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The Rise and Fall of the Alternative Press in South Africa

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The Rise and Fall of the Alternative Press in South Africa Les Switzer, Mohamed Adhikari, eds.. South Africa's Resistance Press: Alternative Voices in the Last Generation under Apartheid. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2000. xxii + 505 pp. $30.00, paper, ISBN 978-0-89680-213-1. Reviewed by Alan G. Cobley Published on H-SAfrica (September, 2001) The Rise and Fall of the Alternative Press in other contributions to the collection, and is used South Africa by Switzer as a vehicle for a concise but extreme‐ In the preface, this book is described as the ly useful historical survey of the 'resistance press' third in a trilogy which began twenty-two years in South Africa, with special reference to the ago with the publication of The Black Press in 1980s and early 1990s. South Africa and Lesotho: A Descriptive Biblio‐ The rest of the book is divided into two un‐ graphical Guide, 1836-1976 (Boston: G. K. Hall, equal sections: Part I contains three chapters, and 1979) by Les and Donna Switzer. The second in deals with the period prior to the 1980s, while the trilogy, edited by Les Switzer, was entitled Part II contains seven chapters, and focuses on South Africa's Alternative Press: Voices of Protest the tumultuous decade-and-a-half from 1980 to and Resistance, 1880-1960 (Cambridge: Cam‐ 1994. bridge University Press, 1997). In this latest publi‐ The main weakness in this collection con‐ cation, Switzer is joined by Mohamed Adhikari as cerns this division. Part I--entitled 'In Transition: co-editor. It opens with an extensive (seventy-five From Protest to Resistance' --seems incomplete pages) introduction by Switzer which seeks to lay and lacking in coherence compared to Part II, en‐ out the framework within which South Africa's titled 'On the Barricades: The Struggle for South 'resistance press' developed. He also discusses the Africa'. While the three contributions in Part I are contributions made by organised Black labour, disparate in focus and aim, those in Part II are the Black Consciousness movement and the 'Char‐ tightly focused in terms of chronology on the terist' movement of the 1980s towards the defeat 1980s and early 1990s, and provide a comprehen‐ of the apartheid regime. He completes his histori‐ sive overview of the alternative press in these cal survey with a discussion of the transition 'to‐ years. It might have made more sense to leave wards a new South Africa' in the early 1990s. The Part II to stand alone as the body of the book, and final section is devoted to an introduction to the to expand the list of contributions in Part I so that H-Net Reviews it could be developed into a separate publication. claustrophobic atmosphere endured by the news‐ Having said this however, all three contributions paper's editorial staff as they struggled, not only in Part I of the collection are fascinating, and it to keep the paper alive in the face of increasing might seem churlish to question their inclusion state harassment and repression, but also to pro‐ here. vide support in myriad ways for the embryonic In the frst article Peter Limb surveys the clandestine liberation movement. I defy anyone to treatment of African workers in the early African read this account without feeling a sense of won‐ nationalist press between 1900 and 1960. He is in‐ der at what was achieved in the face of such terested not only in 'representations' of African heavy odds. On the evidence on this contribution, workers in a press dominated by the black petty Zug's book should be well worth reading. bourgeoisie but also in the extent to which these The fnal contribution in this section from newspapers acted 'as a legitimate vehicle' for the Mbulelo Mzamane and David Howarth is, frankly, aspirations of African workers (p. 82). These ob‐ a bit of a puzzle. It seems to have wandered in jectives seem to me to make this paper qualita‐ from a different book altogether. Entitled 'Repre‐ tively different in intent from the others in the senting Blackness', it contains a very stimulating collection, and explain why it sits rather uneasily discussion of Steve Biko and the Black Conscious‐ in this book. He argues that the 'pro-ANC press'-- ness Movement, especially in its literary and cul‐ and by extension, the ANC itself--was closer to tural manifestations. It also makes a compelling African workers in the early years than is usually case for the integral importance of the BCM in suggested. This is an interesting conclusion but shaping the resistance movement in South Africa seems to be a bit of stretch given the very imper‐ in the 1970s and early 1980s. The benefits of being fect runs of newspapers that Limb had to work