor books, films and other material produced/imported into SA

Treason Trials (1956-61)

* 156 people representing nearly 50 organisations → mix of Africans, whites, Indians, coloureds
* Included Nelson Mandela and almost every other significant figure in the anti-apartheid movement 


* Government claimed the Freedom Charter was a communist inspired document = charged with treason
* Trial had several phases: 
* Phase 1: most of those charged had their indictments dropped
* Final phase: remaining 30 defendents all members of ANC had charges dropped 
* ANC declared to be non-voilent and not a communist-front organisation

Alexandra Bus Boycott (January 1957)

* Not the first bus boycott in SA, used frequently before and some were quite large in scale 


* Alexandra: bus company raised prices from the township into the city 
* Hundreds of thousands took part in protests + generated symphathetic coverage in the white media
* How did it get so large? 
* Context - Sophiatown removals amongst others affecting the area 
* 1956 decision to issue compulsory passes to women 
* Lack of other protests against the government thanks to ANC crackdowns
* Economic pressures of the time → already spending more than a month’s salary annually on bus fares → could not afford the 1p increase
* Boycott spread to Sophiatown and surrounding townships of Pretoria: other cities staged boycotts in solidarity 


* Eventually the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce intervened = old fares restored and government subsidised the transport company 
* Success

Why did the ANC split after the Alexandra Bus Boycotts?

* Because of ANC’s failure to achieve any practical success in campaigns led to major split by 1959 


* Critics said had made too many compromises + failed to represent African interests 
* Mainly due to its alliance with the white Congress of Democrats 
* Africanists led by Robert Sobukwe → called on the ANC to represent African interests first and take more action 
* Forced out of ANC → formed Pan-African Congress

Pan-African Congress (PAC)

* Nationwide campaign against the pass laws


* Called on Africans to assemble outside police stations without their passes and challenge police to arrest them 
* One demonstration - Sharpeville

Sharpeville Massacre (21st March 1960)

* Sharpeville: ‘Native’ township of around 37,000 people in industrial area of Vereeniging, south of Johannesburg


* Suffered from high unemployment + resentment towards local factories which relied on cheaper imported migrant labour
* Up to 20,000 people gathered to protest pass laws
* Plan was to go to police station, show they had no passes, demand to be arrested = they couldn’t arrest them all
* However, seems that a policeman was pushed over by the crowd so they opened fire 
* In minutes, 69 dead, almost 200 wounded
* Investigation later found that 70% of those killed had been shot in the back

Effect of Sharpeville Massacre

* Economy suffered as foreign investors pulled money out amongst international outcry


* 2000 political leaders arrested
* State of emergency declared → army reserves mobilised to help put down disturbances = public meetings banned
* White emigration surpassed white immigration → whites began arming themselves in increasing numbers 
* Some Afrikaner politicians started questioning apartheid policies as being too heavy-handed
* ANC + PAC banned under new  Unlawful Organisations Act → 7th April 1960 
* 18,000 people arrested and often beaten

How did the ANC’s stance change post-Sharpeville Massacre?

* Calls for end to apartheid = ignored
* Clear to leadership of ANC that all this energy, time, money was wasted → now they’re banned as a group too = time for something different
* Mandela justified change in ANC stance by saying that violence was inevitable 
* Military branch of ANC formed -→ ANC secret meeting: Mandela suggested they should sponsor armed wing 


* Albert Luthuli opposed this and wants to commit to non-violence 
* Luthuli later suggested → military branch should be separate but under ANC leadership

Government Response to ANC’s Armed Struggle

* Little significant military damage from ANC = small scale attacks
* Sabotage Act (1962)
* Those charged with acts of sabotage faced death penalty, presumed guilty until proved innocent, security forces could use torture 


* General Laws Amendment Act (1963)
* Authorities could arrest anyone for 90 days, after 90 days passed could charge and hold for another 90 days → continue indefinitely
* Bantu Laws Amendment Act (1964)
* Authorities could deport any African from any urban/farming area for any reason

Rivonia Trial (1963-64)

* Post-government Raid on Liliesleaf Farm
* Seized 17 MK members, weapons + documents → clearly stated Mandela’s role 
* All arrested, faced death penalty
* 20th April - Mandela spoke to the court which included local + intl. press 
* Spoke for 4 hours, turned charges against him into an indictment against apartheid 
* Mandela and others pled not guilty 


* Judge Quartus de Wet took 3 weeks to decide 
* Prosecutor had been pushing for death penalty → everone sentenced to life in prison except for Denis Goldberg (22 years as the only white) 
* Lots of intl. Pressure to avoid death penalty but unsure why he decided to do so 


* Mandela sent back to Robben Island with 6 other defendants → there for the next 27 years