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Beyers Naude, 1915 - 1977

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Beyers Naude, 1915 - 1977 FROM ACQUIESCENCE TO DISSENT: BEYERS NAUDE, 1915 - 1977 by COLLEEN GAYE RYAN CLUR submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject HISTORY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF KW SMITH JOINT SUPERVISOR: PROF AM GRUNDLINGH JUNE 1997 From acquiescence to dissent: Beyers Naude, 1915 - 1977 by CG R Clur Degree: Master of Arts Subject: History Promoter: Professor KW Smith Joint Promoter: Professor A M Grundlingh Summary: This dissertation is a biography of Beyers Naude, from his birth in 1915 . until 1977, focusing attention on the period 1963 to 1977, when he was director of the Christian Institute. The study examines how Naude, whose father championed Afrikaans, became a leading minister in the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). It examines the challenges which confronted Naude over the DRC's support fqr apartheid. The dissertation documents the factors that led Naude to reject apartheid and clash with the DRC, the Broederbond and the National Party government, culminating in his banning in 1977. It assesses the contribution he made to debates on apartheid in church and political circles and explains how he increasingly supported black initiatives to end white rule. The dissertation shows that Naude's background and leadership qualities enabled him to have an impact on the church and political scene as apartheid became a burning issue at home and abroad. Key terms: Beyers Naude biography; Beyers Naude's conflict with the Broederbond; Dutch Reformed Church and apartheid; Christian Institute; African Independent Churches Association; South African Institute of Race Relations; South African Council of Churches; World Council of Churches; Black Consciousness; banning of Beyers Naude. f I Student number: 434-015-9 I declare that From acquiescence to dissent: Beyers Naude. 1915 - 1977 is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Sigf{/f ........... ..... .l.Q ...~~ .. !.J.!'. DATE (Mrs C G R Clur) ("'""' rm::1t··~ -~·-,: 7·:·--·-.--··---· .... ,,, ~ ' .! -- lee._;.,,.... ."'t /J i.,,·~· § ....................... ~. f 261.7092 NAUD CLUR i lllHllllllHll 0001701178 Ill Contents Page Preface (iv) 1 Early influences and DRC years 1 2 The launch of the Christian Institute, 1963 59 3 A new ministry unfolds, 1963 - 1965 80 4 Changing direction, 1966 - 1968 98 5 Challenge of Black Consciousness, 1969 - 1972 115 6 Escalating conflict with the Government, 1972 - 1974 148 7 Final years of the Christian Institute, 1975 - 1977 174 8 Conclusion 207 Source list 218 IV Preface Dr Christiaan Frederick Beyers Naude, known widely as Beyers Naude, has played an important role in political and church affairs in South Africa. Before 1960 he had silently acquiesced to apartheid, but after this period he became a thorn in the side of the National Party and the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk, or Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) for publicly opposing their race and political policies. By 1977, when he was banned by the Vorster government and the Christian Institute (CI) was declared unlawful, he had become a symbol of resistance and w.as well known locally and internationally. This study is primarily concerned with Naude's work at the Christian Institute between 1963 and 1977, with particular focus on changes in his political thinking during this time. Before discussing sources on Naude and the reasons for and aims of the dissertation, it is necessary to contextualise Naude in the post-February 1990 era since the unbanning of the ANC. The drastic changes that have occurred in South African politics since 1990 have created a new context in which many public figures can now be assessed. For many years Naude was regarded in established white political and church circles as extremely "radical". But since the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC), particularly since this organisation took over power in South Africa in May 1994, the controversy surrounding him has largely disappeared. There has, in fact, been a reconciliation between Naude and the DRC, in the form of a public apology to him at the DRC's general synod in Pretoria in 1994 and an apology by an individual DRC presbytery for ostracising members who criticised apartheid. 