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C 0 J S I T E N T J 5

Note: This booklet 1n Its present form 1s not complete but ha< hAnnSS*El?,e t0 y0U “ th,S P01"‘ 1"

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Declaration of the United Democratic Front

UDF National Executive Coimrittee

UDF Regional Executive Committees

Statement of the UDF National General Council

Secretarial Report

Working Principles

Resolutions: Detentions and Treason TrialBanning of the UDF and A ffilia tes in the Bantustans UDF International Relations Trade Unions- - — * — .Unemployment Forced Removals Rural Areas M ilitarisation Women 'Black Local Authorities Tricameral Parliament and Black Forum Citizenship Imperialism Imperialism USAInternational Year of the Youth EducationNamibia *New Zealand Rugby Tour

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Declaration of the United Democratic

FrontWe. the freedom loving people of South Africa, say with one voice to tbe whole worio that we• cherish the vision of a united. demooaU. South Afno based on the wa of the people.• wa strive for the unity of a l people am «h united acfonagamsttheevasof apartheid, econaac and al mw other forms of e«*xoOonAna. In our march to a free and Job South Africa, we are guided by these noble Ideals

*Sr P otion of a true deecracv In which ai South Africans W participate h a t govern- ment of our councrr.• « * ^ * W « H ^ » ^ Bmw u>Soutl»Africa. A South Africa free of bantustarswd Croup Areas:• we sav aifanmrfmnrxO.ijrv< end.in accordance wfth these noble Ideals, and on the 20th day of August 1983 at Rocklands CMc Centre, Mitchells Ptein. we Join hands as trade union, community, women's, student's, religious, porting and other organisations to say no to Apartheid.We say NO to the tautSc of South Africa Constitu­tion Bfl-attfwhicfcwa create vet anotlmindemo-cratlc constitution in the country of ourtirift We say NO to the Koomhof BAs which wB donve more and more African peoete of their birthrig*We say YES to thbirthof the United Demoaatic Front on this historic da%We know that . •• this government > determined to bee* the unity ff .our people; that M r people wit face grater hard-

tmt our peocfe Wing h radaSy segwaated and m ,rom ^ w ith they produce in the d a H ut rents arxJ after basic

(ftarpesadincreaseJncL Out bur King stadardswil• that: working peopfcw* be rfvided. Kacetom race:

from unemptaaed; mentacxs on our trade a n rs wil continue.

* ° ***** ***** uneouaf g fao tlon. created «» M O>> a reservoir t t cheap fatxxx. EPyg m yian d wnoxat fadfcies** reman. Apartheid w i s tl be U t In our dassrooat ?j£ere*wous .an d rto rt He of our pea* w* be “ ""• d The sns of apartheid w il c o o te to be sumped on the a * re and refgions of o r people;

• the cpprKs^andesploitation °f women wa con- onue. Women wil suffer greater rurdshcn under me ^ WomefV wtf be (Evicted from their ctwW* fen m d fjmftes. P iw iy snd malnutrition wfli continue

£ S JS t ^ ti & bnn'* *wh6fl**'■**

EwUat awthba^eJSie* ,Urther Wo"' We

tustans w il remain.We tno»r that there wa not be an end to tte unequal

CBtrawtion of the land. Wealth and resources of the country. That the migratory labour system w J fcve on to destroy famiy ife.

We know that the government wil always use falseleaders to become its junior partners and to control us. Our lives will still be filed with fears of harassment, tannings, detentions and death.

Mindful of the fact that the m Ctnstitutional pro­posals and Koomhof measures win funner entrench apartheid and white domination.We commit ourselves to uniting all our people wherever they may be In the cities and countryside, the factories and mines, schools, colleges and universities, housing and sports fields, churches, mosques and temples, to fight for our freedom.

We therefore resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder In our common ttruggle and commit ourselves towork together to• organise and mobilise an community, worker, Stu­dent, women, religious, sporting and other organisa- t m wider the banner of the Urwed Democratic Front• eonsittpeople regularly and honestly, and bra ve- ly and strive to represent their views and aspirations;• educate a l about the coming dangers and the need for unity.• butt and strengthen a l organisations of the people;• unite In action against these U s ana other day-to- day problems affecting our people.And now thereforeWe pledge to come together In the United Democratic Front and fight side by side against the Government's constitu­tional proposals and the Koomhof bills.

