South Africa: Pressure Groups Material

Speeches, pamphlets, leaflets, letters, newsletters, press releases and journals at national, local and youth levels issued by Action White Natal, the African Education Movement (South Africa), the African People's Democratic Union of Southern Africa, the African Peoples Organization, the African Resistance Movement (South Africa), the Afrikaner-Weerstandsbeweging, the All African Convention, the All-In-African National Action Council, the Alliance for Radical Change (South Africa), the Alliance of Radical Methodists, the Anti-Asiatic League (South Africa), Association for Rural Advancement (South Africa), the Athlone Students Action Committee, the Azanian People's Organization, the Azanian Students' Organisation, the Bantu Benevolent and Welfare Society (Port Elizabeth and District), the Black Consciousness Movement of Azania, the Black Parents' Association (South Africa), the Black Peoples' Convention, the Black Sash, the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (South Africa), the Cape Action League, the Christian Institute of Southern Africa, the Citizen's Action Committee (South Africa), the Civil Rights League (South Africa), the Coloured Arts Association (South Africa), the Coloured People's Council of Action, the Coloured Welfare Association (Cape Peninsula Division), the Committee on South African War Resistance, COSAS (South Africa), the Council for Asiatic Rights (Johannesburg), Education for an Aware South Africa., the End Conscription Campaign (South Africa), the Episcopal Churchmen for South Africa, the Federation of South African Women, the Fourth International Organisation of South Africa, Grassroots (South Africa), the Information Centre on South Africa, Inkatha (Organization : South Africa), the Inter-Denominational African Ministers' Federation, Kwazulu Natal Indaba, the Methodist Church of South Africa, the Moderate Student Movement (Cape Town), the Mowbray Inter Racial Group, the Muslim Students Association (Cape Region), the Natal University Students' Union (Non-European Section), the Natal Workers Club, the National Anti-Coloured Affairs Department Committee, the National Committee Against Removals, the National Committee of Liberation (South Africa), the National Council of Coloured Welfare Organisations (South Africa), the National Forum Committee (South Africa), the National Union of Students Education Department (South Africa), the National Union of Students Welfare and Social Action Department (South Africa), the Native Recruiting Corporation (South Africa), the New Unity Movement (South Africa), the Non-European United Front, the Non-European Unity Movement, the Pondoland Anti-apartheid Movement, the Pretoria Indian Commercial Association, the Progressive Students Association (University of Cape Town), Project Vote (South Africa), the Socialist Forum for Southern African Solidarity, the Socialist League of Africa, the Society of Young Africa, the South Africa First Campaign, the South Africa United Front, the South African Catholic Bishops' Conference, the South African Coloured Peoples' Organisation, the South African Labour Education Project, the South African Non-Racial Open Committee for Olympic Sports, the South African Peace Council, the South African Students' Organisation, the Southern African Committee on Industrial Relations, the Southern African Freedom Foundation, the Springbok Legion (South Africa), the Student Representative Council (University of Cape Town), the Student Representative Council (University of Natal), the Students Democratic League (Cape Town), the Students Representative Council (Witwatersrand University), the Students for Social Democracy (South Africa), the Teachers' Educational and Professional Association (South Africa), the Teachers' League of South Africa, the Transvaal Indian Congress, the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress, the Transvaal Rural Action Committee, the United Anti-Peri-Urban Areas Action Committee, the United Women's Organisation, the Wages and Economic Commission (University of the Witwatersrand), Western Areas Protest Committee, the Western Cape Youth League, the Western Province Council of Churches, the Workers Democratic League (South Africa), the Workers' International League (South Africa), the Workers' Organisation for Socialist Action, the World Campaign for the Release of South African Political Prisoners, the Young South Africans for a Christian Civilization, and the Zulu Society (South Africa).

As a consequence of the policies of the South African government nearly all pressure groups, whatever their particular issues, found themselves having to focus on apartheid. Thus the material here largely falls into two categories, being either concerned directly with the struggle to overthrow the system (and in a few cases with the struggle to maintain it) or with an area on which apartheid most directly impacted. The entrenchment of inequality in education provoked the emergence of numerous groups representing both students and teachers, and similarly there is much evidence here of opposition to the policy of forced removals. The sheer number of groups represented here is both an indication of extensive radicalisation within society and a reflection of how the outlawing of various political parties left a greater space for other organisations to contest these issues.

Alphabetically by group, and then in rough chronological order.

Open to all for research purposes; access is free for anyone in higher education.

Institute of Commonwealth Studies

Records at item level on library catalogue (SASCAT)

Description compiled by Daniel Millum, Political Archives Project Officer at the Institutes of Commonwealth and Latin American Studies

Copies can usually be obtained - apply to library staff.

The Commonwealth Political Parties Materials collection was begun in 1960-61, with special emphasis being placed then, as now, on "primary material such as party constitutions, policy statements, convention reports and election manifestos." (ICS, Twelfth Annual Report 1960-1961). Since then, the main method of gathering material has been to appeal directly to political parties throughout the Commonwealth, though contributions from Institute members and staff following visits to relevant countries have been significant. More recently South African material has been collected by means of downloading documents from the websites of significant groups and movements.

Further accruals are expected, some in electronic form.

See also South Africa: Trades Unions Material (TU.SA) and South Africa: Political Party Material (PP.SA), as well as Political Party, Trades Unions and Pressure Group Materials for other Commonwealth countries, the Ruth First Papers (ICS 117), and related material in the library's main classified sequence, all held at the ICS.