-5-

f f J

— SAT I ORAL CONOqpga YOUgf

1,0 1111 coNTKKsrcae

B Y ? t! l c ^ Q ~ p j y ? ^ ^ 954

lot. 6MUEKR, SOTS AHD DAUGHTERS OP THS SOIL, AMD PHIjOTDS,

Baforo I oonflno wyaolf to tha task of da-

liraring *jr praaidantial addraaa to thi. groat oonfaranoa

of Congroaa Youth Laagua, I wiah to join Mr. Sfcaakar la wal-

«o»ing all, dalagataa and frianda who hare cob a trim all

parta of tha Capa Prowlnoo to attaad thi a ranarkahla confab

anoa of tha ABOYL.

Va hara todaj aaaaahlad hara at tyMaaataaa

wl th oaa a 1m 0f finding wmjn and aaaaa *y *hlah wa m rid

tha world af faaoiat, tyranny and to huild a tattar, a fraa

****** * w r ld ’diara pororty and laaaoarity would ha uakaawa,

a world *xara tha aanaoa paopla would fiat a plaaa oadar tha

** *» nlao rary intoroatlng ta aoto that aar

laat raauo of tha 1*83 oonforonoa waa at thla waxy a a n plaaa.

^ Ifca African National Congraaa Youth Ttagrit la

▼ary grataful to tha Congraaa anthoritiaa of quaanatown aa

wall aa to tha paopla of (Jo a ana town who hara Toluataarad aad

aaoriflood to haar thla haawy roaponalhillty of ha-

o«ning hoata to thia AJTOYL oonfaranoa*

W t h that a / ..................

t

H t h these words, on behalf of the ANCYL, I

wish to thank all the people of queenstown and Congreee off­

icials sho hare taken the responsibility of preparing for

the oonferenoe at a time shen the sconoaio situation is made

unbearable to Afrloans.

¥e meet at a time whan the whole country is

passing through a series of crisis, the out ocas of which is

unprediotable, but will oertainly hare a trenendous influence

on the future of our oountry and all its people. The last *

seesios of tfa* A i t s parllasant has passed two acts shleh hare

robbed the African people with their last hope. These are the

Bantu Education Aot, and the latlre Resettleaent Aot.

W fT P Afil i The nase Itself shows that this is ho

eduoatlon at a ll . It ie only eoaething te indoctrinate our

dill Aren to aeeept the so-called Supremacy of the ttxite race.

To subetAfttiate this, I aust quote the fact that up to this

▼cry day, a large part^ducation syllabus la European schools,

consists eesentially, of what the illiterate and sawsge British,

Qernans, Prench and Itetah tribes were taught by Remans and

what Romans had to a large degree learnt fro* the Egyptians.

As I do not wish to waste much of your tlas, it

euffioisat for me to ssy that Eduoatlon has now been taken

frcm th* African people. This wan ths only hops of eresy

Afrioan parent to giro to his child so that the child would

not suffer ssae hardships suffered by parents.

HATIVE HBSETTLatBTT A C T / .. . .

- 2 -

jfSL ft- " 5 '

SiKI-fl2X2IMjL In terms of a regulation Issued by Mr. Verwoerd,

Afrioans living in munioipal townships throughout the Union a r e /

to pay -Eoor^ooio- rentals as from the 1st OctoBer, if the total

family income Irrespective of the sixe of the family/ in the

Household exceeds £15. per month. This regulation must be seen ^

E>a|r* of the Government's deliberate, Tindiotire, oampaign j(fa

net the Urban African working class, of the Union, to drive

i their living standards to a level with those prevailing on

the platteland, and to force thousands out to the

farms and the mines. To thousands of families living on the

Border-line of e*istense, this regulation, in oonjunition with

recent increases in transport and other living costs, spells ruin

and starvation.

I pay more ? That Is the B u Dr. Verwoerd says I

must psy more rent because nr family Income is more than £15. a

month. " ¥ell let us assume that it is tkue that I get £3. per week

and that my elder son sarns £2 .5 . a week. Our inooM is therefore

over £22. per month. But what is £22. a month for a fssiily of

five people in these days of high cost of living T ihsa fares l»vs

gone up and prices of food stmffs, clothing and sohool boeks are eo

high, when bread alone costs soae of us much as £ 2 .7 .6 . a month and

*ian meat is so soaroe that we are now and then oonpelle* to tauy

mutton at 3/- a pound.?

