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UDF -IT W A S only ten months ifter Its launch that U D F took on one of t.»e toughest tasks a political organisa­tion could face.

I 'p against ■ gnvrrnm rnt that had hrt-n in power for 36 >ear*i, Ihe >oung front had In ih a lle n fe the U | lt im a r y n l tHr »»«• w rortallftt* linn Jt^ l|t)ird In »|illi <•!>(• • «r%*•-(I Su u lh A fi It »n« as n r*»r before.

Vast |mw er confronted U D I- and in affilintc <*rg;iniMMioni - government, television and Mtlio, and the wealth iind reaource of In#

T h « a lo g a n a a y a It a ll . . |ub> 'an< ilO F a u p o o n a r a m « n c i* < j w n n o i y r a m « a in m a i* m o u a a n a a » r r o » a :>om n nrncm

year of triumph and strengthtogether in Ja n u a ry th li year in W il*rsjirim for a nutionid you*h con­i c -nve

Ihe minnlei of defence. Magnua M ilan . threatened in con vrip l coloured and Indian >imth into the army once ihru parent* h<»d v»ned 1 he U D F *e«ot*ed np |» '« d lrin p t i In rf» i*tw.ijil* Ifttii «|idflM»<l t •mm*

V S n ir ir i ( •)>( p a ie im war* cn co*'1 <f>ril not |o allow ihtM children to ji i r n i m m jn run hy the South African IV * m r Pamphlet! explainedllir l l | ) | * posifKtn W » do not hong

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Between this Inuinph and its Lunch on August 19 last year, ihe U D I hm hnd a year of intense activity. I he government's attempt to impose the constuu- tH*n arid Koornhol Bill* have been opposed at every stage

In the process, it has scored major victories. First, the ( okiured Management Committees and their sell out supporters wer* thoroughly discredited hy a awccesslul election boycott I hen the African Albertina tlaulu. UDP president. salute* • year of united action

rejected KooruhoT. L o t .1 i n o n e s h o r t y e a r o t u n i t e d a c t i o n , t h e U D F h a s p r o v e d a m i g h t y f o r c e . AiMhomiei . M , ie „ pere«m .i«c,ion S A S P U N A T I O N A L l o o k s s o m e o t t h e y e a r ' s h i g h l i g h t s . . .poll.

And because U D F and others had mobilised public opinion against the Orderly Movement and Settlement of Black Persons Bill, the government decided to shelve it

Ihese are perhaps the U D P s moal dramatic vitlone*.

But. the real achievements lie in what was done to reach those heights. Ihe U D F has managed to reach out. often to previously untouched areas and con­stituencies. and touch the imaginations of thousands of oppressed and exploited South Africans

UDI- has warned South Africans that the government still plans to lighten the puis laws Although it has withdrawn (he Orderly Movement Bill, it has replaced this wah ihe Aliens Act and the Ur- ban nation Bill

th ie ot the firu tasks of the new tri- cameral parliament will he to put these plans into ell eel Bui H U D I s Hack record is an)thni| to go by. there is a rough ro jd in store for ihe government.

Ihroujih their year of intensive orgjniMtioit. U | ) l and its aJfiliates are now remh lor further challenges I hey have m ob ilised ‘’enough suppurt, generated enough understanding and built enough organisation to guaiantee almost lo t.*1 rejection of ihese new reforms'

I ow township pollA I 'IF .R passing the hew constitution in pa'liam ent the Botha government needed rubber stamp approval from white voters It set a referendum for November 2 in which whiles were asked to vole ‘yes’ or no' to the new constitu­tion.

In response, the U l ) K organised a ‘people's weekend' for October MJ and J l . A series of rallies were hekl across the country for those who rejected the relerendum

About half of all whites voted for Ihe constitution A U D I statement at ihe time said ' Ih e white referendum is a calculated step lo create a lalse sense of democratic decision making But every step ihat led lo this referendum has been undemocratic.'

Also m November the U D F Lunched • campaign against town councils and local authorities in African townships. Ihese replaced community councils which had long since been discredited

Ih t new councils would have is) mist lhair own funds ifasplt# inheriting huge debts I h«y would lake over much of

> apartheid's dirty work like checking pas­ses and permits and carrying out shack demoliikmi.

