Dear Friends,

The story that appears in these pages has never been fully told before. Many people have written about South African workers, but up to this day we have never heard from the oppressed workers themselves; they have struggled and sacrificed in silence. Now, for the first time, the workers' history, the history of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU)has been written. The most striking aspect of this history is the fact that African workers have never ceased to organise, to resist, to commit their lives in struggle against exploitation and oppression under Apartheid.

Over the years, our people have confronted the fascist and racist regime in South Africa. It was not one man, nor one woman, not two people, but thousands. Many of those who participated in the struggle have died and some of them are serving long terms of imprisonment. I would like to commend the authors of this book for writing the story of all our gallant comrades.

I have often been asked questions such as why SACTU was formed; what has it achieved; what did it stand for and what does it stand for today? This book provides invaluable information which answers all these questions. I therefore wish to recommend that you read this book and, more importantly, use it effectively in your support of the struggle of the workers and people of South Africa.

Fraternally,

John Gaetsewe

General Secretary

November 1979