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UDF NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Chairperson Curnick NdlovuGeneral Secretary Popo MolefePublicity Secretary Mosiuoa LekotaTreasurer Azhar CachallaOther Members Steve Tshwete

Zoli Malindi Mcebisi Xundu Edgar Ngoyi

• Makhenkesi Sto file Yunus MohomedTrevor Manuel Mohammed Valli Derrick Swartz • Oomo Khasu Titus Mofolo Oliver Mohapi

UDF REGIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES

TRANSVAAL

President Albertina SisuluVice President Samson NdouVice President Ram SaloojeeVice President Ismail MohamedGeneral Secretary Mohammed ValliGeneral Secretary Paul MashatileMinute Secretary Eddie MakuePublicity Secretary Sydney MafumadiRural Secretary Murphy MorobeMedia Officer Mzwakhe MbuliEducation Officer Raymond SuttnerYouth Portfolio Dan MontsisiStudent Portfolio Mathews SathekgeLabour Portfolio Paul MasekoWomen's Portfolio Amanda KwadiCivic Portfolio Arthur MkhwanaziTreasurer Azhar CachaliaTreasurer Titus Mofolo

NATAL

President Archie GumedeChairman Rev. M. XunduVice Chairman B illy NairSecretary Yunus MohamedPublicity Secretary Lechesa TsenoliTreasurer Victoria MxengeNIC Jerry CoovadiaNCC Sandy AfricaRMC Russel MpanaaYouth NdabaStudents RonnieDHAC Virg il BonhommeJORAC Ian MkhizeNOW NosizweDiakonia Paddy KearneyUnions Themba Nxumalo

ODF REGIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES CONTINUED

WESTERN CAPE

President Vice President Vice President Secretary Secretary SecretaryPublicity Secretary Treasurer Fund Raiser Additional Member Additional Member Additional Member Additional Member Education & Training

BORDER

President Vice President Vice President SecretaryPublicity Secretary Treasurer Additional Member Assistant Treasurer Organiser Additional Member

EASTERN CAPE

President Vice President General Secretary Publicity Secretary Recording Secretary Organiser • Treasurer

Zoli Malindi Wilfred Rhodes Christmas Tinto Trevor Manuel Miranda Qwanyashe Ebrahim Rasool Zoliswa Kota Joe Adam Goolam Abubaker Milfred Lesiea Mountain Qumbula • Graeme Bloch Rev. Syd Luckett Jeremy Cronin

Steve Tshwete NqolaSonwabo Nqoyi Rev. M. StQfile Andrew Hendricks Hintsa Sowisa Lucille Meyer T BothaHumphrey Moxhegwana Yure Mdyogolo

E Ngoyi H Fazzie D Swartz S Sizani M Ndube M Goniwe Vacant

STATEMENT OF THE UDF NATIONAL

GENERAL COUNCIL

This meeting of more than 300 committed and e n t h m i *

S E S E ^ E - i m E l F ^Meeting in the context of state repression unparalleled in the n»<t S ' on the basis of ovemhel J g p o p S la ? sJppS"

the genuine " e e d s ^ n ^ d e ^ f d i ^ l n ^ ^ ^

apartheid “ *

The precondition for the achievement of peace in this country is the• S S E L ° J „ th ! . I v11 parJ heid systera- That is why we say th at ourstruggle for liberation is a struggle for peace.

Not‘one more drop of blood need be shedNot one more family need live in misery and starveNo man or woman need go without workNot one more family need go without shelter

i f these conditions are met.

The state and its agents are engaged in the wholesale lettinq of blood in the townships, b illions of rands are spect maintainingS r ^ ™ 2 rUCt¥re55r« !hne subsidies for essential food are ?educed at affordahlp S PfyS SA?F a99ressions. Instead of homeseducation t » L ^ recreational fa c ilitie s , equal, democratic education, the people experience ever increased misery and oppression.

mpnaInH at * til?6 St unequalled world-wide support from ordinary men and women, organisations in a ll countries committed to theU f l c J racism, and of most governments throughout the world.Against this massive show of international so lidarity, the right wina

^ r/K0hl ax1s and their a llie s continue to bolste? the aparineiG regime.

So*t!? Afr icans demand that imperialisttheir traditinnal r n l S S JVstice and democracy. They must abandon ^!prnmln?c ] ^ backing the oppressive and undemocratic-dS tvT to sSnoI? S i lVel °f ?reei and profU* "Oietr-mtirStional45«.fW ori I he l ust stru99le of the South African people for peace, justice and freedom. v H

We take the opportunity during this period of grave crises, when theprogressive forces are being threatened on a ll fro n ts , to cautiSn those♦H nnr 5 x organisations who d iffer with us to desist from attackina^ , / rl I ra9mentin§ the ranks ° f the p r e s s e d .nd instL d tS 9 emphasise the points of common concern.

Heekiia Itrpnnth^® 5 ndful that the state 1s annin9 1 ts agents,• thP h S h I ? f tr e n 9then i t s support and broaden i t s base by co-opting

thprJfn £ * Rajbaasis, the Sebes and the Buthelezis, and it U unity?S St° r1C dUty ° f 811 th0Se " ho^ P P °« apartheid

i er e t n I n± ? l 3 U neSSf S 8nd rec°9"ised our shortcomings. We - are fu lly resolved in tfce coming years to increase the effectiveness and democratic content ef our organisations, to raise the oualitl «f our a i t W r t r t S d leadership, to tran sla te our 1iS ™ exoe?ienc« Mongst the people during struggle Into viable prograroeflnd to transcend the constrains of regional differences.

