W H A T’S T H E U S E O F T R Y IN G ?

“Aikona! Is not anti - Semitism. Is new kind of job reservation — who can vote for who in Houghton.”

hand , the B roederbond is rap id ly stifling freedom , a n d on the o th e r hand , o u r non-w hite South A fricans are being driven to desperation by enfo rced ap arthe id , a nd o u r econom y is being destroyed.

W hat can th ink ing people do fo r the ir coun try to try to avoid ca tastrophe?

1. A ccept th a t o u r C onstitu tion does n o t fit ou r coun try .

2. P ersuade an overw helm ing num ber o f South A fricans to m ake insistent dem ands on the G o v ern m en t to call a N a tio n a l C onvention w ith sovereign pow ers, tru ly represen tative o f all the people, w hich shall devise and ad o p t a new constitu tion to allow fo r peacefu l change th ro u g h the ballo t-box , while safeguard ing individual rights.

3. O rganise consu lta tion now a t a ll levels betw een people o f all races w ith this end in view.

4. F o rm liaison betw een all bodies pledged to c a rry on un til th is goal is reached.

5. R efuse to be depressed o r d iverted from th is w ork by election results, no m a tte r how d isappoin ting o r encourag ing , since the election results in a sm all section o f our po p u la tion a re no ind ica tion o f public opin ion on a n a tio n a l scale.

6. S ta r t now to m ake th o rough p rep ara tio n fo r this N ationa l C onven tion , so th a t when the governm en t (the presen t o r the nex t) does call it, we shall know th a t people o f all races have been th ink ing deeply ab o u t the new constitu tion , w hich justice and com m on sense dem and fo r S ou th A frica .

By E V E L Y N W E S T

A P E R E N N IA L question comes up at the Cape W estern All Branches meeting, and

possibly in other regions. “ The members of my branch want to know what the Sash is doing. They like taking part in stands and dem onstrations, but they feel that a great deal of the Sash’s work could be done by other organisations.”

T he answ er to this question , an d to ano ther like it: “W e're no t getting anyw here — w h a t’s the use o f try ing?” should be ap p a ren t to any Sasher w ho reads her m agazine, o r a ttends her b ranch m eeting, even if she can n o t be p resen t a t the co rp o ra te m on th ly m eeting a n d w ork her w ay, w ith the regional com m ittee , th ro u g h an agenda th a t ranges from A to Z w ith sub-sections to several o f the item s.

M em bers fresh from the E ast L ondon C o n ­ference an d the scores w hose w ork in the Sash is as m uch a p a rt o f them as th e ir b reath ing need no rem inding o f w hat th e Sash is and w hy it should con tinue its w ork , b u t th e fo l­low ing po in ts m ay be usefu l fo r the d iscouraged.

L et us look a t o u r aim s — it m ight be an idea to read them a t regular in tervals a t b ranch m eetings:

1. T o conduct p ro p ag an d a , enlist su p p o rt and a id fo r the observance o f(a ) political m ora lity an d the princip les o f

P a rliam en ta ry dem ocracy w ith in the R epublic o f S ou th A frica ;

(b ) civil rights an d liberties.

2. T he political educa tion an d enligh tenm ent o f citizens o f S o u th A frica , an d o ther persons.

3. T he doing o f all such th ings and the c a rry ­ing o u t o f all such activities as m ay fu r th e r the objects o f the o rgan isation .

T his is a w ide field w hich is well covered by the so rt o f po rtfo lios usually to be fo u n d in a regional council — press an d p ropaganda , ed u ca­tion , dem onstra tions, P arliam en ta ry sub-com m it- tees, vigilance sub-com m ittees, an d so on . W ork

th a t m ight be considered w elfare w ork (bail funds, food and m oney collected fo r A fricans in locations du ring the em ergency, help fo r the fam ilies o f detainees an d banished persons) should be seen ra th e r as assistance fo r the victim s o f d iscrim inato ry legislation an d well w ithin the scope o f the Sash. But w herever we a re required to help in m atte rs o f a “w elfare” na tu re , requests a re referred to the organ isa tions th a t exist for such w ork.

Im p ress ive List

It has been in teresting to look th rough the m agazine since the beginning o f 1959 (I could no t go back to 1956) to see w hat subjects have been dealt w ith ap a rt from specific Sash news, sta tem ents and com m entaries on p a rliam en tary sessions. T here have been artic les on the consti­tu tion o f the various po litical parties, poverty (in several issues), reference books fo r A frican w om en, the fight fo r the rights o f the C o loured com m unity , U n iversity apa rth e id , G ro u p A reas (in several issues dealing w ith various a re a s ) , C a to M anor, S ab ra , the C onscience C lause, Prof. L. M . T h o m p so n ’s plea fo r a new constitu tion fo r S ou th A frica , the pass laws (again and again — an d a special issue w hich, the Press said, alone w ould have justified ou r ex is tence), reports on R hodesia and N yasaland , K enya, th e C ongo and N igeria , fa rm labou r, cond itions in the loca­tions in W ellington (W estern C ap e) an d K irk ­w ood an d B ontrug (P o r t E liz ab e th ), C hristian N atio n a l E duca tion , and la te r the special education issue, the A rchb ishop 's C onference leading to the U n ion D ay m arch o f the ten thousand , the function o f a P rov incial C ouncil, the Sash in the m ag istra tes ' courts, the righ ts o f a citizen, the essence o f the C om m onw ealth , the franchise , qualified o r fo r all, censorsh ip and press con tro l, the new education bill, A frican leaders, lib ra ry apa rth e id , housing fo r A fricans, race p rejudice, the C o loured C onven tion a t M alm esbury , the C ensorsh ip Bill . . .

W e m ay add to th is im pressive list the b rains trusts , the tou rs , the sorties in to N ationalis t strongholds, the tape recordings, the public lectures, th e petitions, the w ork w ith o rg an iza ­tions on o th e r fron ts , an d the g rad u a l building o f a tra ined body o f w om en an d o f a co rp o ra te streng th am ong us.

In her artic le “A Y ear o f D ecline” Septem ber 1961) M rs. M uriel F isher asked if we could sink fu rth e r than a list o f ho rro rs ranging from the denying o f e lem entary hum an rights to m illions on the g round o f co lo u r a lone to the deporting o f a bishop. W e have sunk low er. T he Prim e M inister has sta ted th a t by the South A frican nation he m eans the w hite popu la tion ; L u tu li’s N obel aw ard has been stigm atised as a political trick on the p art o f the u itla n d e r s ; and a tten tion , in an appalling ly fam ilia r p a tte rn , is being given to the w ay the Jew ish com m unity votes in South A frica.

If we choose to rem ain in this coun try , we have a clear du ty to face the h a rd grind o f co n stan t vigilance against being cond itioned ; we have to question , to p ro test, publicly and privately , again and again.

A t presen t we live in uneasy peace. L et us system atically destroy prejudice and m eet across the co lou r bar, trad itio n a l o r im posed, on every possible occasion in o rd e r to m ake o u r m u lti­racial society, w hich is a reality , som ething to

Reply PositiveA B LA C K SA SH m em ber, on being

. C \ accused by an an tagon ist o f ab so rb ­ing all her ideas from the E nglish Press, replied : “N o t a t all! I get m y ideas from Jesus C hris t.”

be rejo iced in or, on the low est level, accepted. By doing this we shall be build ing values, w hich, once they becom e a p a r t o f us, a re n o t v u ln er­ab le to assault.

T w o years ago the C ape A rgus, in a leading artic le , said : “ Because it is founded on m oral assertion , [the Black S ash] has m oved to the positive crea tion o f values. I t does n o t seek political office o r strive fo r pow er, a lthough every m em ber m ay have strong personal views and po litical p a rty affiliations. I t stands as a c o n ­tinu ing assertion th a t th a t w hich is m orally w rong can n o t in the end be po litically right. F ro m this fundam en ta l p rincip le flows the type o f constructive activ ity , m ain ly on behalf o f the voteless and under-priv ileged, in w hich the organ isa tion is now so busily an d fru itfu lly engaged .”

F ru itfu l o r no t, th is is o u r w ork — and our privilege.

What it Means to be Banished

SOUTH AFRICA’S SIBERIANSBy FIELDWORKER

TH E word “ ban” has crept into the every­day language of South Africa. It is a sign

of the times in which we live. But how many of us really understand what is m eant bv banishment? How many of us know that the State President may order any African to leave his domicile and be removed to another place until he is once again permitted to leave?