Under ihe slogan ‘A vole for the Council a a Vote for Apartheid', the U D I stressed Ihe new councils would create greater hardship and suffering for urban Africans. Rents, service charges and maintenance costs would increase

Civics affiliated to the U D F played a vital rote in organising the massive boycott Pamphlets were distributed. Civics went door-tixJoor explaining the implications of voting and the need to organise against Ihe new councils. Mass meetings were held

Flection candidates made great promises, like Soweto mayor E .T . I shabalala who said he wsiuld drop rents to K5 a month But U D F and the civics made only one promise: Ihat no can­didate would be able lo keep his promise

Civics committed themselves to con­tinue challenging the losal authorities once they look office. I hey also provided a democratic alternative lo government-imposed councils 'W e de­mand it full vote in the government the whole country f et us build our organisation*, unite in the U D F and organise foe a fietler South Africa.' thef urged

Ihe response was overwhelming. The average poll was a mere IV per cent of registered voters, bul only 10 per cent of those who could have registered. Nine out <>f ten Africans rejected Ihe councils

Ihe civics ke|»t their promise — they continued to organise against the coun cils. Ihe candidates broke theirs

K e n ts w e n t u p , no t d o w n Maintenance costs went up. not down. And they consulted the residents less, not more. As Ihe ctvtei and Ihe U D F had prediilrd . life became more dif­ficult.

CM C's - an early victoryA M O N I I I after it* launch. Ihe U D I called for a boycott of < olouied Management Committee elections.

I he U D I and ils affiliates p orted out that high rents increased bus fares and lack of electricity in many areas had never been solved by Ihe committees things had. m fact, got worse.

I he U D f also pointed out thal only the strength nf loc il organisations in each area could change Ihe situation not self inl»ra*t«d peoplr Inking pari in government-created structures

In the Cape Peninsular polls ranged from a I N percent vote to 11.ft percent. A huge majority of people rejected the Management Committees.

Signature Campaign

L A U N C H E D O N January 21, the Million Signature Campaign (M S C ) aimed to collect one million signatures rejecting the constitution and the Koornhof Bills, and demanding a non- racial, democratic and unitary South Africa. B y August nearly half a million people had signed.

Ihe M S C was a huge undertaking and was made even more difficult by eaten- w e stale harassment.

Cabinet ministers made statements against the M SC Police claimed lo have uncovered a 'plot' in which signatures collected by Ihe U D F were passed on lo the banned African National Congresa lo use lor recruiting new members

Signature collectors were harassed and a irrM ed In Ihe B o rd er Reg ion , meetings and signature-collecting blit/es were almost impossible

I he M S C played an important part in popularising the U D F ' and its affiliate organisations. M S I volunteers went out lo ura^gcrs from all walks of life, ea plaining what Ihe U D F was and why ihe constitution and the Koornhof Bills should be rejected

I he government, ihe U D F alleges, sci/ed thousands of signature! If il were not for this an.l vther harassment. U D F would already have reached ill million signature mark

y Reaching Ihe far corners

O N L O F Ihe U D P l m o* remarkable achievement! is its penetration into South A frica 'i vast and isolated ruial arr-aj l.arly on. the I 'D l identified this ms a major pnorily to suenghtrn existing organisation in ihese areas, and lo help crealc organisation wheic none existed

In February the U D F supported the campaign against the removal of ihe Magopa comnnimiy In consultation with the leaders of this 70 year-old Western Iransvanl community, il set about publicising ih 'i 'hidden' removal.

Bul. when attention had died down, Koornhof sent more then 30 trucks to lorce ihe community lo move. Amid allegations of brutality and assualts. ihe H»ra Mils drured

Ihe removal may huve I * im « art led out, tun a blu/e ol publicity meant it

wasn't as easy and quiet as the govern­ment would have liked Leandra — a n o t h e r I r u m v i a l c o m m u n it y threatened with resettlement — has become a U D I tironghold. and for the present Ihe government has had to back down there.

During the anti-election campaign, considerable anti- constitution activity took place in the rural areas In Ihe Northern Iransvaal a huge 'Rural Peo­ple's Rally ' w is held, attracting entire tribes.

New regional structure were set up in areas Ihat were previously isolated from Ihe mam cenlies. Ihe Northern Cape, with ils active centre in the Kuruman V ryb ttf Kimberley d iilric l established a regional committee, as did Ihe Orange Free State areas of Welkom, Parys and Bloemfontein t»nd South-West Cape and Southern Cape

Solidarity with CiskeiO N E O F the moal emotional moments al the U D F launch was when Steve lihw etc — Lter t<> become Border U D I president — Hood up and lold the crowd what was happening in Mdant- lane's bus boycott

In two w icks 8)2 people weie detained W were shot dead, ihe South African Allied Workers Union (Saawu) was banned and it« leadership was driven underground.

Ihe U D F . Saawu and eight other trade unions succeeded in generating massive protest and mobilised doctors, lawyers, com m unity and resource organisations lo assist in the area.