A family cannot cone out on £22. a month.*'# On this question of high

rentals this conference has to maks « resolution. Thers must be USITT

Every effort must be made to obtain the widest possible unity in

each area and each township of Congress Youth League branches, trads

Unions, Wanen^s league, Church/, sporting, Minlstere, Teaehere,

and all other sorts of sooieties and individuals must cone together

and oppoee the rent inoreaees.

I4B a ai_ I t . Afrloan trade unions nu»t denand f 1 a <Jaj to be paid to

all « r t e r e to meet the high ooet of l l r ln * . S e e form of action mu.t

be taken to d « o n e t r a « . to the goTerm ent that the tolling a a e e . .

cannot pafr the high rentals.

gATXVBS KgSKTTunnarr kcrvi As far back as 1905 up to 1912,

Townships wars established.as places where Africans too could

aoquire, buy and hold landfri properties in their own names in

the same way as other Non-African citizens of the Union of

South Africa do*This act is now legalising a day-light robb­

ery of such places, from their owners, so that Africans en­

joy no security.

It was at a time like this when Afrioan people

were rooted out of their land, that our mother organisation,

the AHC was founded. It was an effect like this that made

sons and daughters of Africa to think of a way by #iich the

Afrioan people oould be eared fras such a plight, and founded

an instrument* To-day, sons and daughters of the soil, prosper­

ity is calling upon us to use this instrument that has besa

feuaded for us, in order to eare South Africa froa the disas- to

trous road/which the Vationalist government is leading South

Xtrlo*. ; A

Nevertheleee, I am oonfident to say that the

people of South Afrioa are looking forward to a bright and a

happy future. The ANCYX expects every young man and woman to

do his/4ier duiy.

pmPLgfl* LRA.HKR3 BANNED ' W T‘'gpI banning of tirelees

and patriotic sons of Africa in the liberatory organisations,

trade unions and peace-moremente, including our National Sec­

retary,Duma Nokwe and the National Secretary of our mother

Organisation, Mr. Valter Sisulu, is not an isolated inoident,

but f a l l s / . •

but falls in as one of an onslaught against the rights and

libertiee of the people. They are not oanaing out of strength

or power,but out of fear. The oppressor is afraid of the people.

These ars taotiets to try to disarm the people. I wish to warn

ths authorities that, we of the ANCYL are not going to he de­

terred fro* our struggls for FHjfiKDCM IS OUR LIJ'S TUB , hsnoe

this Provinoial Confsrence to-day. We know for a faot that

our Isadora* politieal oonTiotions oannot he ohanged by Mere

bans and banishments. The day will ooae nhen the people of

South Afrloa will sail upon the leaders to war oh with ns into

IHKK3XM.

It is with great regret that I hare to report that

the lationalist government has further ♦wek'a serious aotioo

against our organieation, and exiled our President, Hoot

Qw«tsn« together with our former General-Secretary, Lengesi.

The fsallies of these sons of Africa ars lsft in despair and */«**

helpless^, #iilst thsy are persecuted and huriliated in the

far Eastern Transvaal farms.

In this connection, I wish to warn the Nationalists

that the olden days of Wiite Supremacy survival have past.

i»ven the greeted dictator in the world, Adolph Hitler of Ger­

many could not succeed nor survive with his Nazism philosophy.

By taking this action the Nationalist government

is seeking to put the ANC and its jollcy on trial.

Throughout the/'............

Throughout the years of her existence, the JUJC

has consistently worked for a more democratic and progressive

South Africa. Our organisation has attarfpted to bring about-/#*

extension of civil liberties, peace and friendship to all sect­

ions of the peeple, to secure the removal of undemocratic and

discriminatory legislation. In contrast to the Kationalist

party and other parties that worked for nazism, that resort^

to violance and te r r o r !* , the AKCYL has opposed fascism opp-

ression and race hatred*

In this hour of trial the AJrCYL calls upon all

those t*io oppose racialism and dictatorial minority rule, all* *> m

Wlsh to restore South Africa's reputation in international

relations to rally around Congresses. The Congresses sppaal

to members, friends, and supporters and those who lore liber-• %ty to assist to the utmost in the defence of the leaders idio

are deprived of freedom of, movement, speech, ass«ibly# and

ultimately put into concentration coups.