I t is far-reach ing , th is pow er to u p ro o t a m an from his fam ily , from his house and his friends, to take him thousands o f m iles aw ay to an u n ­know n destination . T h ere are no prelim inaries, no w arn ing ; the police ap p ea r w ith an o rd er, a piece o f paper w hich changes one 's w hole life, an d one is just to ld to go.

If you refuse to go vo lun tarily , you a re c lapped in to handcuffs an d taken just the sam e. T h ere is no appeal. Y ou can ask questions a fte rw ards, w hen you even tua lly find o u t th a t you m ay ask w hy you have been banished. But no one tells you th a t you can ask. In any case, asking “W hy?” is just a b itte r farce, fo r invariab ly the M inister com es back w ith the sam e reply , “ It is no t in the public in terest to disclose all the reasons . . .”

D ied in Exile

O nly A fricans a re th rea ten ed u nder this scan ­dalous, vicious N ative A dm in istra tion A ct N o. 39 o f 1927. Indians, C o loureds and W hites are n o t so th rea tened — no t yet. B ut it is no m ere th rea t to A fricans, fo r th e A ct has a lready been used against 116 people du ring the past tw elve y e a r s ; m ore th an 40 a re still in exile, som e have a lready been in exile fo r m ore th an eigh t y e a r s ;11 have died in ex ile ; 41 have been released — m ost o f them on “ p ro b a tio n ” w ith the th rea t o f reban ishm en t hanging over the ir heads. Six are still m issing and can n o t be traced . T he M inister has n o t disclosed th e ir w hereabouts. A few have

T w o men in exile: Chief M aci (left) and Chief M iya.

fled this unk ind co u n try and a re struggling for existence in o th er lands.

It is true , o f course, th a t there is nothing to p re ­ven t the fam ilies from visiting the ir m en, except th a t there is no m oney even fo r food an d ed u ca ­tion , let alone fo r travelling thousands o f miles. T he M inister ta lks glibly in P a rliam en t abou t fam ilies being ab le to go to the ir m en, b u t in p ractice it d o esn 't happen . A nxious wives have been to ld th a t they m ust be p rep a red to rem ain perm anen tly w ith the ir exiled husbands if they a re to be taken to them . I t appears to be a o n e ­w ay ticket.

T his w eapon o f ban ishm en t is cruel, unjust. T here is no sem blance o f a tria l o r any possibility o f defence. O ne and all, the banished m en say today , “W hat d id I do to be banished? W hy d id I have no tr ia l if I did som ething w rong?” T he answ er is c lear. T he banished w ere no t b rough t to tria l — because the A u th o ritie s could prove no ease against these m en .

F ro m tim e to tim e the shocking, desolate p ligh t o f the m en in the cam ps a t F renchda le o r D riefon te in is b rough t to the public notice, th ro u g h the Press. H eads are shaken an d some individuals are stirred by sham e and pity and

offer personal help. T hen the ripp le on the sea o f ap a th y dies aw ay an d alt is still again . T he banished are again fo rgo tten by all save a few.

L ittle is know n o f som e o f the o th e r exiles w ho are n o t herded in cam ps, bu t sca ttered fa r and wide in the rem otest p a rts o f ou r land , in the tip o f the N orthern T ransvaa l, in the fu rthest co rn er o f Z u lu land . W ith w icked ingenuity , the Z u lu is flung in to a Sesuto-speaking a rea ; the m an from Z eerust will be sent to K ing W illiam 's T ow n, o r to G ollel, so th a t even the language is strange and m ust be learn t. E m ploym ent is offered; as a lab o u re r one m ay earn fro m R6 to RIO a m on th — top w age a f te r several years! But som etim es there isn 't em ploym ent fo r weeks, m onths, an d then there m ay o r m ay no t be “allow ances” w hich a re one R an d in cash an d ra tions, supposed to rep resen t R3 w orth o f food . S tudy o f ra tio n s p rov ided invites the com m ent th a t prices in the co u n try m ust be very h igh, if th is is all th a t can be h a d fo r R3! H ow ever, reports show th a t usually the banished people do no t even get these allow ances w hen they a re unem ployed. T hey exist fo r w eeks on end on the kindness o f those am ongst w hom they have been dum ped.

D espa ir a n d Desolation

T he stories o f the ban ished m en a re tragic tales o f despair and deso lation , yet in fused with an unbelievab le d ignity an d courage. W hoever has m anaged to see the ban ished people com es back w ith the sam e com m ent on th e ir am azing endurance . B ut som e o f these sto ries a re only now becom ing know n, as facts em erge from visits and letters. N or a re visits easy, fo r these m en are n o t free ; they a re u nder strict su rveil­lance, though perhaps no t ac tua lly g u arded , and there is also alw ays the danger o f v ictim isation . Visits from friends are frequen tly fo llow ed by visits fro m detectives. W ith an indefinite period o f ban ishm ent, w ho know s w hether it m ay no t be prolonged?

P erhaps the m ost sham efu l sto ry o f all is th a t o f the M atla la R eserve. E igh t years ago , 20 m en a n d th ree w om en w ere ban ished from M atlala R eserve; five have a lready died in exile. L ittle is know n o f how they died , bu t repo rts o f their cond ition suggest th a t they p ro b ab ly d ied of

“When we get White liquor, will we be allowed to say ‘Cheers', or do you think Maree will insist on

‘Sakabona’ or something?”

poverty an d neglect. O nly tw o o f the 23 ever re tu rned to M atla la — b o th to die w ith in a m on th . T he rem ain ing 18 are sca tte red all over th is land ; som e are struggling in destitu tion in Z u lu land , w here tw o have a lready died, o thers are w orking on T ru s t fa rm s in the T ranskei, o r in the N o rth e rn T ransvaa l. O ne is a lready an o ld age pensioner. O h, yes, he gets his pension now , all o f R4.75 every tw o m onths! A n d he gets no th ing else, except w hat friends send him . Y et this m an fough t in E ast A frica in the 1914- 18 W ar. “ I saw M o u n t K ilim an jaro ,” he says. T oday he is a very o ld an d sick m an , b u t he is still n o t a llow ed to go hom e.

A nd w hat o f th e fam ilies o f the banished? They are destitu te . Som etim es they a re n o t even allow ed to p lough , a n d the new B antu A uthorities chiefs have been know n to take th e ir land aw ay, bu rn dow n o r confiscate the ir huts. C hildren grow up w ithou t education , because there is no m oney fo r school fees o r clothes. W hen the fam ilies a re no t allow ed to plough they m ust live on the ch arity o f friends and relations. S tark poverty is the ir lot, w ith little hope o f fu tu re im provem ent. E ven w hen the ban ished — som e o f them — are eventually allow ed to go hom e,

they find ru in an d destitu tion , an d m ust s ta rt again — w ith nothing. A nd all fo r no crim e, fo r if crim e there w ere they w ou ld have been tried by the C ourts.

T h ree m en have been ban ished fro m Sekhuk- huniland . O ne w as ban ished fo r th ree years, then graciously allow ed to re tu rn hom e — only to be banished again , fo r no given reason , back to the very place w here he h ad a lready lived o u t three lonely, unhappy years. W h at so rt o f refined to r tu re is this, to re tu rn a m an to his fam ily a fte r th ree years an d tak e h im aw ay again , back to the h o rro r o f banishm ent? Y et there is w orse even th an this. T he o ther tw o m en w ere co n ­victed in the S ekhukhun iland lan d tria ls a few years ago an d served the ir sentences. B ut, on leaving the gaol they w ere served w ith banish­m en t orders, a n d taken s tra igh t fro m th e gaol to a rem ote p a r t o f Z u lu lan d , w ith o u t being allow ed to go hom e to see their fam ilies.

T h ey W ant to go H om e

T he M inister says th a t the ban ished people are no t held in p rison conditions. T hey a re no t p risoners, says he. B ut w hen one o f these ban ished Sekhukhun i m en w as v isited recently , friends w ere no t allow ed to speak to h im in his ow n language w ithou t every w ord being tra n s­la ted in to Z u lu fo r the benefit o f the th ree Z u lu policem en w ho rem ained th ro u g h o u t th e visit.