In support o f Saawu the U D F said: 'W e lake a very serious view of Ihe right of workers to iheir unions and lo defend Ihemselves against exploitation We join all unions in condemning the ban

Inkalha lashes out11II R A P ID growth ot the UDF" has not only been a headache for the government

Inkalha. the KwaZulu- based 'cultural organisation led by banlustan cbief. (Jatsha Bulhelr/i, has opposed ibe U D F almost from Nt launch I his has often led to violence

Hut. as the U D F pointed out in ■ pamphlet afiei Inkalha impis murdered five University nl Ngoye students, this path is not a new one

In M ay they ma< k«<1 I >DI supporters al an Fmpangi ni mass meeting TO-year

V K M * - * \ » V «in M ilc h e ll s P la in , A tlan tia and Khayelrtsha in bad conditions, forces our chiklren lo go to gutter education schools; and Ihat forces us lo pay <»Sf on eveiythmg we buy an that the govern­ment can spend all its money on ihe army '

O p p o sin g K h a y eiilsh a

C A P E I O W N a already feeling the side effects of the Koornhof Bids Ih e planned relocation of all Africans in ihe (. ape PenmsuL lo the barren wasteLnd ol Khayelrtsha. 40 kilometres from Cape I own. is part of the plan to contra! the movement of Africans

I in shacks are already being put up. and Ihe rem ova l* have started Koornhof clearly hopes that, once a l Afncans are settled there, his govern­ment will have greater control over squalling, the emry of illegals , the movement of residents and their places of work

But they will now have lo contend with Ihe Western Cape Civic Associa­tion. Ihe U D F and the Crossroads. Nyanga. K IC and l^nga residents

Moving 250 Of*' people is not easy, particularly when they do not agree to It

U D F under the whipM A R A S S M F N I of ihe U D F started before it was even launched People travelling in Cape I own for the launch were stopper* and detained Anonymous pam ph lets la id Ih e la u nch was cancelled

Security policemen have intimidated and threatened people, particularly priests, who have given halls as venues for meetings.

U D F meetings have repeatedly been banned Ihe Border Region w*» forced \o hold its launch outside ihe area fnr I his reason

'U O f u n i t e s A p a r th e id r * v k r e a

old U D F president. Archie fjumede, was knocked unconscious Inkalha members have also been responsible for a number of deaths in CamoniviHc.

Hulheleri obviously realised h-; had gone loo far. and extended a formal in­vitation to U D F lo meet Irikaihs members. Bu l in ihe light ni the deHihs. iropi attacki and verbal abuse fro*’’ Hiiihele/i. Ihe U D F refused Ihe imiln lion

On foreign affairsW I IF N P R IM F Minister P w H « l.a announced he would lour Futope after signing ihe Nkomati Accord, the U D F appealed lo host governments to reject him

For us il is strange to hear Ihe Boiha government talk .•< | * Mce ami change said U D I N I W * In M ar ih Ihe* talk. Iiboul change and vel the only vhanges

txr«ead tru* •« a ysai ct y ife s J actionwe .»ee are 'he r* * *4 -- bread. C S f . inrik and trains ?h«» • .«lk about moving *h.*ir 'oops oi*t c* A ’\f> -la but they we se .d ug iheh n m y mi-j n h >ols

UDI- pairo" -'•i'sn P 'esak summed up •he fe»'ing* i *e»»i| P-s!ha mAkes h*s peacc witb the n«*;o»t»y of South Air- jns *h:re wiM be *o peace in South A Inc a

lht»se tesd^’ s, .*e PrUain * Margaret Ihoicber l^a' .!id i ’eet H st^a and his part* bro-'phl angrr N'hJ p'*i»est upon the-Msefvcs. t*a.i marched through I of,do** condem ning both pfrime ministers

No to conscriptionI ^ I S A N ' a larjre growth m the number

•ol youih organic*’ "m i a ioum l ihe i ounirs

ih t r i i t t i con , i pro.notaii hy U D I bfo».gln ovei >o.nh grmp%

Ihe U D F president-elect. Albertina Sisulu was detained and kept as an awaiting I rial prisoner before she w » elected Some 20 U D F ofTice bearers were put m preventative detention just before the elections.

IV and radio attack, slander and un­dermine the U D F and its campaigna. while nghi-wing student organisations produce expensive pamphlets attacking it

Numerous people popularising U D F i>nd taking part in its programmei have *een arrested. a»*me for 'notous as­semblies . others under ihe Intimidation Art. and others simply for 'loitering'

Ihere have also been anonymosrs acts of violence In Johannesburg alone there have been over '0 attacks on U D F sup̂ porters' homes, cars and property In t ape I own. one day before the People's Weekend, a fire ripped through the of­fices ol the UD F-alT ilialed United Women's * hganisaiiori In I a«i I oik Ion slm li have bean fired hum Ihe hom# of a piummrnt U D I acIIV . St

Collection Number: AK2117 DELMAS TREASON TRIAL 1985 - 1989 PUBLISHER: Publisher:-Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand Location:-Johannesburg ©2012

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