S r t i r ? 9nI-e th? need to ?ncoura9e the increased and dynamicbSild the nn? S i th^?r^ S1Ve trad? unions within our Front a™* to lMrfprlhin 1J • accurately reflects the centrality andleadership of the African masses in our struggle.

» we pledge to onpnise the masses of o T & ^ tn effectivelyIrfHarri % apa^ 3i StatC by fru s tra tin 9 i t s e f f o r t s , preventing

l in e s o f r e t r e a d 109 retreat and i f P o ss ib le to cu t o f f a l l i t s

We_therefore make the following immediate demands as the beginning of“ * PreVii,1" S

1. the immediate scrapping of the 1913 and 1936 Land Acts and a ll Group Areas Laws, and an end to any form of forced removals

2. the dissolution of the bantustans and the ending of the migratory labour system * J

3. the scrapping of the tri-cameral parliament and a ll other puppet bodies created under the Black Local Authorities Act and other instruments of racist rule

4 . a unified and democratic education system

5. the repeal of the pass laws and a ll other restrictions on freedom of movement

6. the right of workers to freely organise in trade unions, to co llectively bargai* and the right to strike without being penalised, the right to security of employment, housing, social welfare, pensions and maternity benefits, as laid down in the United Nations Human Rights Covenants and the Charters of the International Labour Organisation

V*:. release of a ll po litical prisoners, the unbanning of banned . individuals and organsations, the return of. exiles and the liftin g

of a ll restrictions cn freedom of speech and assembly

8. the disbanding of the SADF, Koevoet, the SAP and a ll other repressive apparatuses

9. the scrapping of a ll barbaric ‘security'.laws which violate the fundamental freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. >

Statement of the UDF Rational General Council Continued

SECRETARIAL REPORT

The S e c re ta ria l Report to the F ir s t Annual National Conference o f the UDF held on 5 to 7 A p ril 1985 a t A z aa d v ille . Krugersdorp

1. iNTRODUCTIOi

This National General Council takes place after we have just completed the firs t phase of our campaign against the so-called new dispensation in particular and apartheid as a whole. Although we were successful in mobilising tie masses to reject the government's schemes, the Nationalists are going ahead with the tricameral and Black Local Authorities scheme.This means that our broad Front must move to the second phase of challeng­ing this new dispensation because 1t has no democratic approval of the people. In this regard the theme of our conference, "Protest to Challenge . . . Hobilisation to Organisation . . . " is indeed relevant.

But this comference also takes place against the backdrop of a vicious and escalatlag state repression. The detention of our leadership in August last jpear, the treason charges brought up against sixteen of them, the rising Bombers of deaths in the streets and schools of the townships and the boobing of homes of our leading activists shows that the reaction­ary forces of the system are determined to destroy our broad people's Front by a ll means in their power. It w ill be important for this conference to keep this fact of heightened state repression in mind as it makes decisions on our future work.

The detention and treason tria l have disorganised our administrative structures to a certain extent. But apart from th is, there are areas of Importance lAich w ill demand conference attention. For example, the need to respond qn'ckly to situations and to co-ordinate effectively at a ll levels. I t is important that some broad guidelines on these issues be provided to guide the National Executive Committee and officers of the Front.

2 . ''CAMPAIGNS

I t is important to understand that the formation of our broad Front in 1983 was its e lf the f ir s t campaign against the new dispensation. This is so because the resistance against the new dispensation is a tributary within the hroader struggle against Apartheid as such. Only i f we keep th is fact iamind shall we avoid the mistake of looking upon the UDF as the speaheai of the liberation struggle. This does not however mean that the Front Is of no consequence. The UDF has undertaken campaigns which have not ooty exposed the weaknesses of the new dispensation but also taken our struggle to new levels. In this way the government is forced to return to their drawing-boards, but le t i t be clear that the only reliable drawing-board is the people themselves.

SECRETARIAL REPORTANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

PAGE 2

2.1 Black Local Authorities Elections

Only three months after the National Launch, the UDF engaged the State in the campaign against the BLA Elections. In that period our Front was s t i l l on very uncertain legs, but s t ill our people responded to Its call and the results were an overwhelming victory for democratic forces. The overall percentage poll came down to 151 and areas such as the Western Cape saw a poll of only ,045! 1n some constituencies.

2.2 Coloured Management Committee Elections

Once more the state plot to mislead our people was exposed by our Front. Percentage polls were not only low, but in one seat the winning candidate had only one vote.

2.3 Tricamera! Elections

In spite of state maneouvering, our Front exposed every trick they tried , from false registration lis ts through the propaganda of intimidation, to empty claims of high percentage polls. Those who s it in the two puppet parliaments today are there without the peoples'

. mandate. . With a low percentage poll of 17* nationally, we scored a major victory from which the present dispensation w ill never recover As a matter of fact the Nats have already started to revise and amend

An important point to make here is that in the earlier campaigns both riva l organisations and unaffiliated trade unions did not co-operated with us, however in this campaign there was a fa ir amount of jo int campaigning. Here we refer to the Fun City and P.E. ra llies in protest of the August elections. The highest point of co-operation was in the Transvaal Stayaway late last year. This growing unity especially with trade union organisations is of paramount importance to the success of our struggle.