Som etim es these ban ished m en live in ex q u i­sitely beau tifu l su rround ings, am ong w aterfalls, m ou n ta in stream s, lu x u rian t bush coun try , or m aybe beside the blue In d ian ocean. But the greenest o f w illow trees, the loveliness o f the low veld can n o t ease the ache in the h ea rt o f a m an fo r his hom e an d ch ild ren . “ I w an t to see my ch ild ren ,” they w rite sadly. “ I w an t to go h om e.”

M a n y readers o f this article m ay fee l that they w ould like to do som eth ing practical a bou t the tragic situa tion disclosed. F urther in form ation m ay be ob ta ined fro m T he Secretary, H um an R ights W elfare C o m m ittee , P .O . B ox 10876, Johannesburg and P.O. B ox 59, C larem ont, C ape T ow n .

GOODWILL BRIDGES

Lady Packer opens Fete

LA D Y JO Y P A C K E R , opening the C ape W estern reg ion o f th e Black Sash annual

fete on 4 th N ovem ber, described the Sash as a co n tin u a l ir r itan t to the conscience o f ou r over-priv ileged society.

“ R epressive laws th a t m igh t have slipped by as fa r as we w ere concerned w ere b rough t to o u r notice w ith all th e ir ugly im plications.”

W hile D r. V erw oerd w as raising his gran ite w all h igher every day , the Sash w as doing the opposite by bu ild ing “ goodw ill bridges” betw een the races.

“ I w ould go so fa r as to say th a t one day , when the sto rm breaks, the rest o f us m ay depend on those bridges fo r o u r su rv ival.”

T he Sash h a d also show n itself eager to create g rea ter understand ing an d harm o n y betw een English- and A frikaans-speak ing people.

It w as also pressing fo r a governm ent- sponsored m ulti-racial n a tio n a l congress a t w hich leaders o f a ll g roups cou ld p u t fo rw ard their po in ts o f view tow ards a so lu tion to o u r p ro b ­lems.

L ady Packer said “ legalized a p a rth e id ” w as the ugly fea th e r in the peacock ’s tail.

D egrad in g D istin ction s

F oreigners to C ape T ow n w ere instan tly struck by the degrad ing d istinction o f one en trance fo r W hites an d one fo r non-W hites. H ow cou ld an y ­one explain this aw ay as being essential to separa te developm ent?

It m ust seem to the fo reigner th a t the South A frican believes th a t if he joins the sam e queue, an d sits nex t to a non-W hite in th e bus, tram or taxi, he is risking som e so rt o f infection . Y et a t hom e, o u r m ost precious heritage, o u r children , w ere left in the care o f non-w hite nannies. T here is no reasonab le exp lana tion fo r such inconsis­tencies. I f we, in o u r tu rn , w ere iso lated from the rest o f the w orld , it w as no m ore th an a richly deserved dose o f o u r ow n m edicine.

L ady Packer po in ted o u t th a t a tten tio n was draw n by the Sash to the “heart-ren d in g ” im ple­m en ta tion o f the G ro u p A reas A ct. N o m an 's hom e w as his castle here w hile those in au th o rity

w ere a t their business o f separa ting the races for the ir ow n good. T h is “c ruelty in o p e ra tio n ” cou ld be seen a t C la rem on t, C ape, an d in neigh­bouring suburbs.

T he “ab su rd an d s in fu l” p rac tice o f job reservation was condem ned by L ady Packer, w ho said th a t the non-W hite w ould have to c lear ou t o f his ow n co u n try to m ake his m ark ab ro ad if he w ished to soar h igher th an the au tho rities saw fit. A nd then , o f course, he w ould have to o b ta in a passport!

In conclusion L ady Packer said the Sash was an im p o rtan t m ora l force, a t first a sym bol, bu t la te r during the em ergency an active friend of all in troub le . T he Sash show ed judgm ent and to lerance.

“T he Sash can only exercise its full m oral influence fo r good w hen we can say th a t we tru s t its judgm ent. T his it is steadily teaching us to d o .”

Sashers in Action

EAST LONDON LOCATION

ON a to u r o f the A frican location a t E ast L ondon , m em bers o f the B lack Sash learn t

m uch o f interest.A p arty o f m em bers and visitors w as conducted

by tw o m unicipal officials th rough th e location shebeens an d shan ty a rea w here th e first stop w as m ade. T he follow ing statistics w ere given fo r th is area ;

O ne p lo t 50 ft. x 50 ffc— 20 to 30 persons;O ne acre — 900 persons;O ne stand pipe tap p e r 40 -60 persons;O ne lavato ry pan per 70-120 persons;O ne room per 6 -8 persons.T he p a rty w as driven th ro u g h the various

m unicipal housing schem es to the E u ropean -typs dw ellings erected by the m ore w ell-to-do A fr i­cans. T here is m uch to be said fo r people w ho a re p repared to erect houses on lan d th a t is only leasehold.

T he com m unity cen tre an d a school w ere visited and it w as no ted th a t a p a rt fro m English an d A frikaans lessons, all in struction is in X hosa. T he obvious result o f this is th e confining o f all A fricans in S.A. stric tly to e thn ic grouping. Since th is is carried righ t th rough th e universities, the

The Sikades

RE C E N T L Y M rs. C u rry an d M rs.

G ra inger fro m Q ueenstow n visited the L ady G rey N ative R eserve to see how

M r. an d M rs. S ikade, the fam ily w hose story was to ld in th e M arch edition o f the Black Sash m agazine, w ere getting on . M r. S ikade had fo u n d a job in a ro ad gang, an d w as earn ing R 12 per m on th . M rs. S ikade w as finding the change from poverty in the city to n ear s ta rva tion in the reserve very difficult to bear. Pau line 's health appeared very m uch b e tte r an d she was delighted th a t M rs. C u rry had rem em bered her prom ise to see her again.

g roups rem ain com pletely iso lated and unable to com m unicate freely w ith one ano ther.

T he excellent sw im m ing bath donated by R o ta ry was inspected bu t m em bers w ere startled to find th a t ch ild ren w ere expected to pay 3d. to swim in it.

A n inspection o f the lib ra ry show ed a g rea t needs fo r books and th e view w as expressed th a t the Sash m ight m ake an appeal fo r books and periodicals to fill the em pty shelves.

A house in the E xtension w as open fo r inspection and gave a c lear ind ication th a t the A fricans are no t add icted to squa lo r given a chance o f decent living conditions! T he tem ­p o ra ry em ergency housing schem e a t p resent u nder construc tion w as view ed an d an inspection m ade o f th a t p art w hich had been occupied fo r som e tw o to th ree m onths. T he im proved co n ­d itions had raised the s tan d a rd o f cleanliness. W hile concern w as expressed a t the cram m ing o f five persons into a one-room ed dw elling, it was c lea r th a t they w ere vastly superio r to the ta tte red “k itchens” o f shan ty tow n. T he statistics given fo r this a rea are :

180 persons per acre ; 20 p e r lava to ry p an ;12 per stand pipe tap . These show w hat a co n ­siderab le a llev iation o f living cond itions has been achieved by the em ergency schem e.

W e shall never have m ore tim e. W e have, and have a lw ays had, all the tim e there is .— A rno ld B ennett.

JUDGES and POLITICIANSBy LESLIE BLACKWELL

TH E announcem ent that M r. H enry Fagan, ex-Chief Justice of the Union, is to receive

from the United Party the gift of a Senatorship in Natal, brings into sharp relief the tendency of retired Judges in this country to mingle in, if not actively to return to politics.

Such a th ing cou ld no t happen in E ngland . In th a t coun try , upon the fo u n d a tio n o f w hose legal system o u r ow n w as m ain ly built, and w hose trad itions we inherit, very few Judges are appo in ted from the ranks o f politicians, an d I have never heard o f a Judge w ho, a f te r re tire ­m ent, has en tered political life. A favoured few en te r the H ouse o f L ords as L aw L ords, but even these do no t take p a rt in p a rty politics. U p to qu ite recently there w as no re tiring age fo r English Judges ; now it is 75 fo r new en tran ts to the Bench. T hose a lready there can rem ain as long as they a re ab le to c a rry ou t the duties o f the ir office, and som e have done so until the late eighties, and even up to 90. O ne o f m y m ost cherished recollections is th a t o f m eeting L ord H alsbu ry a t a g rea t d inner in L ondon in 1918. H e w as then 96, and had , un til qu ite recently , been sitting in big cases in th e H ouse o f L ords.