The defence of our leaders, our organisation, is the defence

of d«iocratic liberties for all.

The youth of South Africa demand their oitizen-

ship rights. They demand :

(1) Free and comulsory education for all children

irrespective of colour or race.

(2) that education of an African be financed from

the General Revenue.

(3) a d e q u a te /......

(3) adequate facilities for Primary, Secondary, Prof­

essional, Technical and University education.

(4) that the African youth be given the type of

education i&ich will enable him/her to meet on

equal terns with other peoples of the modem

world.

(5) equal pay for equal work, and educational qual-

gP* ifioations for all people irrespective of their

race or colour.

(6) establishment of hospital^cfinlo faoilities in

Urban and Rural areas.

(7) right to be appointed and hold offioe in the

olvll service and in all publlo employment

branches on the same terms as Europeans.

(6) establishment of adequate facilities for sport

fields and cultural amenities.

(9) Security of heme ownership for all people.

(10) reduotion of high taxes.

lUJt WOHLUG YOUTBi There is no doubt that the African youth is

the ‘qpsouroe of industrialisation in this country.

Ihllst the liberation movement Is fighting for

polltioal rights and problems of economio rights and justioe,

the trade union movement ttilch serves as the working class

Instrument, concerns itself with bread and butter, wages,

working conditions, panslons, and other lssuee affecting workers.

It should be of the greatest importance, therefore, that the

working youth join the tr>-de unions. It should also be under­

stood that v.itheut the trude union movements there can be no

strong and powerful national liberation movement.

The trade union movorent is completely opposed to

any government assuming the power of legislating to have^retros-

pective effect on any matter beneficial to workers.

The trade union members are net only workers, but also

citizens of our country, and everything that happene in the

country is of greatest importance to them. The economics and

politic* of our country are, therefore, closely inter-related

and cannot be considered in isolation. 4

FPTUKL OP YOU Hi AEP CHTLDKE2J CP S.A . We in the AHCTfl appeal

and demnnd for^Becure^ and bright future of the African people,

the youth, and children, the younger generation of S.A .

Ue demand that all patriotic countrymen be united,

that they insist and intensify the freedom struggle and HiSIST

APARTHx.II) in S .A ., and QFPOSB WEI EE SOPKEKACY. The people of

3 .A. must be free. The youth and children of S.A . must be given

full opportunity to choose their won line of thought by the

light of their own reason. The generation of the nation must

be saved, te free and enjoy all citizenship liberties. Africa

must not go along the old road of dictptorship.

We dare cry loudly to all the people of the whole

country to halt the slaughter of youth and children in their

f atherlend/........ . @

® e<

f a t h e r l a n d , to put an end to d ic t a t o r s h ip and f a s c l r o In S .A .

Shedding of blood and crying 0f tears lias teen and

ie being suffered by African youth In this country. Terrible

d e v a s ta t io n in m an-power, m a t e r ia l l y and s p i r i t u a l l y ha. been

«ufferec. . in I enya, today, d.ath has become dally bread of

an African youth.

V0> Tl' CtfCfAJClii Addreselng the national Yoi.th

Conference at Ultenhage on the 26th June, 19f4 , the Secretary -

Oenereal, Calter Sisulu oeid that the Youth league le the pro­

duct of the rother organisation, the ANC. Congre.e youth leaeae _

therefore, should prosecute Congress work.

In the past year., the ANCYL has been more or less

regarded or treated as a petty bourgeoeie party and much time

had been wasted in discussing conflicting opinions of ideolo­

gy. youth in trban and Rural areas was almost ignored,

thousands of African youth went into action during the Defiance

cf unjust laws campaign, but our organisation failed to call

upon th««e patriotic sons and daughters of Africa to enrol as

Congress Youth League members.

9

3>e National Head (Juarters have non, therefore,

directed all provinces and branches to convene mass youth con­

ferences and hold festivals and other cultural gathsrlngs .hare

youth vould gather and rally around^Oongreeses.

Very soon, we hope, Mass Youth Conferences will

be convened in this Province. At the Mas* Youth Conference

Political organisations, trade unions, church en, cultural and

musical/............

