Defiance campaign, the Congress of the People (COP) and the Freedom Charter
The Defiance Campaign (1952)
- The Defiance Campaign was the first large-scale, coordinated anti-apartheid protest led by the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Indian Congress (SAIC).
- It involved non-violent civil disobedience, with thousands deliberately breaking apartheid laws, such as curfews, pass laws, and segregation rules.
- The campaign mobilized mass support, marking a turning point in the struggle and laying the groundwork for future resistance movements.
- It was inspired by the Youth League's Programme of Action (1949), which emphasized mass mobilization and non-violent civil disobedience.
- The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) was a militant youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC), founded in 1944 by young activists including Anton Lembede, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and Oliver Tambo.
- Their Youth Programme of Action of 1949 aimed to revitalize and radicalize the ANC’s approach to fighting apartheid, pushing for more confrontational mass action over passive protest.
- The Youth League promoted African nationalism and believed that Black South Africans should lead their own liberation.
Protesters
- Protesters used civil disobedience by defying laws such as curfews, pass laws, and segregation rules, drawing large public support and global attention.
- Some examples of the Defiance Campaign include
- Volunteers, including Nelson Mandela, deliberately stayed in city centers after the 11 p.m. curfew imposed on Black South Africans, knowing they would be arrested.
- Over 8,000 volunteers were arrested, intentionally overloading courts and prisons to highlight the repressive nature of apartheid.
- Protesters entered "Whites Only" railway stations, post offices, and waiting rooms in full view of the police, violating segregation laws.
- Activists publicly burned or damaged their pass books.
- Protesters illegally entered White residential areas without passes or permits, directly challenging racial zoning laws like the Group Areas Act.
- On 26 June 1952, mass rallies were held across the country to launch the campaign. Volunteers sang freedom songs, shouted slogans like “Mayibuye iAfrika!” and welcomed arrest.
- Female activists, especially from the ANC Women’s League, participated in demonstrations and acts of defiance, such as entering restricted government buildings.
The ANC Women’s League
- The ANC Women’s League was formally established in 1948 to mobilize women within the African National Congress and ensure their active participation in the anti-apartheid struggle.
- It provided a structured platform for women to influence national politics, particularly on issues affecting African women under apartheid, such as pass laws and economic inequality.
- The Women’s League played a central role in organizing protests, including in the Defiance Campaign (1952) and the famous 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where 20,000 women protested against the extension of pass laws to women.
- Their activism was crucial in expanding the mass base of resistance and in demonstrating the power of non-violent civil disobedience.
- Leaders like Lilian Ngoyi, Albertina Sisulu, and Helen Joseph emerged from the Women’s League, becoming icons of the struggle.
- Their leadership inspired future generations and highlighted the importance of gender equality within the liberation movement.
- The League also helped lay the groundwork for the inclusion of women in post-apartheid South African politics.
- The ANC Women’s League and the extent of their impact on the fight against apartheid can work very well as a topic for Internal Assessment.
Defiance Campaign
- The aim of the Defiance Campaign was to force the government to repeal apartheid laws and begin negotiations by deliberately breaking unjust laws.
- In particular, the Defiance Campaign of 1952 targeted the “Six Unjust Laws”:
- Pass Laws Act, Group Areas Act, Suppression of Communism Act, Bantu Authorities Act, Separate Representation of Voters Act, and Stock Limitation Act.
Remember what the “Six Unjust Laws” meant:
- Pass Laws Act: Required Black South Africans to carry passbooks to control and restrict their movement and employment.
- Group Areas Act: Legally enforced residential segregation by assigning different racial groups to specific urban areas.
- Suppression of Communism Act: Outlawed communism and any political opposition deemed to promote "disturbance," often used to silence anti-apartheid activists.
- Bantu Authorities Act: Established tribal authorities to govern Black South Africans in rural "homelands," reinforcing segregation and denying national political rights.
- Separate Representation of Voters Act: Removed Coloured voters in the Cape from the common voters roll, disenfranchising them.
- Stock Limitation Act: Forced African farmers to reduce their livestock numbers, undermining rural economies and traditional livelihoods.
Political Mobilization
- Another aim was to mobilize the African masses and allied communities (including Indian, Coloured, and some White South Africans) into coordinated national protest, demonstrating unity and determination against apartheid.
- The Multi-racial collaboration included the South African Indian Congress, Coloured groups, and support from White activists like the Black Sash.
- Nelson Mandela was appointed National Volunteer-in-Chief, organizing protests and coordinating civil disobedience across the country.
- The campaign led to a massive increase in ANC membership, from under 20,000 to around 100,000 by 1953, but the campaign declined after riots broke out in late 1952, prompting harsh government repression, including new laws, bans, and brutal punishments, forcing the ANC to wind it down in 1953.
The Defiance Campaign: success or failure?
- The campaign had some successes:
- It was the ANC’s first extended, coordinated national campaign, proving its organizational capability.
- The campaign united various groups including communists, trade unions, the Indian Congress, and women’s organizations, showing the potential for cross-racial cooperation.