R etir in g Age

In S ou th A frica the re tiring age fo r Judges is 70, and the ir pension is, by any standards, a m eagre one. T h is re tirem en t provision has p ro ­vided a large c rop o f re tired Judges, still active an d v igorous, an d m uch disinclined to face the boredom o f re tirem en t. Judge K rause o f the T ransvaa l, w ho lived fo r tw enty years to d raw his pension, never ac tua lly re tu rn ed to political life, bu t he took a p rom inen t p a rt in m any aspects o f public life, specialising in Prison R efo rm . Judge F ee th am o f N a ta l, now in his eighties, w as a leader in th e cam paign against the N ationa lis t G overnm en t's p lans — alas u lti­m ately successful — to circum ven t the U nion C onstitu tion in o rder to rem ove the C oloured voters a t the C ape from th e com m on r o l l ; in th a t cam paign he w as v igorously seconded by ex-C hief Justice C entlivres.

C entlivres w as never a p arty politician , but since his re tirem en t from the C hief Justiceship, he has show n h im self to be an ou ts tand ing leader o f liberal th o u g h t an d an ou tspoken critic o f the present G o v e rn m en t’s policies in regard to non -E uropean South A frica . A genera tion earlier tw o o th e r re tired A ppeal C o u rt Judges, Sir Jam es R ose-Innes and Sir W illiam Solom on, w ere p rom inen t in po in ting o u t the dangers o f the policy beh ind the H ertzog N ative Bills. H ow righ t they b o th were!

H en ry Fagan

H en ry F ag an has had an in teresting h istory . H e w as alw ays, in m y political days, considered as a p a tte rn o f o rthodoxy , b o th in the N ationalis t P a rty an d as an elder o f the D u tch R efo rm ed C hurch . H ertzog m ade h im M inister o f N ative A ffairs in the F usion M in istry in 1938. W hen the split cam e over the w ar issue in 1939, F agan fo llow ed H ertzog in to the political w ilderness, as loyalty to his leader bo u n d him to do. In 1943 the Sm uts G overnm en t raised h im to the C ape B ench, an d in 1946 the sam e G overnm en t ap p o in ted h im to the C hairm ansh ip o f a C om ­m ission on N ative Law s.

T h a t C om m ission crea ted som ething o f a sensation by declaring round ly th a t any idea of sending o u r N ative u rb an p o pu la tion , o r even a large p a rt o f it, back to the R eserves w as im practical. T h a t rep o rt still to d ay provides p a rt o f the answ er to the policy o f B antustan .

F a g a n ’s p rogress on the B ench w as rap id . H e reached the C o u rt o f A ppeal in 1950, becam e C h ief Justice in 1957, and re tired tw o years ago a t the age o f 70.

Soon a fte r re tirem en t he show ed the w ay his though ts w ere tu rn ing by w riting a sm all book, “O u r R esponsibility ,” w hich evoked extrem e in terest fo r the libera lity o f its views, com ing as they d id from an ex -N ationalist leader. T his year, w hen Jap ie Basson h ived off fro m the N atio n a lis t P a rty to fo rm his ow n N ationa l U n ion , he w as able to induce F agan to accept its leadersh ip . A s p a rt o f a bargain w ith the U n ited P a rty fo r the recen tly held G enera l

(C on tinued on page 31)

REPORTS ON A YEAR’S ACTIVITYDE D IC A T E D m embers of the Black Sash

lost none of their spirit in the protracted struggle against the many aspects of repressive legislation that afflict the non-white citizens of South Africa.

The Black Sash was severely handicapped this year by the plethora of elections which absorbed the energies of members.

The following reports show, however, that the Regions in spite of serious difficulties, m ade significant headway in the plan of action laid down by the 1960 Black Sash National Conference.

C A P E W E S T E R N

TH E m ost im p o rtan t w ork this year has lain in efforts to hold a M ulti-R acia l C onference

a n d /o r a new N a tio n a l C onven tion tru ly rep re ­sentative o f all the races.

E fforts w ere con tinued to focus the a tten tio n o f the public on the differences betw een reference books and iden tity cards an d the real hardsh ips caused by the pass law system . T he fight against G ro u p A reas w as intensified ow ing to the fac t th a t large a reas w ere p rocla im ed in the Cape W estern a rea du ring the year, and p roposals regard ing o thers have been published.N ational Convention

M em bers assisted in o rganising a n d supporting the m eeting called to p ro te s t against the ban on the C o lou red C onven tion C onference held in the R ondebosch T ow n H all on M onday , July 10th, 1961, a tten d ed by a t least 600 people.

W hen the C o loured leaders decided to fo rm a larger g roup to assist in b ringing ab o u t support fo r the idea o f hav ing a new N a tio n a l C onven­tion called by the G overnm en t, M rs. S to tt was elected to a P rov incial C onsu lta tive C onference C om m ittee w hich m e t on O ctober 14th.

A C ape P rovincial C on tin u a tio n C om m ittee was elected to pu rsue the m a tte r , a n d M rs. S to tt w as included as a m em ber.Group Areas

F o u r m eetings on G ro u p A reas w ere a ttended by large audiences. A pe tition w as signed by 800

Som erset W est residents asking th e G ro u p A reas B oard no t to m ove the C o loured residents o f the tow n.

A n o th e r m eeting w as held in R ondebosch to help the people affected by the Black R iver p roc lam ation . D r. V an der Ross was the speaker. A t a gathering in the hom e o f M rs. M ary B irt, a petition w as launched.

Brains TrustA brains tru s t w as held in Sea P o in t on “T he

R o ad A head ."

Pass LawsA m eeting on pass laws a t G reen P o in t was

very poorly a tten d ed in spite o f a panel o f good speakers.

A dvice Office (formerly called Bail Fund Office)T he A th lone Office has been open from 9 a.m .

to 1 p.m ., M onday , W ednesday and F riday th ro u g h o u t the year. V o lun teers to w ork in this office are u rgen tly needed.

W ellington B ranch has done m uch to assist A fricans in th e B oland.

Dem onstrationsIn C ape W estern ten dem onstra tions w ere held

betw een M arch an d M ay, one against G ro u p A reas, an o th e r against provisions o f the G eneral Law s A m endm ent Bill; there was a token stand w ith a poster read ing “ Justice dem ands a N ational C onvention o f all R aces” ; and seven stands took p lace in city an d co un try areas enum erating all the legislation opposed by the Sash, starting w ith a poster “H elp to R igh t these W rongs.”

Tours o f RegionsIn the Low veld R egion M rs. S to tt spoke a t

fo u r b ranch m eetings. C ape E astern w as visited in A pril. D uring M ay M rs. S to tt w ent to J o h a n ­nesburg w here she a tten d ed an executive co m m it­tee m eeting an d a m eeting o f all m em bers. She also m et representatives o f N a ta l C oastal and N ata l M idlands R egions. In Ju ly M rs. S to tt did a w eek’s to u r o f C ape E astern R egion an d held m eetings a t A ddo , P o rt E lizabeth , A delaide, Salem , G raham stow n , C radock and G raaff-R einet. She spent a day visiting K ing W illiam ’s T ow n a n d Peddie an d spoke to officials there.

InterviewsT ow ards the end o f 1960 M rs. S to tt an d Mrs.

S inclair spent tw o hours w ith M r. de W et N el and his adviser, M r. Sm uts, p leading fo r revision o f the E iselen L ine policy and its resu ltan t b reak ­up o f A frican hom es. A lthough this request was refused ou trigh t, M r. N el said he w ould arrange fo r be tter co -o rd ina tion betw een heads o f B antu A uthorities. L a te r M rs. S to tt saw officials in C ape Tow n.

E arly in 1961 M rs. S to tt an d M rs. S toy in te r­view ed the T ow n C lerk regarding the C ity C o u n ­cil’s ban on non-w hite show s in the M uizenberg Pavilion. T hey also interview ed M r. D ay , Secretary to the H igh C om m issioner fo r R hodesia an d N yasaland , concern ing the p ligh t o f foreign A fricans in South A frica. L a te r M rs. Stoy in te r­view ed Sir John M aud , H igh C om m issioner fo r the U n ited K ingdom , on the sam e subject.

M rs. S to tt had an interview w ith the D ivisional C ouncil re the plight o f A fricans living a t G rassy P a rk w ho w ere o rdered to m ove from decent brick buildings to p lots o f sand a t N yanga. E ventually M rs. S to tt ob ta ined financial assist­ance to build eight hom es fo r those people affected w ho w ere allow ed to live w ith their fam ilies.

