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DELIA O'MEARA the National Action Councilto collectthe vision ofthe democratic society they Systems Administrator demands from the variousgroups and to wanted. pass themon to the Congress Commission. (A complete transcriptof the Freedom 2005 celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of The volunteers were expressly instructed Charter can be found on various web sites - the adoption of the FreedomCharter by notto write down the demands on behalf of see below.) the Congress of the People at in thegroups,buttogetthepeopletospeak The FreedomCharter pledged to con- June1955. for themselves. tinue the fightfor these freedoms`untilwe We allhave dreams of Utopia, where all All the while, a Congress Commission have won ourliberty'. our needs are met and even some of our sifted throughthe thousands of pieces of Not everyone, however, was satisfied wants can be achieved, a society,where all paper containing the demands received with the FreedomCharter. By the late canlive in peace and harmony,able to reap fromthe groups. Their task was to read, 1950s some of the ANC members, who the rewards of ourlabour.Weusually shrug classify, index and group all the demands, to were opposed to a multi-racial future for this off as a pipe dream- impossible to be incorporatedinto one cohesive docu- the country,broke away fromthe ANC and achieve. A pipe dream, perhaps, butthis ment-The . formed the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). did not prevent people fromdreaming of a On 25 and 26 June1955, the Congress of Theresponsetothe FreedomCharterby betterlife, a time when allthe peoples of the People, sponsored by the African the government of the day, resulted in the this countrycould enjoy equalrights and National Congress of , the arrestof156 people in1956, charged with freedom. South African Indian Congress, the South hightreason and conspiracy to overthrow It was at the Annual Congress of the African Coloured People's Organisation the government. The accusedincluded African National Congress (ANC), heldin and the Congress of Democrats, convened Chief , and Queenstownin August1953 that Professor at Kliptown. Attended by over 2 800 dele- . TheTreasonTrial comprised ZKMatthews proposed that a Congress of gates fromall over the country, who had two stages - a preparatory phase in a the People be convened to draw up a travelled in trains, in buses and on foot, the magistrate's court to determine whether FreedomCharter, which would serve as a taskofthe Congress was to adoptthe there was sufficient evidence to supportthe blueprintfor thetype ofdemocratic society FreedomCharter for the democratic charges, andifthe evidence existed, a trialin desired for all South Africans. The National South Africa of thefuture. For the firsttime theSupremeCourt.Aftertheinitialphase Conference of the ANC approved the pro- the people were involved in formulating a ofthetrial, charges against 61ofthe accused posalin December1953. A Joint Action were dropped. Charges were made Committee comprising the ANC, the against ninety-five people and the South African Indian Congress, the The Freedom Charter declared that TreasonTrialproper started on 3 Coloured People's Organisation and the August1958. Just two months after Congress of Democrats, was formed to South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and the startofthe trial, charges were co-sponsor the Congress. white, and that no government can justly claim dropped. A new indictment was Leaflets were drawnup andwidely authorityunless it is based on the willofall the issued against 30 ofthe accused, distributed, calling on all`good men and people including Nelson Mandela and Walter true'to join in the Congress of the The people shallgovern Sisulu. On 29 March1961,Justice FL People and to`write their own demands All nationalgroups shall have equalrights Rumpff declared the verdict that the into the FreedomCharter'. Meetings The people shall share in the country's wealth Crown had failed to establish any were heldin factories, churches, on revolutionary intent and found the farms, in homes and even at bus stops - The land shall be shared among those who work it accused notguiltyofthe charges. wherever people gathered. People All shall be equal before the law It was during the period ofthe came togetherin groups, bothlarge and All shall enjoy equal human rights TreasonTrialthatthe ANC and PAC small, to elect representatives to the There shall be work and security were declared illegal under the Sup- Congress of the People and to make pression of Communism Act. known their demands for the Freedom The doors of learning and culture shall be opened The FreedomCharter becamea Charter.Volunteers were enlisted by There shall be houses, security and comfort There shall be peace and friendship.

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force in uniting peoples of all racial President'. Scroll down and click on origins in a common struggle to `Previousletters',then select eliminate and bring about a `FreedomCharter bakhala ngayo non-racial democratic South Africa. emazweni!' You can read the letter The FreedomCharter has spread sent by President on itsinfluence far andwide. Ithasbeen FoundingDaytomarkthe93rd used as a guideline by other countries anniversary ofthe ANC. and organisations around the worldin Forinformation ontheTreason drawing up their own Freedom Trial and the massacre Charters. In January 2004,Sinn Fe¨ in you can try the following web sites: published the Irish FreedomCharter in whichthey setoutthe principles for http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/his- the type of society thatthey envisage tory/trials/ -articlescoveringthe for Ireland. Just as the Freedom TreasonTrial1956 - 1961and the Charter had done in1955,Sinn Fe¨ in RivoniaTrial1963-1964, aswellas hoped thattheirdocument would sti- associatedlinks. mulate debate and provide feedback http://www.anc.org/ancdocs/his- fromindividuals and organisations. tory/misc/shareve.html-articleby With manyof its principles The Right Reverend Ambrose entrenched in the Constitution of Reeves,The - South Africa, the FreedomCharter a watershed in South Africa. remains as relevant today as it did fifty http://www.africanhistory.about.com -type years ago. Inthe traditional January 8th http://www.answers.com/topic/ the keywords`FreedomCharter' in the statementto celebrate the founding day of sharpeville-massacre - contains an article on SEARCH box to find articles on the the ANC, President Thabo Mbeki pointed the Sharpeville massacre and otherlinks. FreedomCharter,, outthatthe`visionit spellsouthasnotlostits http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia TreasonTrial and the Sharpeville massacre. relevance'andreferredtoitasa`living 7615 8 4110/ Sharp eville Massacre. html -con- document', which should continue to play http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/special- tains an article onthe Sharpeville massacre, `its role inthe formation ofthe New South projects/june26/charter.html-thereare aswellaslinks to`passlaws'. Africa'. links to the FreedomCharter Campaign, There are manyreallyinteresting web In compiling this short history of the planning the Congress ofthe People, the sites containing documents and articles, FreedomCharter,Ifoundthe following web adoption of the FreedomCharter and which you might find useful. Just use your sites to be most useful: other useful information. favourite search engine and type inthe key- http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/ http://www.marxist.com/Lessons words:`freedomcharter',or the keywords charter.html- contains a transcriptofthe OfThe1950s/05.html-PublicationLessons for anyofthe relatedtopics, andlettheWeb FreedomCharter. of the1950sby Richard Monroe, which take youwhere it will. Explore the links and includes chapters onthe FreedomCharter learn more aboutour history. http://scnc,ukzn.ac.za/doc/HIST/freedom- and Sharpeville. chart/freedomch.html -containsatranscript of the FreedomCharter, including some http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/ background regarding the Congress ofthe campaigns/cop/index.html - a really inter- People. esting web site with links to a number of documents, including a copy of the leaflet http://www.gpg.gov.za/publications/free- handed outto callonthe people to partici- domcharter.html -containsatranscriptof pate inthe Congress ofthe People; a listof the FreedomCharter, as wellas informa- the demands made by women, and various tion onthe Kliptown renewal project and other articles. the relevance ofthe FreedomCharter today. http://www.saembassy.org/ - select`News & Events'and then click on`Letter fromthe

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