1949: ANC adopts the Youth League's programme of action
The Youth League's 'programme of action' was adopted by the ANC only in 1949 when the Youth Leaders began to play a prominent role in leadership, and the movement dedicated itself to mass action.
NON-VIOLENT CONFRONTATION IN THE 1950’S
In the 1950s, resistance largely took the form of non-violent confrontation with the government. Forms of resistance included:
- the defiance campaign, when people challenged the petty apartheid laws by breaking them and encouraging mass arrests
- the Freedom Charter, which demanded a just, free and equal society
- women's protests against the extension of pass laws to women
- rural protests against government intrusion into the rural way of life
- protest campaigns against Bantu Education
- anti-pass law demonstrations
THE ROAD TO SHARPEVILLE
The PAC
In 1959 a group of Africanists within the ANC, led by Robert Sobukwe, PK Leballo and Zeph Mothopeng, broke away and formed a new organisation called the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC). As Africanists, they were opposed to any collaboration with any organisations that were not made up of Africans.
Sharpeville
On March 21, 1960 the Pan-Africanist Congress organised a protest against the pass laws. They planned to lead large crowds of people to the local police stations to hand in their passes and offer themselves up for arrest. A large crowd gathered outside the police station in Sharpeville (near Vereeniging). The police fired on the crowd, killing 69 people and wounding 180.
The pass laws
Until 1959, all black men had to carry passes. In 1959 this law was extended to black women as well. The aim of a pass book was to control the movement of black people into certain areas. If a black person wanted to move to the city or find a job, permission for this had to be stamped in the pass book. If there was no permit, the person would be arrested immediately.
Millions of South Africans were arrested under the pass laws. This had the effect of criminalising millions of ordinary South Africans.
THE MOVE TO ARMED STRUGGLE
Sharpeville marked a turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle. The ANC and the PAC both had to rethink their strategies. They decided to embark on a policy of armed resistance.
- The ANC set up a military wing called 'Umkhonto we Sizwe/MK' (the Spear of the Nation).
- The PAC established its military wing called 'Poqo'.
- Both groups were prepared to use sabotage and violence to overthrow the government.
- The ANC, however, aimed to initiate a campaign of destroying government property while avoiding bloodshed.
- Poqo was more prepared to use violence against people.
THE RIVONIA TRIAL
- In 1963 the headquarters of MK at Lilliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, were raided and the entire leadership of MK arrested and charged with "recruiting people for training in sabotage and guerilla warfare for the purpose of violent revolution".
- Eight of the trialists (Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mlaba, Dennis Goldberg, Ahmed Kathrada, Elias Motsoaledi and Andrew Mhlangeni) were found guilty and sentenced to life inprisonment.
- The Rivonia Trial and the imprisonment of the ANC leaders broke the power of MK and the ANC inside South Africa.
- The Government introduced even harsher legislation to suppress any further violent resistance.
THE RISE OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS
- In the 1970s, under the leadership of Steve Biko, a new movement called Black Consciousness arose.
- The Black Consciousness Movement focussed on pride in being black and encouraged blacks to move away from a position of dependence on whites.
- Steve Biko himself was arrested by the security police in 1977 and brutally tortured to death in detention.
THE SOWNTO RIOTS 1976
- On June 16, 1976, 20,000 students marched through Soweto in protest against the use of Afrikaans in schools.
- The police fired on the crowd.
- Hector Peterson was the first black schoolchild to die. He was 13 years-old.
- The students responded violently, and unrest swept through the country.
Although the riots were eventually crushed by the police, they had more important results:
- They were the single biggest challenge to the government and its system of apartheid.
- The government could not ignore the unrest.
- In many ways, the riots were a major turning point that marked the beginning of the end of apartheid.