PropagandaT he R egion ceased p roducing its ow n leaflets

and relied on the m agazine instead. In addition , new spaper publicity w as p rocured fo r specific cases o f hardsh ip suffered th rough various a p a r t­heid laws. O ne o f the m ost successful w as th a t o f M r. S ikade (K le in b o o i) . T his sto ry appeared in the C ape A rg u s m agazine section u nder the title “E ndorsed O u t.” Som e tw enty Sash s ta te ­m ents ap p eared prom inen tly in the local Press. A jou rna list m ade a sh o rt new sreel o f w ork in the Bail F u n d Office.

Ad H oc and Other Committees( a ) A rchb ishop s C onference

M eetings w ere held th ro u g h o u t the year. A call by the H o n . M r. Justice C entlivres fo r a new N atio n a l C onven tion w as published w ith nam es o f p rom inen t signatories. T he su b ­com m ittee on Poverty p lans to ho ld a conference on Poverty early in 1962.(b ) S .E .R .F .

T his com m ittee has becom e a b ran ch o f D efence and A id , w hich deals w ith legal a id , bail an d assistance fo r fam ilies o f those a rrested fo r

political offences. T he w elfare w ork o f S .E .R .F . w as tak en over by the Society o f F riends.(c ) D efence and A id

F o u r Sash m em bers a re perm anen tly w orking as individuals on this com m ittee , w hich the Sash helped to establish.(d ) A n ti-G ro u p A reas

T his com m ittee w ound u p its activities, but th e B lack Sash w ill ca rry on the w ork.(e ) C .A .T .A .P .A .W .

T his com m ittee w as dissolved.( f ) C ouncil o f E ducation

R egu lar m eetings o f the C ouncil o f E duca tion , fo rm ed Septem ber, 1960, have taken place. A public m eeting in the C ity H all w as organised on F eb ru a ry 6th a t w hich P ro fesso r M cM illan a n d P ro fesso r B ruw er spoke. A m em o ran d u m on the E duca tion Bill w as sent to the Select C om ­m ittee by the C ouncil o f E d u ca tio n a n d a separa te one by the Black Sash. P etition form s asking the G o v ern m en t .to w ithd raw the E d u ca ­tion Bill w ere c ircu la ted to all m em bers and th e fo rm s w ith 6,999 signatures w ere handed to M .P .s fo r subm ission to the M in ister o f E ducation .

Library ApartheidA le tter w as sent to th e A d m in is tra to r asking

fo r an interview to discuss lib ra ry apartheid . T h is w as n o t g ran ted . Petition fo rm s against lib ra ry ap arth e id w ere given to m em bers who re tu rn ed the fo rm s w ith 960 signatures.

Langa CourtsU n til M ay 1961 vo lun teers sa t a t the L anga

co u rts regu larly bu t a f te r th a t it w as decided th a t these w om en cou ld be m ore usefully em ­ployed on case w ork a t the A dvice Office, o r elsew here.

Legal Aid for AfricansT h ro u g h M r. D ichm on t legal a id , pro am ico,

m ay be o b ta ined fo r any cases involving rem oval o f hu m an rights, i.e. pass law cases. D efence an d A id has dealt w ith m any such cases. T hanks a re reco rded to M r. D ichm on t an d his panel o f law yers.

S O U T H E R N T R A N S V A A L

SO U T H E R N T ransvaa l R eg ion 's p rogram m e fo r 1961 w as a full one, despite the fact

th a t it d id no t cover all the activities suggested fo r the y ear a t the national conference.

Lectures, Brains Trusts, etc.

A Brains Trust was held in M arch , w ith M r. Philip B irkinshaw as question-m aster. T he subject w as “ E ducation — W hat Should be its A im s?” E fforts to ob ta in a N ationalis t speaker, o r even a speaker in fav o u r o f C hris tian N a tio n a l E d u ca ­tion , w ere unsuccessful.

The Education Conference held a t W itw aters- rand U niversity in F eb ru a ry w as a ttended by m any o f o u r m em bers and tape-record ings of all the speeches will becom e available. F o r m any m onths B ranches have used the record ing of P ro fesso r P is to rius’ ou ts tand ing in troducto ry address, fo u r tapes o f w hich a re now in c ir ­culation .

Indian Education in the Transvaal w as thesubject o f an in teresting talk a t the F eb ru a ry general m eeting by M rs. A. M. C achalia . and the T eaching o f H isto ry in T ransvaal Schools w as dealt w ith by M iss E leano r H aw arden a t the June general m eeting.

A t a m ulti-racial fo rum held in A pril, M r. G . M . Pitje dealt w ith the Pass Laws and their effects on the A frican people. T he only m em bers of the aud ience in favou r o f influx con tro l w ere tw o m em bers o f the Johannesbu rg C ity C ouncil, w ho w ere nevertheless obliged to adm it th a t it was m orally indefensible.

M rs. C achalia spoke on Group A reas in A ugust and gave an accoun t o f the effects o f the A ct on Ind ians; la ter M rs. H ill gave a sim ilar address.

The N eed for Constitutional ReformM r. D onald M o lten o ’s reco rded ta lk has been

constan tly in dem and th ro u g h o u t th e year fo r B ranch and “tea -p a rty ” m eetings.

ContactsT he M ulti-R acial F o ru m w as the first m ajo r

effort o f the year to establish con tac ts betw een the races, a n d it w as hoped th a t th e ta lks on “Johannesbu rg — a M ulti-R acial C ity” w ould be the first o f a series. T he trem endous o rgan isation entailed , how ever, m akes it v irtually im possible to o rganise on any scale w ithou t the assistance o f a w ider group .

T he R egion has, how ever, been ab le to continue w ith the E xperim ent in C onsultation launched last year by M rs. M orris . W ith the help o f M rs. F leischm an, and a sm all sub-com m ittee , M rs.

M orris has s ta rted a series o f fo rtn igh tly get- togethers w ith a g roup o f A frican w om en.

T he last th ree m eetings have been devoted to discussion o f m unicipal affairs. M rs. K ath leen M itchell gave an address on “H ow O ur C ity is R u n ” ; M r. P atrick Lewis, C ha irm an o f the N on-E uropean A ffairs C om m ittee o f the C ity C ouncil, addressed the last m eeting on A frican housing in the Johannesburg tow nships.

T he m eetings a re held in an office in the city, fo r the convenience o f th e A frican w om en. T he atm osphere is in fo rm al an d friend ly and the Black Sash w om en have been delighted w ith the response fro m the A frican w om en.

D efence and Aid FundT here is a possibility th a t this F u n d will have

to close dow n its w elfare section ow ing to lack o f funds, and the Black Sash w om en w ho are doing the w ork feel th a t this w ould be a tragedy. T he fam ilies receiving a id w ould be destitu te if the assistance, how ever inadequa te , w ere to cease; a t the sam e tim e the confidence th a t has been built up betw een W hites and non-W hites w ould be lost.

Federation o f S.A . W om en’s CongressT hree m em bers a ttended this C ongress in

A ugust as represen tatives o f the Black Sash. Follow ing a discussion on A frican housing, alleged evictions fo r non-paym ent o f ren t are being investigated by a special sub-com m ittee o f the Region.

Fact-FindingSeveral m em bers visited the M unicipal N on-

E uropean A ffairs D epartm en t in Johannesburg , and w ere show n the ram ifications o f the Pass Laws and Influx Control. T hey w ere also taken on a bus to u r o f the South-W estern N ative T o w n ­ships.

T w o m em bers w ent to see M r. O ’Brien, a m agistra te , to discuss his rep o rted sta tem ent th a t Identity Cards and Reference Books w ere exactly the sam e, bu t ob ta ined little satisfaction from the interview . Subsequently , they w ro te detailing the differences betw een the tw o d o cu ­m ents. N o reply has been received to th e letter.

M ost o f the investigation in to Group Areas is being carried ou t by branches in R ustenburg , P re to ria and W itbank , w here G ro u p A rea p ro ­posals are u nder consideration . Rustenburg ob ta ined signatures to a petition against the rem oval o f the Indians. In Pretoria rep resen ta ­

tives o f th e B lack Sash w ere inv ited to give evidence before the G ro u p A reas B oard . In W itbank m em bers are attend ing M unicipal C o u n ­cil m eetings to find ou t w hat is p roposed in connection w ith the rem oval o f the Indians.