2.4 Million Signature Campaign

This campaign had a number of objectives apart from the main one of collecting one million signatures. We used this campaign to take the message of the Front to the people, to expose our local organisa­tions to the masses and also to give our activists an opportunity to interact with the masses in schools, factories, townships, churches, squatter and resettlement areas. In this regard the MSC was a very successful campaign. There were also many lessons to learn from this campaign. Activists discovered that dealing with the masses demands patience and a thorough understanding of their organisation and policies. These were valuable lessons for a ll of us. But our activists were also subjected to brutal assaults, arrests and abuse by state agents. Supporters whose names and addresses appeared on confiscated signature forms were subjected to police harassment and so on. Clearly the state was determined to make i t d ifficu lt for activists to collect signatures and to keep the figures to the lowest minimum. ,

3.‘ OTHER ACTIVITIES

Limited activ ity has taken place in some regions around certain issues:

SECRETARIAL ktruhlANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

3.1 Removals

Anti-removals committees were set up In the Western Cape the Border Regions to fight removals. We s t i l l need to broaden our resistance on this front. Because the issue of removals forms part of the process of denationalisation of Africans, i t deserves our serious attention.

3.2 Education

Education is one of the crisis areas in our country today. Through their organisations, parents and students are mounting increasing resistance against inferior education. They demand democratically elected Students Representative Councils and Parents Governing Councils. They successfully challenged the state to a point where"! Minister Viljoen was forced to meet them. But the government continues to refuse to meet the demands for a democratic educatioff- in the next session of parliament a b ill w ill be tabled making the administration of Indian and Coloured Education an own a ffa ir, whilst African Education w ill be a general a ffa ir without any African representation.

The task of the UDF is to situate the education struggle within the overall strategy of challenging the state. A ffilia tes 1n *11 regions must throw their weight behind the Education Charter Campaign which is currently being led by Azaso, Cosas, Nusas and Neusa.

3.3 Anti-Conscription Campaign

Anti-Conscription Committees were set up in a number of reoions, however the work of these committees needs to be built upon and consolidated. Our a ffilia te s , particularly youth and student organisations, need to be encouraged to give priority to this issue. Today we witness increased brutal activ ity on the part of the SADF in our townships and schools which has not received adequate attention. We need to consider the formation of a structure which could monitor anTpOblitise these act l vitfes of the SADF;------

3.4 May Day

In 1984 we used May Day to strengthen our co-operation with non­affilia ted unions. A measure of success was achieved. This year discussions about jo in t May Day Anniversary Celebrations are under­way with various unions, however, we need to put greater effort into jo in t organising for May Day.

3.5 International Youth Year

International Youth Year provides fresh opportunities for challenging the state on a number of fronts as well as providing an opportunity for strengthening our youth a ffilia te s . In some regions our youth a ffilia te s have already launched the International Youth Year Campaign. Areas that w ill be focussed on in the campaign are: conscription, unemployment, education, oppression and exploitation, etc. Generally the campaign is progressing fa ir ly well, but here we need to ■ention that i t is not our a ffilia te s alone who are taking up this campaign. The South African Government is pouring thousands of rands into its Youth Campaign, and i t is essential that the way in which

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SECRETARIAL REPORT PAG£ 4ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

we conduct this campaign leaves no doubt as to who represents the people of our country. We must use this campaign to effectively pfojfct extra-parliamentary opposition as a viable alternative to the current regime, and at the same time project the current regime's illegitim acy. In order to achieve this objective, every region must fu lly support this campaign.

4. BUILDING AND BROADENING THE FRONT

He launched the Front with only three constituted regions. Today we have five fu lly constituted regions and four regions which are growing Into fu lly fledged structures. The demand for the UDF to reach out to areas such as Northern Natal, Orange Free State and Northern Transvaal in the form of solid structures .Is growing louder by the day. I t w ill be important for this conference to make provision for the executive to ■eet these requests of the people.

Whilst 1t Is true that the state feels the presence and work of the . Jront acutely, i t is also true that the UDF is s t i l l not able to employ

its fu ll strength against the government policies. A number of reasons account for th is:

4.1 Decision Making

Decision Making constitutes an Important element of our work in that every decision taken must advance our struggle. Because of the broad nature of our Front, having a number of structures and a ffilia te s , decision making requires a great deal of time. At tines this has meant that the Front has been unable to provide a lead on some issues, for example the current education c ris is . Since i t is essential that we are able to lead our people in every struggle they fight, we must find a way of taking quick decisions whilst maintaining maximum unity. In this regard i t may be necessary to devolve powers to regions thus enabling them take decisions timeously on natters which are specific to then and need inmediate implementation. The successful stayaways in the Transvaal and Eastern Cape are cases in point.