I

musical clubs, football and boxing clubs, teachers associations

and many other associations, and other sporting and cultural

clubs, will he required to delegate their members to this great

conference of the youth.

a n d Qf r a m y c s OP UNJUST LAVS CAltPAISK, irsver before in

S.A. has any attempt been so made^to present to Youth a brief

constructive exposure of the filthy conditions under which the

average youth live, as during the years of the Defiance of Un­

just laws campaign.

Today even the youth in the country-side "i#- conscious• «

of race humiliation, exploitation and irtilte supremacy being

preserved in S.A .

SSIa tFP TBB 8g-nAIJ.nr) i m c m JTOarrrj nia.rwarnatrTY. Aooordln«

to the Capitaliat mouth-piece, the oauae of crime is the " un-

oivilissd barbario Native" and the polioe fora# is therefore

strengthened. Thousands of Africans ars thrown into Jail and

atill the crime wave continues.

«iy do some of our youth living and playing in alum

areaa raaort to bagging and atealing ? Are they bora bad ?

Is it the nature or custom of our African citizens?

It has^found that all parts of the capitalist world

are faced with the problan of » orimes of youth " . The truth is

that if a child Is hungry he or she will steal bread. And if he

can steal bread, why no other things? Beside this motivating

force, there are other causes.

If t h a r e /.,..........

; mm-yawr",i" ' ^tvj, «. -- - ——w rr- un .,

. * r . / /

If there are no parka in liiich to play, youth will

play in the streets. If circumstances are against then to form

up teairs to play football, they will fonr other games for other

ends, idiich would, perhaps, be a great nuesance to the public.

If filthiness was replaced by secure and clean

liring conditions in desirable environments - by an efficient

educational system by adequate recreational facilities, there

would no need for stealing, drunkeness and dishonesty. These

conditions must be altered if the youth of S.A . are to be free

from the bogy of and that of delenoufiffr-

QUB PBPORAMflS 0? ACTIONt Our task is great and our policy is de­

finite and d e ar* There is no doubt that throsgh our straggle.^ If ^ ft jCl

the domestic situation in S. A . has repealed f act ora '

bright future for the people of S .A . But at the sene time,

difficulties still exist and the most grave diffioultiea are atill

to be bearsd by the people of S.A- Those idxo oan only see the* - - -

bright side of things will not be able to fight well for the real­

isation of our organisation*a policy. j

In the 42 years of her history, the ABC hat been

able to create a great force o«t of the African people. In this

respect, our acocmpliahments are obvious and indubitable. Tet

oertaln defects still exist in our work. Those who sse only the

good results and not the defects will not be able to fight well

for the realisation of our organisation’ s policy.

The development and progress of the Congresses or­

iginated in the determined fight against dictatorship and fa s c in

that repudiate/.• • e • e e .

that repudiate the universal truth of democracy.

The political-thought - education inside our Congrei

Youth League should be intensified. All key Congress workers

throughout the land should be made to understand that the close

union of theory and practice is a project feature by liilch the

Congresses are distinguished from all other political parties.

Therefore, the mastery of democratic thou git- education is the

principal factor in consolidating the Congresses in their pol­

itical struggles.

Congress Youth Leaguers, therefore, should take pains

in getting political education. Much time should be spent in

studying political struggles of other progressive countries,

Ve must learn from the past. We should learn frcm the achieve­

ments and mistakes of the various national liberatory movements

and struggles of Ois other people who were oppressed in other

oountries.

Vs must rmember that ws are not the only people

who are suffering national oppression. Taking fromAhistorisAl

point of view, we will notice that all nations, races, or trltss

have, eaoh at some time or another bean dominated and humiliatsd

by ^|pther nation, or races or tribes. And all people who have

been oppressed have had their national liberation movmnents.

If we look in ISurope for example, we find the struggles of the

Poles, the Irish, the Czechs and various nationalities which «- -- -—

inhabited Tsarist Russia. In Asia we still have the fresh peopl­

es struggles and movements of Koreans, Chinese, Indo-Chinese,

Burmese/...........

Burmese, Persians, Indoni^ians etc.