T w o m em bers o f N orth -W estern G ro u p have been attend ing Fordsburg C o u rt regularly. D uring the A lexand ra rem ovals visits w ere paid to Wynberg C o u rt by m em bers o f the C om m ittee.

An excellent m em orandum on Library Facili­ties has been draw n up by M rs. E m ery of B ryanston.

Follow ing a report th a t large quan tities o f milk products w ere being exported a t a loss, letters w ere w ritten to the D airy C on tro l B oard, the Secretary fo r H ea lth , and S .A .N .T .A ., asking th a t these foodstuffs be kept in the coun try and sold a t a loss to o u r undernou rished people in the tow nships.

A fte r the Fam ily Life Year Conference in P re to ria , M iss A nna M arais, w ho represen ted the Black Sash, w ro te to the A frikaans Press po in ting ou t the hollow ness o f the ad m irab le sentim ents regarding fam ily life expressed by the all-w hite delegates, in the light o f the d isrup tion caused by the w hite m an ’s laws in th e fam ily life of the A fricans.

She also w ro te to D r. N icol, w ho h ad p re ­sided a t th e C onference, an d w as C hairm an of the C on tinu ing C om m ittee , asking w hat the a ttitu d e w as to the proposal m ade in W itbank th a t Ind ian children over the age o f 16 should o b ta in perm its to reside w ith their paren ts.

DemonstrationsT he Protest March held in M arch , against

South A frica ’s w ithdraw al from the C o m m o n ­w ealth , w as th e biggest dem onstra tion of the year. In M ay, a dem onstra tion calling fo r a N ational Convention was held on the steps o f the C ity H all.

T he follow ing week a series o f stands was held each evening a t the peak hour, g roups of fo u r to eight w om en standing a t the exits from the city.

PublicitySince the p ro test m arch , there has been m uch

better publicity in the local Press. R epo rts o f activities have appeared fro m tim e to tim e, official le tters from the Black Sash have been published in full, sa tisfac to ry interview s w ith the R a n d D aily M ail an d the Star, an d an article on the m ulti-racial consu lta tions, headed

"E xperim en t in M ulti-R acia l C onsu lta tions,’’ was asked fo r an d published by the Star.

Programme o f ActionO ne o f o u r m ost im p o rtan t tasks is to w ork

tow ards a N ational C onvention, and a good deal o f w ork has been done in th a t direction.

T h e R egion s ta rted to o rganise a Courtesy Campaign several m on ths ago , th rough the in itiative o f W averley G ro u p , b u t it is now giving its full support to the m uch w ider cam paign w hich is being launched in Johannesburg a t the present tim e.

N A T A L C O A S T A L

TH E R egion has had a difficult and d is­courag ing year in m any w ays, bu t things

a re looking b righ ter in th a t the m em bers o f the d isbanded D u rb an an d H ighw ay B ranches w ho a tten d m eetings a re finding them in teresting and a re becom ing enthusiastic . A ttendance a t m eetings steadily increases and it is hoped th a t D urban an d H ighw ay m ay soon s ta rt up on the ir own again . In th e m eantim e, the P inetow n/W estville B ranch has fo rm ed a G ro u p w hich is doing the R egional w ork and holding m em bers together.

Association with Other OrganisationsM em bers regularly a ttend m eetings of the m u lti­

racial A ssociation o f Durban W om en.M em bers have also assisted the Natal Educa­

tion Vigilance A ssociation, a n d recently m anned tab les fo r a w eek in D u rb an to d is tribu te pam phlets and en ro l new m em bers. U nfo rtuna te ly th e drive w as n o t a success ow ing to the apathy o f the general public.

M em bers a re still supporting the Institute o f Race R elations in efforts to ob ta in en franch ise ­m en t o f non-W hites in local governm ent. T o d ate all a ttem p ts have been unsuccessful.

Other ActivitiesA stand w ith posters w as held in p ro test against

the zon ing of C ato M an o r as a w hite area.A t an All B ranches M eeting in F eb ru a ry ,

1961. M rs. O ’C allaghan , o f the N ata l M ildands R eg ion , gave an in fo rm ative ta lk on th e vocation of the Black Sash.

T ow ards the end o f 1960 the R egion sponsored a sym posium organised by M rs. H ill to celebrate

the C entenary of the a rriva l o f th e Ind ians in N ata l.

C ouncillo r H igginson addressed a m eeting sponsored by Durban Branch on “ Ind ian H ousing” and show ed a film tak en by th e D urban C ity H ea lth D ep artm en t to illu stra te his talk .

M any m em bers a ttended a m eeting addressed by M iss M u n ro a rran g ed u n d er th e auspices of N .E .V .A . H ere th e idea o f a pe tition against the E ducation Bill, w hich w as a lready circulating in the T ransvaal, w as m ooted . Sash m em bers p layed a significant p a rt in organ ising th e p e ti­tion in D u rb an , Q ueensburgh a n d W estville.

Several m em bers served on the com m ittee fo r the relief o f detainees. W hen the S tate of E m ergency ended, the D eta inees’ F u n d w as closed, bu t the com m ittee w as reconstitu ted in to a local b ranch o f the “D efence and A id ” — a body set up to assist in legal expenses an d the care o f fam ilies in cases involving civil righ ts and liberties.

D u rb an B ranch w ro te m an y letters to the Press p ro testing against the tapp ing o f th e D u r­ban M unic ipal telephones, an d on various o ther m atte rs du ring the year.

Mrs. H erries B aird continues as a one-w om an B ranch a t U m zinto b u t she has no com punction in m ak ing o th er people w ork , an d w as respon­sible fo r collecting eighteen pages o f signatures fo r the E ducation Bill P ro test Petition .

Pinetown/W estville Branch has been able to help the R egion considerab ly w ith donations.

R egu la r m on th ly m eetings w ere held a t w hich M rs. A dam s, the b ran ch P a rliam en ta ry Officer, delivered com prehensive papers on events in South A frica an d reactions ab ro ad , lead ing to lively discussion. T he ch a irm an w as a delegate to the N a ta l C onvention .

Since deciding to ca rry on the w ork o f the N a ta l C oastal R egion a lone, th e P in e to w n / W estville B ranch has been m ost active.

A C ourtesy C am paign is going ah ead in qu ie t personal efforts. Several m em bers w ro te to the new spapers urging the D u rb an C ity C ouncil to erec t bus shelters fo r non-W hites in a reas w here they w ere m ost needed. T h is m a tte r w as passed a t a C ouncil m eeting an d it is h oped th a t shelters will be erected soon. A le tter w as sent to the C ouncil advocating h igher w ages fo r its non-w hite em ployees an d th is, to o , w as passed.

M em bers regu larly a tten d m eetings o f the D u rb an C ity C ouncil.

M rs. F . A. E . Pow ell, J.P ., the orig inal 'P risoners F rie n d ” , w ho has w orked in and

a ro u n d the D u rb an M ag istra tes’ C ou rts fo r 31 years, w as invited to speak a t the Ju ly m eeting. M rs. Pow ell did no t feel th a t any th ing w ould be accom plished by tw o w om en sitting in one o f the C ourts . T o give her p rac tica l assistance in her valuab le w ork , several m em bers have a rranged to drive her w hen she has to visit the gaol, etc., as she is no longer able to drive herself.

T hirty-six m em bers a ttended the A ugust m eeting to w hich had been invited m em bers o f the Ind ian W om en’s C u ltu ra l G ro u p . N ine o f them cam e an d m em bers had a chance to talk to them during tea. T h e rea fte r M rs. M ay at spoke on “C om parative R elig ion ,” w hich held the audience en th ra lled fo r over an hour. L a te r the Po litical R eview w as read to enable guests to jo in in the discussion. I t w as revealing to h ea r the ir views on the new M inister o f Ind ian A ffairs, and o f the new Ind ian U niversity on Salisbury Island.

M em bers w ere to ld th a t a ce rta in h is to ry book prescribed by th e P rovince an d used by the D u rb an Ind ian G irls ’ H igh School, con ta ined views expressed in w ords w hich w ere offensive and h u rtfu l to the Ind ian com m unity . T he C hairm an asked o u r Ind ian guests to find ou t how m any o f th e ir schools w ere using this book, an d it w as decided to ask N .E .V .A . to go into the m a tte r also.