4.2 Co-ordinating the work of the Front

One of the important aspects of the Front is co-ordination. With our present structures and the rate at which the Front has expanded and continues to expand, we have not been co-ordinating effectively, especially where the state attacks us as i t is doing at present.We need to restructure the Front in such a way that i t can respond quickly and effectively to emergencies such as sudden detentions, which are sim ilar to those of last August and early this year. A smaller NEC, but no less competent, w ill move easier and at lower costs to any point that may need attention. An added advantaoe in this restructuring of our NEC and other levels of leadership would be to reduce the number of people who are exposed to state victimisation at any single point in time.

4.3 Relations with unaffiliated organisations

At the Inception of the Front a number of organisations, especially some unions, were sceptical of the potential of the UDF. In the

SECRETARIAL Kth)klANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

face of criticisms and often provocation from some organisations, we refused to be drawn into hostile exchanges with those who questioned the correctness of setting up this Front. Clearly-this was the only correct tactic open to us. For a broad Front seeking to build maximum unity of the oppressed, we have an Inviolable commitment to bridge whatever differences may exist between us and other groups, even those who may be hostile to us. We Bust remember at a ll times that the differences that exist are not antagonistic ones, and we must not allow these differences to blind the way forward.

. Relations between the Front and unaffiliated trade unions have improved since the national launch, in the campaign against the new constitution elections, trade unions such as Fosatu, GWU, African Food and Canning Workers' Union and Cape Town Municipal Workers Union joined forces with the Front in regions such as the Western and Eastern Cape. Sim ilarly in the Transvaal Stay-away last year, most unions joined forces with the UDF in making that camoaing the success that i t ultimately became. Unfortunately this sp irit of growing unity has not yet taken root or concrete form in other regions. In the recent stay-away in P.E. a decidedly negative response was received from local union branches in spite of determined consultations by our Eastern Cape a ffilia tes with unions there. We must continue to persue the path of unity with the unions as a natter of p rio rity. A significant development was our establishment of b ilateral relations with the South African Council of Sport in Durban last year. Presently we are seeking consultation and co-operation with SACOS on the coming New Zealand Rugby tour, i f i t should take place. Jo int protest and boycott of the tour w ill help to register our peoples' opposition to this sell-out tour.

5. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Since its inception our Front has been able to generate huge support on the international plane. V irtually a ll anti-apartheid forces have ra llied to the support of the Front. Most progressive Western governments have generally protested apartheid especially the continued exclusion of the majority of South Africans from the government of this country. Except for the U.S. and Great B rita in , a ll the member countries in the UN General Assembly voted 1n support of a resolution condemning the new constitution.

Anti-apartheid organisations throughout the world have firmly supported the Front since inception. Indeed, those governments which have stood up against South Africa have done so largely because of the strength of anti-apartheid movements in those countries. In this regard we must single out the Swedish Labour Movement which was the f ir s t to acknowledge the contribution of the UDF to the struggle for freedom by awarding the Front the Let Live Prize on 27 Ju ly 1984. The prize was received by Comrades Murphey Horobe and Cassim Saloojee. Subsequent to this, a number of organisations in Sweden produced booklets and posters on the UDF and these were widely distributed. Progressives in countries such as the

'.Netherlands, in Great Britain and elsewhere in continental Europe, rose up to the occasion as they pressured their governments to support the : anti-apartheid cause. The Dost dramatic work was that performed by the British AAM and, early this year, the "Free South Africa Movement" who successfully pressured these governments to vote in favour of the call

SECRETARIAL KLHUMANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

for the unconditional release of Nelson Mandela and other politicalS n lease, of UDF leadeT* **0 *re charged with treasonand the condemnation of murder of our people in Crossroads who wore resisting forced removals.

l l St! ? e W? draw attention to the fact that 1n our approach -to International relations, our comrades must realise that there Is aforJp^th ! ^ S adml‘ni Orations of those countries and the progressive forces therein. Reagan supports apartheid by way of constructive engagement, but i t does not follow that a ll American people are behind constructive engagement. The activities of the "Free South Africa£nn!^ i i ! an ti"aPartheid congressional lobby headed by Edward Kennedy clearly demonstrate this point. Even in im perialist countries, there are people and groups who are ammitted to the struggle for the overthrow of apartheid. Our activists and members of the Front must understand that there is a considerable difference between the particular governments and administrations of i^ e r ia lis t countries and thoseW h£ i ?2*US* faCt* -he ?n ti-inPerial is t camp includes anti- imperialist groups, organisations, classes and strate in those countries.

2 rJ S ! ,S t J0na1- 2 ° ? hf L had the effect of deePening the isolation J i i ? ?ay i country is increasingly becoming the pole.

X L J ! I every counter, including the Reagan Administra­tion, find it extremely d ifficu lt to support the South African reqimeiSeSJji;ir7he ° J cupJ tion in September last year of the British Consulate

aJ b/ . s1* .of our comrades, b righ t an unprecedented focus to the Jr detention without tr ia l in the Republic of South Africa. The

♦If ? . SOlemn Prom1se by the Pretoria regime 1n refusing to returnn - I J r^ COr ! ccuf edJ ? the Covenby Trial alienated the British . people and its natural a llie s , the Thatcher Government.