able to draw on the considered views of one who with, especially prior to the 1930s. As Limb's own was deeply immersed in the debates discussed are research shows, extant runs of such key publica‐ obvious here; the article is a 'must read' for any‐ tions as The Workers' Herald and Abantu Batho one who has an interest in the intellectual dis‐ are really quite limited. On the other hand, his courses which shaped the BCM in the 1970s. How‐ conclusion is supported by Bonner's argument ever, this article is not about the role of the 'alter‐ made twenty years ago that since the African pet‐ native press' in promoting Black Consciousness, ty bourgeoisie was 'stunted and repressed' in except incidentally, and therefore can be seen as these years, they were actually much closer to an opportunity lost to put this aspect of the move‐ African workers materially and in terms of con‐ ment in perspective. It would have been interest‐ sciousness than to their white counterparts.[1] ing, for example, to hear more about the practical‐ The second contribution from James Zug ities of putting together the SASO Newsletter and traces the tumultuous fnal years of the Guardian its methods of distribution. newspaper--described by Switzer as 'probably the It is only in Part II of the collection that the most significant socialist newspaper in South book's title really begins to make sense. It opens African history'--from 1960 to 1963. It serves as a with an excellent article by Jeremy Seekings on taster for Zug's book-length history of the the media of the United Democratic Front. Al‐ Guardian which is due out this year.[2] Where though he summarises some of the key conclu‐ Limb and Switzer's style is measured and scholar‐ sions in his recently published book on the UDF, ly, Zug writes with real journalistic verve. By fo‐ Seekings pulls off the difficult feat of adding fresh cusing on the human aspects of his story he is insights and material on the same subject.[3] able successfully to evoke the nerve-jangling, Seekings demonstrates that the UDF was extreme‐ 2 H-Net Reviews ly effective in its use of the media and suggests of democracy' in producing the paper made for a several reasons for this. One was that the UDF very cumbersome editorial process. Moreover, was in many ways a child of the mass media age. Van Kessel suggests that the perceived need to From the outset its leadership recognised the criti‐ show solidarity with the struggle and 'to project cal role of publicity if the organisation were to the unity of the oppressed' meant Grassroots was survive and grow and they were ready to put ma‐ unable to develop an effective editorial policy 'to jor resources into this important area of activity: deal with conflicts and crises within progressive he estimates that '30 to 35 per cent of the UDF's organisations' (p. 301). Although it targeted the expenditure was spent on publicity between 1983 'Coloured' community, it did so only to promote and 1985' (p. 236). Another reason was that the an idealised 'worker consciousness'. Ultimately it UDF enjoyed unprecedented access to the main‐ was unable to attract an audience with such stream (commercial) white liberal press after overtly politicised fare and, in the words of one 1984, once it had established itself as the only contributor, 'became a prisoner of the activists' popular mass movement offering a credible non- (quoted p. 317). Van Kessel makes it clear that violent, non-racial alternative to apartheid. One Grassroots survived as long as it did only because interesting question which remains unanswered it was able to rely for funds on a group of Protes‐ in this article concerns the influence of the UDF's tant churches in the Netherlands; evidently they political education journal Isiziwe, although its did not ask too many questions about how their content is discussed extensively. It would be inter‐ money was being spent. esting to hear from those who read it rather than By contrast, another Western Cape newspa‐ those who produced it on this question. per, South, succeeded to some extent in providing Seekings' contribution is followed with one a media voice for the UDF and other progressive on the East Cape News Agencies by Franz Kruger, forces in the area, whilst making its coverage rele‐ one of its founders and long-time group editors. vant to the local 'Coloured' community. Mohamed Writing in the stripped down style you might ex‐ Adhikari tells the story of the newspaper sensi‐ pect of someone who is used to counting his tively, dealing especially with its attempt to draw words, he explains why the agency was formed: the community into a debate on the meaning of 'The region was highly politicized, and there were the 'Coloured' identity in the context of the strug‐ many stories to tell.
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