N A T A L M I D L A N D S

TH E R egional C hairm an , accom pan ied by M rs. O ’C allaghan , m ade a to u r o f the R egion in June. M rs. O ’C allaghan gave ta lks on “T he

R ole o f the Sash” in an a ttem p t to stim ulate ’ in terest in the branches.

Natal Convention

N ata l M id lands w as represen ted a t the C o n ­vention by Mrs. S. Johnson , R egional C hairm an , and six delegates. P ie te rm aritzbu rg B ranch m em bers m anned reg istra tion and in fo rm ation tables each day and sold m eal tickets. M rs. C orrigall an d M rs. S trauss w ere hard-w ork ing m em bers o f the C onvention O rgan isa tion C o m ­m ittee.

Lectures and Brains TrustsIn M ay Pietermaritzburg Branch held a B rains

T rust on R ace In tegration . M r. M cQ uarrie w as question-m aster and the team consisted o f M rs. D yer, M r. A ppollos, M r. B erthoud , M r. M . G . N aidoo and M r. Jo rd an N gubane.

How ick Branch supported a m eeting o f paren ts addressed by M iss M unroe on th e E ducation A dvisory Bill, sold 20 copies o f E duca tion fo r Iso la tion and la te r collected signatures fo r the petition against this Bill.

Kokstad Group arranged a house m eeting to play the tape record ing o f P ro f. M cM illan ’s talk , m ade a t an All B ranches m eeting tow ards the end o f 1960, on the E duca tion A dvisory C ouncil Bill. T h is resulted in a public m eeting addressed by D r. M cC onkey on the E duca tion Bill and despite bad w eather there w as a fa ir a ttendance. F ro m th is an E duca tion V igilance C om m ittee w as form ed.

A t the Ju ly m eeting of the M atatiele Branch m em bers listened to the record ing o f a ta lk by M rs. Sylvia N el on E ducation . T h is reco rd has been played to friends as has th e reco rd on H um an R ights by P ro f. P istorius.

Contacts

E ach m onth a m ulti-racial tea p arty is held by the P ie term aritzburg B ranch. T hese take place a t the hom es of m em bers. O n tw o occasions the party has been invited to the hom es o f non- W hites. All these events have been happy and successful.

M rs. O 'C allaghan and M iss F rid ay represented the P ie term aritzburg B ranch a t a conference held by D urban Indian R atepayers on the M unicipal Franch ise.

Y outh m eetings have been held once every th ree m on ths by the P ie te rm aritzbu rg B ranch. A group o f young people o f all races w as taken on one occasion to a Sym posium a t the U n iv e r­sity, and given coffee an d sandw iches afterw ards. T he second m eeting w as held a t M rs. H ey ’s hom e, w here en terta inm en t w as provided.

Fact FindingO f 2,000 copies o f a leaflet on the Pass Laws,

400 have been sen t to S ou thern T ransvaa l R egion and the rest will be used in th e R egion during the com ing year.

T he Indian C om m unity in M aritzbu rg organised a successful m ass p ro test an d p ray e r m eeting

against Group Areas. T he C hairm an o f the P ie te rm aritzbu rg B ranch , M rs. O ’C allaghan , re p ­resen ted th e Sash a n d w as one o f th e speakers. M em bers of the P ie te rm aritzbu rg B ranch a tte n ­ded a C ity C ouncil m eeting a t w hich the C ouncil’s a ttitu d e to G ro u p A reas was debated. T he B ranch w as rep resen ted a t the opening session o f the A nnual C onference o f th e N ata l In d ian C ongress held in M arch , 1961.

Dem onstrationsP ie te rm aritzbu rg B ranch d id a ten -hou r vigil

w ith posters against G ro u p A reas in M arch. T hey also held fo u r stands on fo u r successive days in M ay, tw o o f w hich w ere against the G enera l L aw s A m endm ent Bill. A s tand against the C ensorsh ip Bill w as held in June.

PropagandaA letter w as w ritten to the S.A .B.C. com m enting

on th e onesidedness o f a large p a rt o f news b roadcas ts on the English transm ission . Several letters by the C hairm an o f the P ie te rm aritzbu rg B ranch w ere published in local new spapers.

T he them e o f education w as chosen fo r a series o f house m eetings to cu lm inate in a b rains trust. A ccordingly , th ree house m eetings w ere arranged , the first w ith M rs. W. A. D. R ussell as the speaker on S econdary E duca tion , the second a t w hich P ro f. M cM illan , h ead o f the F acu lty o f E d u ca tio n a t N ata l U niversity , spoke on U n iv e r­sity E ducation , a n d the th ird a t w hich M r. Basil O scro ft, ex-inspecto r o f B antu Schools, spoke on B an tu E ducation . T hese m eetings have been highly successful an d it is hoped to a rran g e a B rains T ru s t early in the new year.

Branch ActivitiesIndiv idual m em bers o f Ixopo Group are trying

to fu r th e r Sash aim s to “ Build bridges across the co lo u r b a r” w herever possib le a n d to educate m em bers o f th e voting public tow ards g reater political aw areness.

Kokstad Group rep o rt th a t a f te r the u n fo r­tu n a te bus acciden t experienced by the troupe o f “A frican F o llies” Sash m em bers collected clo thes an d m agazines fo r those in hospital. T hey w ere visited there by M rs. Phillips.

P ie term aritzbu rg B ranch is represen ted on the new ly-form ed H u m an R ights C om m ittee by Miss F rid ay and on the G ro u p A reas R esistance C o m ­m ittee an d the A ction C om m ittee fo r F reedom o f E duca tion by M rs. O 'C allaghan .

T he Sash in P ie term aritzbu rg has gained sta tu re fro m the w ork it has done on these various com m ittees. I t is particu larly no ticeab le tha t the Ind ian C om m unity has a high regard fo r the w ork o f Sash.

C A P E E A S T E R N

A T O U R of the R egion w as u n dertaken by the N atio n a l P residen t in Ju ly . F o r a week she

addressed tw o public m eetings a day. M rs. S to tt’s visit was th e h ighlight o f the year and m em bers w ho heard her w ere inspired to greater efforts by her splendid exam ple.

Propaganda

T he record ing o f M rs. Sylvia N el’s lecture on education has been used extensively in tow n and co un try b ranches an d has been len t to o ther organisations. B ranches find th a t these recordings o f speeches a re m ost useful an d have asked th a t m ore be m ade available.

Activities

Bontrug Survey: A t the beginning o f the year m em bers o f th e P .E . an d A ddo B ranches did a survey o f living cond itions am ong the A frican people in the B ontrug location . T his survey, together w ith reports, w as sent to the M inister o f B antu A ffairs, the N ative C om m issioner in K ing W illiam ’s T ow n an d o th er officials. This has been fu lly repo rted in prev ious issues o f the m agazine. M rs. S to tt in terview ed a num ber o f officials regard ing the cond itions in this location.

M ulti-R acial Tea-Parties: A m ost successful ven ture o f th e P .E . a n d W alm er m em bers has been the hold ing o f m ulti-racial tea-parties. A bou t 30 w om en o f all races a ttend , giving all the o p p o r­tun ity o f discussing various social problem s. T h ere a re talks a t each p arty on subjects like “ B antu C ustom s” by M rs. Jo lobe , a m em ber of the A frican com m unity . Inv ita tions to these tea- parties are m uch sought after.

Institute o f Race Relations: C o-opera tion has con tinued on a num ber o f new p ro jec ts — the next being a conference on w ages, early in the new year.

Education Advisory Council Bill Petition: TheE astern C ape B ranches all to o k p art in the co l­lection o f 2,320 signatures fo r the pe tition against the E ducation A dvisory C ouncil Bill.

Press Statements: S tatem ents p ro testing against the G ro u p A reas, p istol clubs fo r w om en, and

the exclusion o f A fricans from F am ily Y ear celebrations, w ere m ade to the Press. A n article w ritten by M rs. Levey on “H ardsh ips caused by Pass Law s was pub lished in the E vening Post.

N ative Commissioner’s Courts: M rs. P irie a tten ded a m orn ing session o f the N ative C om m is­sioner’s C ou rt during the period o f the m ass arrests p rio r to the R epublican celebrations.

S.A . Convention M ovem ent: T he first co n ­ference of the E astern P rovince R egion o f theS.A. C onvention M ovem ent w as held in P o rt E lizabeth in O ctober. A num ber o f Black Sash w om en a ttended the C onference and M rs. P irie was elected to the R egional C om m ittee.