I t 1s this increasing Isolation that has today forced P W Botha to51S ? ° ‘ call ? d forum, rights to urban blacks, and to

admit in foreign media that he acknowledges that there is a lot wrorm with apartheid and that his government is addressing a number of these questions, pe Consulate a ffa ir brotqht tremendous International publicity and won the UDF a lo t of sympathy abroad.

6. REPRESSION

From its inception the UDF has witnessed a conscious decision by the state to undermine the work of the Frw t and to isolate i t from the5 2 t T? 5*11! •nd Van’° US ? ethods “ re adopted ran9ing from disinforaa- tion to naked vicious repression.

8.1 Disinforaation

S v? s l b03Vs .P f'P hl^ s were distributed country-wide during most of 1984. Disinformation about tte Front and Its activ ities has also been spread through various forms of media.

8.2 Ban on Meetings

Several meetings o f the DDF and Its a ffilia tes have been banned. ' Currently, meetings of the Front and 28 of its a ffilia te s are banned in 18 magisterial d istricts. 16 of these d istricts are in the Eastern Cape and 2 are in the Transvaal. In addition, a ll meetings, anywhere in the country, called to discuss a stay at home, are banned.

SECRETARIAL REPORTANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

6*3 Denial of Venues to the UDF

Premises controlled by Development Boards are denied to the UDF * for the purpose of meetings. Priests who Have made their churches available for UDF meetings are threatened with withdrawal of lease rights.

6.4 Rural Areas and Bantustans

In the Ciskei, hundreds’of our people were tortured by Sebe during the bus boycott in 1983. Several UDF lea&rs and activists continue to be victims of Sebe's barbaric legal system. 38 UDF o ffic ia ls and members of its a ffilia tes are currently detained in Ciskei, as well as SAAWU being banned there.

In Bophuthatswana several of our supporters and activists have been dismissed from their jobs or tranferred to areas where organising would be d ifficu lt for them.

In Kwa Zulu the UDF a ffilia te s , Cosas and teaso, are banned. In September 1983, 5 student supporters of the UDF were k illed by the Inkatha impis in a desperate attempt to corce support for Buthelezi. Leading o ffic ia ls of the Front, including lomrade Archie Gumede suffered assaults at the hands of Inkatha. The 1isit of incidents of repression in this Bantustan is too long to quote.

In the Transkei the UDF is banned.

6.5 Detentions and the Treason Trial

By August last year the state methods of attempting to suppress the UDF and the support i t had gained, yielded no results. On the eve of the elections for the House of Delegate, the state detained key o ffic ia ls of the UDF and its a ffilia te s . Ir is swoop culminated in trumped up treason charges. On February IB, nore than one hundred houses of UDF activists and a ll the UDF offices country wide were raided and a ll documents confiscated. An additional eight key

• o ffic ia ls of the UDF and its a ffilia te s were charged with treason. . -

In October last year in a speech to the Tmmsvaal Congress of the NP, Le Grange threatened to take drastic aetion against the UDF for what he labelled "ANC Front work". C learly the state was preparing white public opinion for the treason t r ia l move. The Indignation of the Nats arose from the resounding success of the UDF anti-election canpaign. The continuing advance of the Hont in spite of the arrests of the leaders fin a lly forced a sofiden change of tactics on the part of the state.

What are the State's objectives in bringiqf up charges of treason against the UDF leadership?

i ) To undermine the Front, its leadersMp and its a ffilia tesi i ) to put peaceful mass struggle on t r ® l

i i i ) to alienate the UDF leadership fro ® its constituency by criminalising legal mass resistance

iv ) to ju stify the section 28 detentionsv) to k ill the sp irit of the people anrfto disorganise the UDF

r i ) to force those on tr ia l to reject t ie ANC

SECRETARIAL REPOk TANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985 PAGE &

to Provide space for the puppets to gain cred ib ilityt0 denonstrate legitimacy for the South African Government.

•* •; i. •Instances of General Repression

Two homes of leading UDF activists were burnt down In Welkom* the shop of a key UDF activ ist was vandalised and burnt; 5 homes ofwas k ifl!d Sihp Inth??et! W6re Petr° 1 bombed* a comrade’s brother was killed when their home was petrol bombed bv a IHtenhan* m n n rtiu

T l ?hot d« " * P»Hce 1n his howe; a leading UDF activ ist in Graaf-Reinnet was assaulted and later knocked down bv a* ! S 3 y® P0ll ce refused t0 accept charges of assault which he brought up against them. In East London shots were fired at the

a UDF activ ist. In P.E. the house of the general secretary of PEBCO and that of the president of.PEWO were petrol bombed and

hi t6 9round» and another comrade's uncle was shot dead atK l people,r to3beWpo lice .°Pened <,° ° r t0 I * " - * * - ! " * * »

l ht+TJ'}T'9 HI l hr 2U\ ° l Pbrch» the Citizen carried a front2 S i,i I 7 1n/ h1ch General Coetzee of the SA Police stated that he U l , K action to protect police because police were now being killed by people. At 10.00 as that same morning, police and army persone opened fire with R1 rifle s and shotguns. The fu ll extSIt of the Langa massacre 1s yet to be established but our Information

"5 by now more than 100 PeoPle have already been killed in and around Uitenhage. { .

