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Potato Boycott Continue ADt IJ REVOLT^iiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiimiiiiimmimmi£ NATAL Apartheid, Police Terror Drive = \'ol. 5, No. 44. Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper Africons to Desperation I NORTHERN EDITION Thursday, August 20, 1959 6 d . _ ^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimii? From M. P. Naicker DURBAN. situation in Natal has reached a dangerous state. Following bloody clashes between the people and the police in Maritzbui^ and the surrounding districts, the POTATO BOYCOTT people^s anger against the authorities is growing. The agita­ tion throughout the province against Bantu Authorities, passes and for £1 a day is reaching new heights. CONTINUE THE ONLY SOLUTION IS NEGOTIATION BETWEEN THE AUTHORITIES AND THE PEOPLE. RELIANCE ON BRUTE FORCE AND MASS IMPRISONMENT WILL ONLY PROVOKE FURTHER DISTURBANCES. May Ead The women in the New Hanover district whom I interviewed last week told me that they did not fear jail or death any more as they cannot put up with the starvation conditions in the reserve. in Sept When th(, -^ked by the Native Commissioner why they had JOHANNESBURG. destroyed the dipping tank, they replied: fT^HE potato boycott is still on. It -*■ will go on, said the African “We did not intend to destroy the dipping tank. We were National Congress last week, till really writing a letter to the authorkies which they could an official notice of the date of its ending is announced by ANC head­ read. If we had wrkten an ordinary letter you would not quarters. This date is now under have replied.” consideration. New Age understands it will A significant feature of all the demonstrations is that they are probably be the end of September. aimed at Government and municipal officials and police, and in no The boycott is not to continue case has there been any attack on other local inhabitants. Attempts “indefinitely” as some newspapers by some to turn the anger of the Africans against the Indians have announced last week. It has also failed completely. not been called off, as other news­ papers announced. Here are reports from the main trouble centres; (Continued on page 5) at New Hanover. On the advice ir Maritzburg of Mr. Arenstein, the women, who were' all armed, disposed of their LEFT: This shell of a house Trouble began early last Friday weapons and proceeded to the was all that was left of the morning when two bus-loads of meeting place at Edendale, a local Resha’s home in 134 Good African women from the Table suburb. Here they were informed Street, Sophiatown, after the Mountain Reserve, about 15 miles that the local women who had Resettlement Board demolition from Maritzburg, arrived in town gathered for the meeting had all team had done its work. for a meeting with the local wo­ been arrested earlier for being in men. Thef were met at the bus possession of dangerous weapons. terminal in Maritzburg by Con­ These women, together with While Robert Resha was in Court, They gress attorneys Messrs. R. I. Aren- others who joined them, then stein and N. T. Naicker who were marched to the local police sta­ on their way to defend 600 women tion and demanded the release of the arrested women. Their spokesman made it clear PULLED DOWN HIS that if the women were not re­ leased they would all court im­ 13 Congressmen prisonment. After discussion with the police they were met by the local Assistant Native Commis­ HOME Arrested in sioner and police officials. They pointed out that they had merely JOHANNESBURG. intended to have a meeting and to 'Y\THILE Robert Resha sat Port Elizabeth present their grievances to the Na­ ~ * in the dock of the treason tive Commissioner. After much dis­ trial in Pretoria and his wife cussion the arrested women were Maggie, a midwife, was on a Sequel to Zakele released. call in the south-west town­ Killings BATON CHARGE ships, a demolition squad of The women then decided to hold the Resettlement Board set to with crowbar and chopper and PORT ELIZABETH. their meeting in the quadrangle at the Maritzburg Municipal Beerhall. pulled down the house in FOLLOWING the recent clashes Soon after they assembled a strong which they had been living in in Zakele (Site and Service) in force of armed police arrived and. Sophiatown. which five people died, 13 Congress­ according to several eye-witnesses I By the time the Reshas re­ men, including the Vice-President of interviewed the same evening, turned to Sophiatown after the Cape ANC, have been arrested baton-charged the women. This 6 p.m. that day they found on a charge of public violence. happened at about three p.m. only the shell of a house, their They are being kept in custody By 5 p.m. a large crowd of angrv furniture and clothing standing pending