1 1Handelinge van die Algemene Sinode van die N G Kerk, Oktober 1994 and Presbytery of Stellenbosch, DRC, "A submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at its Paarl v One of the features of President Nelson Mandela's early days of rule was a public commitment lo reconciliation. Mandela's presidential theme during 1995 and 1996 was reconciliation and he met a wide range of white and black groups to bring home this point.2 He always had a special word for "honourable" Afrikaners who opposed.apartheid during National Party rule. Elements in the ANC did not always fully go along with the President in his reaching out to whites, but the organisation was more in accord with Mandela when he honoured Afrikaner opponents of apartheid such as Beyers Naude. Naude was the only Afrikaner lo be included in the talks which took place at Groote Schuur on 2 - 4 May 1990 shortly after the unbanning of the ANC and the release of Mandela and other high-profile political prisoners. Mandela and other ANC leaders, such as former ANC general secretary Walter Sisulu, have singled Naude out for praise as a patriotic South African who is also an Afrikaner.3 After his involvement in the talks at Groote Schuur and the subsequent signing of the ground-breaking Groote Schuur Minute, Naude announced that while he fully supported the ANC, his calling as a minister prevented him from officially joining the organisation. From that point he dropped out of formal negotiations involving the ANC and the National Party government, but he continued to be widely consulted behind the scenes and was periodically session of 14 - 16 October 1996 in which an apology is given for supporting the ideology of apartheid; acknowledgement is made of "voices from among our own ranks" who were "suppressed or ignored ... Others suffered defamation and found themselves being given bad names". 2Mandela has made numerous speeches emphasising reconciliation, and signalled his intention to follow such a policy in his inauguration speech on 10 May 1994 at the Union Buildings.Typical of this approach was his meeting with Afrikaner leaders, including Beyers Naude, in Pretoria on 28 June 1995. 3Star, 20 April 1990. VI consulted by the ANC in the months and years that followed. 4 Carl Niehaus, a former ANC spokesman, MP and now an ambassador, has also stressed his Afrikaner roots; he is another figure the ANC can point to as an indication of its acceptance of whites and specifically Afrikaners. It is of significance that Niehaus, perhaps the most influential Afrikaner to serve on the ANC's National Executive Committee, has a close relationship with Naudc. Niehaus has regarded Naudc as a "father figure" and has consulted him frequently. 5 Further evidence of NaudC's stature in the ANC is that many of the organisation's regions nominated him as a candidate on their parliamentary lists before the 1994 elections, but his name was not put forward because he decided to stay out of parliamentary politics.6 Naudc's public identification of himself as an Afrikaner reinforces the argument that one of his important contributions has been that he has acted as a role model for white Afrikaners who rejected apartheid. Several "anti-apartheid" Afrikaners who were close to Naudc in the 1970s and 1980s confirmed in interviews with me that Naudc fulfilled this role for them.7 Carl Niehaus has also stressed that Naude urged him never to deny his Afrikaner roots. 8 Perhaps a more important contribution Naude has made, as far as the ANC is concerned, is that the organisation had a 'This information was supplied by ANC spokesman and MP Carl Niehaus in an interview on 7 May 1994 and was substantiated by Naude in several discussions I conducted with him between 1990 and 1994. 5Interview with C Niehaus, May 1994 and C Niehaus, Fighting for hope, p 84. 6C Niehaus-Clur interview. 7Rcv R Meyer, K Kritzinger, Cle Roux, G Lubbe, D van Zyl interviews with C Clur, 1988 and 1989. 8Nichaus, Fighting for hope, p 74. vu high-profile Afrikaner that they could point to, to demonstrate their public commitment to non-racialism. Thus in the mid-1990s period of transition Naude's major contribution has been that of a symbol of reconciliation. With regard lo sources on Naude, a biography written by myself was published in 1990.9 It was the first detailed biographical work to be published on Naude and my dissertation relies substantially on a portion of the book. Since then, Naude has published his autobiography, which covers much of the same ground as my biography. He deals with the CI years in only 36.pages, but my dissertation covers this crucial period from a critical perspective and in greater detail. 10 Other important recent publications are a Festschrift published to mark his 80th birthday, edited by Charles Villa-Vicencio and Carl Niehaus11, and another book by Villa-Vicencio reflecting on religion and politics in South Africa which includes a chapter on Naude. 12 The latter two books contain biographical information largely based on an earlier essay written by Villa-Vicencio in the first Festschrift which he co-edited to mark NaudC's 70th birthday, published in 1985. 13 Naude is mentioned in several other books, but an earlier work stands out. Edited by Peter Randall, it consists of a short sketch of his life written by Randall and other essays by Peter Walshe, Denis Hurley and Charles Villa-Vicencio which all shed light on issues which shaped 9C Ryan, Beyers Naude: pilgrimage of faith.
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