What is the meaning of a ll this? I t is that the state, or at least some an. of the state, has taken a deliberate decision tS employ terrorist methods against our activ ists , organisations and Frontis Ci^ o r^ n t ? L r ih - he P° l it1cal bai tle a9ainst ^ e government. It is important that this conference understands this point thoroughlyand carries i t back to our organisations and members. In this reaardwe have already been ushered into the period of Koevoet atrocities

. as witnessed in the Namibian struggle. atrocities

^ .th e terrorism of the state has not only been aimed at us Individual priests and churches who have firm ly supported the Front r U n 2 -lr pre,?lses for meetings are being threatened with

t ♦ ?el r Premi es or * * * 'r holdings are now being burnt down. In the Western Cape, Churches in African areas have been threatened with denial of premises in Khayelitsha i f they should continue to provide venues for public meetings.

I "th e face of these ominous signs a special task before this conference is to examine a style of work that w ill enable the Front to survive the hard times ahead.

EVALUATION OF CAMPAIGNS IN BRIEF

levels^of ha£e ***" successfu l. We achieved unprecedenteiJDot>ilisation for each one of our campaigns. But there are certain subjective weaknesses which must be pointed out.

SECKtlAKlAL i«u‘uitiANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

7.1 Black Local Authorities

After a successful campaign against the BLA, our a ffilia te s failed to assert their legitimacy at a Tocal level. Subsequent to raising the level of awareness and generating excitment, our a ffilia te s did not mobilise the masses effective ly. In many areas In the townships, organisations tra il behind the Basses thus making 1t d ifficu lt for a disciplined mass action to take place. More often there is a spontaniety of actions 1n the townships.

7.2 Tri-Camera! Parliament

After the successful Anti-Elections Campaign last August, there has been very l it t le attempt at challenging the junior partners, and projecting the alternative c learly. This conference w ill have to find answers to this and other questions of effective action.

7.3 Million Signature Campaign

Most of the objectives of the MSC were achieved, however we need to make certain criticisms. Lack of thorough planning in the campaign was glaring. The campaign was launched when some a ffilia tes were not ready to take i t on.. The campaign was launched at a.crucial time in terms of the anti-election campaign, however when the decision

. to embark on the MSC was taken, 1t was hoped that the MSC would merge with the Anti-election campaign. Instead there was a definate sh ift of concentration from the MSC to the preparations for the anti- election work. This made i t d iffic u lt for the smooth running of the MSC campaign.

The crucial objectives of the MSC were often forgotten: "to ground• the UDF amongst the people, to give us a solid basis to resist

Apartheid and move forwards to build a united, democratic South Africa free from oppression and economic exploitation". Our aim was not only to get one million signatures, but to get one million people to know and accept the Declaration of the UDF. The campaign was seen as a way to educate UDF activ ists and to recruit riew members as a way to build each of the a ffilia te s of the UDF.

7.4 Release Po litica l Prisoners

This campaign has continued under the Release Mandela Committee, but has not been very central to the work of the Front so far. Perhaps now that a considerable proportion of our o fficia ls are Imprisoned, we may have a better ground to put our fu ll strength into this campaign. I t is important that th is campaign is taken on two levels. F irs tly , to drive for the outright unconditional release of a ll po litica l prisoners, which is obviously a long term issue, and secondly, th is campaign must include the struggle for the improvement of conditions under which our people suffer in prison. This would involve pushing the government towards accepting the 6eneva convention and other very practical considerations. -

7.5 Training of Activists

Quite often activists had to go intolhe fie ld without sufficient understanding of what was expected of them, or even the ab ility to answer questions raised by the Basses. Very often such inab ilities are demoralising.

• • EKSteaSli

SECRETARIAL REPORT . D.rr 1ftANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985 *

™ e w??lc9e*ses PinP^nted above are not insumountable, Proper trainlno of activists, planning 1n advance and the necessary assessment of practical matters relating to Implementation of campaigns w ill go a Iona way in alleviating these problems, and increasing the confidence and the capacity of our organisations to carry any campaign.