Even in the continent of Africa, therefore, we have

national liberation m ordent, in Tunl., J*ypt , Libya, Sudan,

Algeria, Uorrocoo, Nyasaland, Kenya. Sold Coast and Southern-

3iodesia etc.

Another project feature by * lch the C o n g r .* , . can

be distinguished f r » other retrogree.lv. p a rt i ,, or organ!,at!.

,s the very close relationship between than and the great majo­

rity of the people. In the Congress,, we begin by deyoting our­

selves to serving the people of S.A . d e t a i n e d not to de.ert

them for a single m<*ent, .erving the Interest, of the people

and not the internets of any particular group or individual,

and holding oursslvss rssponslbls to the p .o p l ..

Congress members must always be ready to uphold truth,

because all truth is ln comfomlty with ths p s o p l .'. in t .r .s t .,

Congr... members must always be r.ady to rectify wbat 1 . wring,

becauss ifeat is wrong m .an. what ! . «galn.t psopl.*. i n t « . . t . .

The e*p .rl.nc . of our past year,£truggl, ha. taught

U , that all corr,ct task ., p o lio !., and working ,t y l , ar . In

confomlty with th. d « a n d . of the people In a particular time

and place, and they are never separated frtm the people. All

mistaken tasks, polioies and working styls ar . not conforaing

to the people's dsmands, and ars unconnected with the people.

Dictatorship, discrimination, racialism and fascism

are undesirable becauss they are th, oau.e of disorder and

threat to peace and friendship. Such thing, whould be rectified.

Congress members/,. . . . . .

- m -

Congress members should understand that every

thing a congress member says or does is judged by its conformity

with the major interests of the majority of the people or its

acceptibility by the majority of the people.

In Congresses, the most effective means of resist­

ing the contaminating influence of political microbes is the

constant review of Congresses work, always with a view to wid­

ening the democratic practice, the ability to take criticism

and self-criticism without any draw-back. Correct serious cri­

ticism and self criticism is never forbidden.

We in the ANCYL are confident that owr case is Just

and we are always ready to sacrifice and follow the leadership

of the mother organisation, the African National Congress.

We are not willing to part oaapany with any wrong idea, view point

opinion, or measure that does not conform to the people's demands.

Sons and daughters of tha soil, as soon as this

oonfaranoa is over we will go out, to defeat the oppressor in

our fatherland and build up a new Africa, in accordance v.lth

resolutions taken in conferences and acoording to our prgogramme

of action.

CONGRESS OF TKh Pj’JOPLK: A paper on this great Feoples Congress

will be read and discussed in this conference. Nevertheless, we

in the Congress Youth league uncrompromisingly back the four

progressive organisations, ANC, S .A .I .C . , C .P .O . and COD which

have sponsored the Congress of the People.

The success/.. . . . . .

The suoeess and failure of the Congress of the People

depands on the willingness, faithfulness, Mid political conscious­

ness of the people of S .A . Wisdom or foolishness that might be

decided at the Congress of the People , I place in your respons­

ibility .

For the first time in the history of S.A . the freedom

charter will embody the demands of our people. The people of S.A.

will, for the firet time come together xri th one object of disc­

ussing their demands, and draw them to be written in the Freedom

Charter. 'The Congress of the People calls on all workers of the

land, black and white to formulate their demands.

Thousand* of Freedcm Volunteers, as has already been

directed by the President-General, Mr. A .J . Lutuli, who is the

National Volunteer-in-Chief, will be required to spread and preach

this Freedom neve and resist apartheid. We must *peak together

of Freedcm. Let us organiss together for the Congress of the

People.

There is no way back. We will have to fight uncompro­

misingly for our Freedom. We have nothing to lo\se, but our chains

and shackles.— • . k.

Ihe Afrioan National Congress calls upon you, citizens

of S .A ., to rally still more closely around our National, libera­

tion movement, around our great leaders#

Our is a righteous cause. The enemy will be routed.

Victory will be ours.

AFKEKA ii AFRIrLA 11 KAYIBUYl; U UAYIBUYE U

Collection Number: AD1812

RECORDS RELATING TO THE 'TREASON TRIAL' (REGINA vs F. ADAMS AND OTHERS ON CHARGE OF HIGH TREASON, ETC.), 1956 1961 TREASON TRIAL, 1956 1961

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