Newsletter: It w as decided a t the R egional C onference tha t, in add ition to the usual letters to B ranch C hairm en , a m on th ly new sletter be sent to all m em bers in fo rm ing them o f th e ac tiv i­ties o f the R egional C ouncil and o th e r Regions.

Speakers: M r. B. B. R am jee addressed the R egional C onference on the G ro u p A reas Act.

Pass Laws: M rs. P irie addressed th ree C hurch W om en’s O rganisations on the Pass Law s and the C atho lic W om en’s A ssociation on “P overty .”

B O R D E R

TH IS year B order has had to face a d ro p in m em bersh ip , bu t those w ho rem ain are

determ ined supporters and firm ly convinced th a t the w ork undertaken by the Sash is essential. Som e small successes have been achieved, and the B order is hopeful th a t enthusiasm will spread.

Activities

In E ast L ondon regu larly m on th ly m eetings have been held on various subjects. G uest speakers dealt w ith the N ata l E ducation C o n ­ference, the day-to-day living in the Ind ian co m ­m unities, M unicipalities and how they w ork.

A m ulti-racial discussion evening o f an in fo r­m al na tu re was held a t the hom e o f one o f the E ast L ondon m em bers. T his proved so interesting th a t requests w ere m ade fo r m ore discussions.

Queenstown Branch invited tw o A frican teachers to address the m em bers an d fourteen in terested non-m em bers. T hey spoke on B antu juvenile delinquency and in th e course o f their ta lk discussed m unicipal beer-halls; the lack of schools and c re c h e s ; the difficulties in w hich A frican teachers w orked; the lack o f jobs fo r those w ho had achieved an education ; and the

over-rid ing question o f the terrib le poverty o f the vast m ajo rity o f A frican fam ilies. A fte r th is m eeting the local location superin tenden t w as approached w ith a view to visiting the night school and location.Protests

A pro test was m ade to the E ast L ondon C ity C ouncil and the G ro u p A reas B oard in P o rt E lizabeth against the p roposed re-zoning of M ilner E state housing schem e fo r C o loured people. It is a t present a sub-econom ic estate fo r under-privileged W hite people, an d the protest w as based, no t only on the enorm ous expense to w hich the C ouncil w ould be pu t to replace the housing, bu t also because the C ouncil had provided proportionate ly m ore am enities fo r under-privileged C oloureds th an W hites. T his does no t, how ever, a lte r the serious C oloured housing situation in o u r city.Pass Laws

Cases have been investigated w ith som e success in E ast L ondon . M em bers also investigated w ith ­ou t success an individual case u nder th e G ro u p A reas A ct. A sub-com m ittee has been organised to go in to pass law offences to see w hat can be done in alleviation.

T he m em bers in Idutywa are tak ing an active p art in the local C hris tm as carn ival w hich will

E D IT O R ’S N O T E

TH IS is the last issue o f T he B lack Sash to be published u nder the ed ito rsh ip of

M rs. D esiree B erm an. H encefo rth the m agazine will be adm in istered by the new h eadquarte rs region — T ransvaa l, an d the ed ito r will be M rs. D o ro th y G ran t.

T he retiring ed ito r thanks all those w ho have so generously supported her during the past th ree years a n d w ishes her su c ­cessor good luck in an em inently w o rth ­w hile task.

bring all sections o f the com m unity together in a full day ’s en joym ent o f sports and com peti­tions, plus singing by A frican school children.

Border BulletinT he Bulletin has been sent ou t in tw o special

editions. T he first o f these, en titled “T he Black Sash and Y ou” and “W hat W e H ave D o n e” was issued in response to repeated requests a t ou r R egional C onference last year fo r som e fo rm of w ritten answ er to questions repeatedly asked by prospective m em bers. T he second ed ition dealt w ith the B order reso lu tion subm itted th is year to N ationa l C onference regard ing Sash m em ber­ship.

JU D G E S A N D PO LITIC IA NS— C o n tin u ed fro m page 23

E lection, Basson is now ensconced in the safe U .P. seat o f B ezuidenhout, an d F ag an will receive a S enatorsh ip . F ag an , still active a t 72, took his share in the recen t e lec toral com paign , an d stood up to N ationa lis t heckling, o ften abuse, like a seasoned w arrio r. I feel sure th a t the Senate will be the richer fo r his presence.

T his by no m eans exhausts th e list o f Judges w ho have been unab le to resist th e lure of political life. F . W. Beyers, alw ays an intense N ationalis t, set the fash ion ab o u t 25 years ago, w hen, w ithin a few m on ths o f his re tirem en t from the A ppeal C o u rt, he stood fo r a F ree S tate constituency , bu t w ithou t success.

T ielm an R oos, it will be rem em bered , stepped dow n from the A ppella te D ivision in 1932, hoping to head a new C oalition G o v ern m en t w hich w ould lead Sou th A frica o u t o f the then p re ­

vailing econom ic do ld rum s. B ut his venture fa iled an d he re tu rn ed to practice a t the Bar, dying a few years la te r a sadly d isappoin ted m an . B oth Beyers an d R oos w ere politicians first an d Judges second.

T his is n o t to suggest th a t w hile on the Bench o u r Judges a re p o litic ian s ; on the co n tra ry they are sedulous to avo id any ap pearance of m ingling in politics. T hey regard their function as stric tly non-political. Som etim es an interest in political m atte rs is inescapable. E very five years, fo r instance, a panel o f th ree Judges has to redelim it S ou th A frica into e lec toral divisions. Som etim es, though happily rare ly , a Judge is ap p o in ted to a C om m ission w hose functions are o f a political n a tu re , as happens in o th er countries as well. B ut I am happy to say th a t “the Judge is stronger th an th e po litic ian .” T h is m eans th a t, even if a m an has been a con troversial p a rty politic ian , he forgets his politics w hen he goes on the Bench.

BLACK SA SH C H A IR S, SECR ETA RIES A N D T R E A SU R E R S

Headquarters Region (Transvaal)

National President: Mrs. Jean Sinclair, 203 Santa M argherita, E ighth Street, Killarney, Johannesburg. Telephone 41-1062.

Vice-Presidents: Mrs. D ora H ill, 41 The Valley Road, Parktown, Johannes­burg. Telephone 41-1832. Mrs. J. Davidoff, 12 Pretoria Street Extension, H ighlands North, Johannesburg. Tel. 40-1880.

National Treasurer: Mrs. K. Fleming, 17 St. D avid’s Road, Houghton, Johannesburg. Tel. 43-8165.

Office Secretary: 37 H arvard Buildings. Joubert Street, Johannesburg.

Magazine Editor: Mrs. D. G rant, 16 Knox Street, Waverley, Johannesburg. Telephone 40-2830.

Border

Chair. Mrs. D. Curry, 3 Carisbrooke Road, Stirling, East London. Tel. 8-8979.

Sec. Mrs. J. Niddrie, 15 Lukin Street, Selborne, East London.

Tieas. Mrs. F W. Taylor, 6 Hazelmera Flats, Rees Street, East London.

Cape Eastern

Chair. Mrs. A. Pirie, 68 Westview Drive, Port Elizabeth. Tel. 3-5962.

Sec. Mrs. D. Davis, 196 Main Road, VValmer, Port Elizabeth.

Treas. Mrs. A. Bolton, 19 Linton Road, Mill Park, Port Elizabeth.

Natal Coastal

Chair. Mrs. D. Wallace, 14 Northcliffe Avenue, Westville, Natal.

Sec. Mrs. K. E. Brummer, 6 Glynnwood Grove, Bellair, D urban. Tel. 8-1203.

Treas. Mrs. A. Keen, 7 Chiltern Place, West­ville, Durban. Tel. 8-5186.

Natal M idlands

Chair. Mrs. S. Johnson, M iller St., Howick, Natal. Tel. 294.

Sec. Mrs. P. Masters, Brookdales, P.O. Merrivale, Natal.

Treas. Mrs. W. Reid, 164 Swartkop Road, Pietermaritzburg.

Cape Western

Chair. Mrs. E. Stott, 6 Bishopscourt Road, Claremont, C.P. Tel. 77-3368.

Treas. Mrs. B. Willis, Boulders House, Simonstown.

Office (for correspondence) : 4 Oakdale Flats, Main Street, Newlands, C.P.Tel. 6-6827.

Collection Number: AD1646

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS, Unrests, banishments, removals, 1948-1969

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