their appearance in court, men gathered outside the beer hall out in the street, and their two which has been set down for and when the police attacked them little girls taken in by Mrs. August 28. with drawn batons they retaliated Resha’s sister nearby. The thirteen men are: Alvern with stones and sticks. TTie Resha house was de­ Bennie, Mvuyo Mcondobi, Kolisile Two constables were injured and molished the day after the 30 Mdwayi, Arnold Maliwa, Mali, an African and an Indian were ar­ accused i n the treason trial, Douglas Sikwana, Freddie Nel, Sipo rested following a pitched battle Robert Resha among them, Bala, Jackson Booi, Hobson had heard the Crown outline which lasted almost half an Hour. Mrs. Maggie Resha and her two little girls took temporary shelter in Bavuma, Wilson Kaingo, Maxwell On hearing of these clashes, as part of the treason case Mayekiso and Edmund Komanisi. against them their active cam- a friendly Indian shop nearby their wrecked home. Bed and belong­ Africans in the surrounding dis­ ings were piled against the shop showcases. The men were mostly arrested at tricts were reported to be organis- Continued on page 6 Continued on page 3 (Continued on page 5) AUGUST 9 IN NEW ACE BLOEMFONTEIN EDITORIAL I heard from the President of the Women’s Federation that the city fathers of Bloemfontein re­ LETTER BOX fused to allow the women to hold a prayer meeting on August 9. WHAT IS TO BE DONE? Their excuse was that the police objected to meetings being held 'J'H E so-called “rebellion” of the African people in Natal once on Sundays and week-ends gene­ again highlights the deepening tragedy of this country. IMPERIALISM rally. This was condemned as a sheer restriction on the freedom In the Natal country districts an outburst has taken place of prayer. The President then over the issue of the dipping tanks. In Maritzburg there has been made an application to hold the another clash between the women and the police, once again, as WILL BE DESTROYED meeting on Friday 7. The officials agreed to this but the time sti­ at Cato Manor, over the issue of the beerhalls. But of course Last March Congress leaders sure tha'. the British Empire is these were only the last straws. and their supporters were brutally losing its prestige in Africa as a pulated made it impossible for the assaulted and arrested and put in­ whole and will finally vanish people to be able to attend, so the What has got the African people of Natal into a ferment is to detention camps under the away. prayer meeting was held on the simply this: they are desperately poor, and getting poorer as the false accusation that Congress The British Government en­ 7th at the Batho Village, Freedom country’s economy plunges deeper into the slump. They are over­ planned a massacre of Europeans. courages its colonists to do every­ Square. African churches were In April the British Government thing possible to gain Africa, but asked to observe the 9th as a day burdened with restrictions—pass laws, removals, police raids. sent a commission of inquiry un­ we are sure that they are declin­ of prayer against the inhuman What remains of their tribal independence is being destroyed by der Justice Devlin to investigate ing and will be eliminated from pass laws. the Bantu Authorities Act, Their past is gone, the present is an the disturbances. the African soil for the evil they An afternoon service was also agony and they have no future. The slightest extra prick can The Devlin Commission has are pursuing. conducted in St. Patrick’s Church, submitted its report and has found Nyasaland N, Z. S. J. Bloemfontein, by the Rev. Father touch off the explosion. that there was no massacre plot, « * * Martin. In his sermon he said that It is not as if the African people haven’t tried.* They have that Nyasaland is a police state. freedom was the freedom to love endured mountains of repression with astonishing patience. They Now the British Government and mankind, to do good to others the Governor of Nyasaland deny Police Visit Our and to hate evil. Prayers were said have taken their grievances to authority, peacefully and respect­ the report of the Devlin Commis­ and a few minutes’ silence ob­ fully, over and over again. They have gone on deputations, made sion because it did not do in­ Readers in S.W.A. served in the church. representations, forwarded memoranda. They have elected people justice to the Africans. It has become a habit for the JAOBOIHI to represent them on advisory boards and in Parliament. The Prime Minister, Colonial police to visit any person who Bloemfontein, O.F.S, Secretary and the Governor only reads New Age or writes to or But to the apartheid maniacs in power, it hasn’t made one shed crocodile tears over the 52 receives letters from Mr.
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