8. CHALLENGES FACING THE FRONT

I? kh? i!* St I? m2nths of our existence major gains were made at the level U p S i l l nt increasin9 ou>" capacity to mobilise our peopleL S I h ! 8 ka! S BeeJ J n9 an^ * lme and 111 Fun City or the Jabulanl Amphitheatre, but now the question that we must ask ourselves 1s, "What

5 are the challenges facing the UDF today?" The key questions facing usoPc* 3

8.1 ^ie Transformation of mass support to active participation in the day to day activ ities of our organisations: we must deepen our

A organisation. Out of the mobilised mass support our currentj organisations must develop cohesive structures capable of analysing

their own situation and dealing with any challenge at any time of theI l atei ?i!st devel°P the capacity to identify and to nSf masses of our people. We must increase mass

participation in our organisations. Sk ills must not be limited to a few people, but rather spread and shared. The level of cadreshiD

? and leadership must be enhanced. ' »r«n ip«

Our organisations and regional structures develop differently under various situations. Our perceptions and approaches to certain questions may also d iffe r, however our task is to develop a common understanding of issues and to create the basis for cementing our unity. In the key note address to this conference, i t was distinctly clear that two camps exist in our society, the one camp being the people, and the other camp being the enemy. From the side of the people, there wil be those who d iffe r with us from time to time, but I t is nevertheless our duty to continue persuading them to participate

} in our programmes. We cannot afford to allienate anybody or any

• organisation. We must win more and more organisations into our ’

Front. Outside the UDF there are hundereds of organisations which form part of the peoples' camp, and i t is essential that we provide a space for then to contribute effective ly to the peoples' struqgle for power. We must develop an active programme to meet these priorities,

8.2 Repression: i t is a known fact that the state is mounting arepressive campaign against us. Our task is to develop methods of struggle and organisation which w ill ensure our survival against state blows. In the event of brutalisation by the state and its a llie s , our people and the ir organisations must develop a measure

> of se lf defence - those thugs who attack our people in their homesfOr opposing apartheid, must be contained.

The treason tria l has already.brought about increased isolation of the South African Government. There are threats of sanctions,»-5 demonstrations at SA embassies, and threats of possible cutting off

' of diplomatic ties with South A frica. The UDF must assist thisprocess. We must increase our campaign against the treason tr ia l to

. * level that w ill match what is happening internationally. We, not the international connunity must lead this campaign.- they must support our efforts. Sim ilarly we must begin to intensify the

SECRETARIAL REPORTANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 5 APRIL 1985

campaign for the release of po litical prisoners. This obligation we cannot escape because most of those Who have been languishing in ja il for over twenty years now, are patrons of the Front. I t is our duty to fight for their unconditional release. Every repressive measure of the state must be challenged.

} 8.3 In the Tri-cameral parliament, the differences between the junior partners and their seniors continue to sharpen. When the Uitenhage massacre was debated, almost a ll the junior partners called for the resignation of fascist, Le Grange. I f they did not do so, i t would have been glaringly clear that they were perns on the chess board of the Nationalist Party. I t must be further clear that this call arises out

} of the fear for the deepening of their isolation from even those whovoted for them. We must continue to discredit and isolate these reaction­aries.

8.4 In the townships, the Black Local Authorities are inoperative. They are no longer able to dictate to the masses, and already over 50 of the

^ councillors have resigned country wide. Some townships like Cradockand Uitenhage have no local government structures. Now our task is to extend our struggle beyond these apartheid structures and set up our alternative structures which w ill force the authorities to heed the popular demands of the people. We must set up projects to meet some of the

_ practical needs of our people without compromising our principles. For' - example, advice offices, mobile c lin ics, e tc ., could be set up.

8.5 It must be our priority to strengthen our links with the unions. Our work must address issues of a working class nature such as unemployment, high food prices, GST, etc. We are a Front which organises a constituency

» whose greater portion is poor, unemployed or dumped in rural areas andBantustans to starve. With its recent increase in GST, the state has declared war on the ir standards of living . They have thrown the gauntlet.- we must pick i t up and engage then effectively. The present GST means that poor people give 12X of their salaries to/the state - our people cannot continue to be starved to death in the country of their birth. This

conference must give a directive to regions and a ffilia tes to challengethe state on the economic front. Once we begin to address sone of these basic issues, we w ill increase our relevance to the vast majority of the oppressed.

8.6 We pointed out that major gains'were made against the Tri-caneral parliament I and local organs of government. At the end of this conference we must

come out with a strategy to implement the second phase of our campaign in respect of the above. We have the support, and i t is therefore up to us to direct the Masses in disciplined action against Apartheid.

•

8.7 The rural areas remain our priority areas, especially the Bantustans. Our 1 thmst must be towards penetrating these far flung communities and setting

up organisations. This is not going to be an easy taskjSfe know that repression is heavy 1a the Bantustans. I t often makes i t extremely d ifficu lt to organise .openly on a UDF ticket.

We must find the correct tactics and strategies which accord with the .J conditions we find in the Bantustans. The migrant workers living in

hostels and elsewhere must also be organised. These people provide a v ita l link with the rural communities. The sk ills U»at they learn and the political consciousness they develop can be transferred to the next

Collection Number: AK2117 DELMAS TREASON TRIAL 1985 - 1989 PUBLISHER: Publisher:-Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand Location:-Johannesburg ©2012

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